Newborn Poo - not often enough?

[Mamaofthree]

Just wondering if anyone has experience of a newborn poo-ing infrequently - otherwise well?

My 15 day old bf baby is only pooing every or every other day. He has plenty of wet nappies and seems to be feeding well - he had fairly bad jaundice and problems with sleepieness early on - I fed him ebm until he got the hang of bf - which took until 7 days old.

He has not been weighed since Tuesday, and then was 80g away from his birth weight, (3700g), despite being down to 3400f on day three.

The poo, when it comes, is HUGE, and mustard yellow. I'm worried that there is a problem though - as everything I've read says that they should poo several times a day.

Fine. They poo so little because there is such little waste in breast milk. As long as he is (he is) it's fine. Wet nappies are what you need to mainly watch.

It's not a problem so long as there are plenty of wet nappies. DD was a seldom poo-er - once every few days. DS on the other hand was a meal in, poo out kind of guy. I know which one I prefered dealing with.

DS2 used to poo once every five days while he was breastfed. I used to look forward to 'poo day' as it didn't seem right that the poo was in there for so long - but he was/is perfectly healthy!!

I worried about this with ds2 as ds1 used to poo after every feed.

Ds2 pood every 3-4 days, but HV said it was normal if breastfed.

lol at 'poo-day'.

Mamofthree - you're right to be a bit concerned. Infrequent pooing is only usual in a baby of four weeks or so and beyond. Sooner than that, especially in the first couple of weeks, it is always a sign that you need to ensure, by other means, that breastfeeding is going well. It's misleading to say that as long as the nappies are wet it's ok - all that means is the baby is not in immediate danger of dehydration, not that feeding is totally ok.

Yes, healthy, well-fed bf babies poo several times a day in the first weeks. If they don't, then it doesn't mean there is a crisis, but it does mean, as I say, his weight gain should be checked and the transfer of milk from you to him should be checked, and the frequency of feeding should be checked.

Some babies poo infrequently at the start and all is well; some babies poo infrequently at the start and the difficulty sorts itself out, and all is well. But without more info and someone who knows what's what doing a proper assessment, no one can be certain. Some of what you say is good - he seems to be gaining weight now, and the poo is the right colour, and he may just have had a slow start.

Are you feeding him several times day and night (probably 8-10 times) and from both breasts? Does he show by his behaviour he is enthuisatically feeding, and do you know how to recognise milk is getting into him?

It might be a good idea to get him weighed on accurate scales by someone you trust at the clinic to complete the picture.

Hope this helps.

Thanks everyone.

tiktok - he is feeding often, at least 8-10 times, with one sleep of about four hours overnight, and every 2-3 hours as well as this - and at least one fussy spell of several hours constant feeding every day.

I think that he is feeding well though, he is very windy, and often brings up a mouthful or two of milk, after feeding, and I can hear him drinking milk.

HV is coming to weigh him tomorrow afternoon, so will know more then.

Am strangely proud of the fact that my little girl (now 18m) once went 15 days without a poo. It was amazing when it came! The first few weeks it was only every 3-4 days. Sure it's nothing to worry about - sounds very normal to me (what's normal anyway??)

I think it is worth mentioning to the HV when she comes tomorrow. DS was pooed infrequently when he was a little older but it the beginning he did poo fairly often. Personally I'd go with what tiktok says, as she always seems to know what she is talking about!

If the HV dismisses it I think I'd be inclined to visit the GP, just to be on the safe side.

I would mention it to HV and keep an eye on other signs such as weight gain and hydration but it can be perfectly normal - DD was like this and was piling on the weight. She still only goes once every few days despite drinking loads. DS on the other hand was another one in one out baby.

Thanks for vote of confidence, llaregub

It can be ok, in a newborn, to poo infrequently, but as I explained in the previous post, it may not be ok. There is no way someone on a talkboard like this should be telling someone else not to worry, that it's all normal...'cos we cannot know

www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/newborn-nursing.html is a good bit of info on this.

Weight gain was 190g in the last six days - so am a bit reassured by this - but will continue to keep a close eye on things.

Interestingly, both HV, and GP (had to take dd earlier today) told me (and this was before I learned of weight gain) that it was normal - nothing at all to worry about.

tiktok - just wondering if you know exactly why it's unusual that babies poo infrequently in the first few weeks? Is it to do with the milk composition? Could the fact that I am also still bf my two year old have any bearing on this?

Thanks!

Anyone? Gettin anxious again before weigh-in tomorrow as still no improvement of frequency of poo.

Thanks!