Prune juice for a 5 week old?

[mama2moo]

Dd is 5 weeks old and hasnt pooed since Tuesday night.

She used to go a few times a day. She screams in pain sometimes and just will not go.

Someone has suggested prune juice to help her as she seems to have become lazy with it.

Any advice on this? Is she too young to have some very very watered down?

She is breast fed.

No no no please don't do the prune juice it is too much for her little tummy.

DD once didn't go for 7 days and the Doc said that there is little wastage with BF and she is just using it all and wold go eventually and she did 24hours later - on me, the sofa, the flor and through 3 layers of clothes. Call your GP/HV if you are worried.

If she's breastfed it's highly unlikely that she's constipated. Don't, don't DON'T give her anything, not water, not orange juice, not brown sugar, not prune juice. Just breastmilk.

It's not at all uncommon for breastfed babies not to poo for several days and then do a huge explosive one, she's not being lazy (she's 5 weeks old, too young to be lazy!!) she's just doing what babies do, and not being predictable!

If you think she needs a helping hand lie her on her back and bicycle her legs or gently rub her tummy in a clockwise direction. Those things will help her poo come out.

Thank you! Everyone keeps telling me that breast fed babies poo all the time and it is worrying that she hasnt.

I will leave it over the weekend and see my GP on Monday if still nothing.

Im probably not going to be popular here, but my 8 week old did the same thing recently and my HV advised a squeeze of orange in a cup of sterlised water and a teaspoon or two of this ... 2 hours later he had the relief he so desperately needed. He has continued to bf well and has shown no signs of trauma or tummy problems since. I think some HVs DO know their stuff!

Babybessa - unfortunately orange juice is one of the highly allergic fruits and can cause horrible reactions. It only makes your little one poo because you are irritating a very sensitive tummy kinda like you having a couple of spoonfuls of caster oil, yit makes you go but can have horrid side effects too. OJ/prune juice/sugar water and other old fashioned remedies are not suitable for tiny babies and it is very rare for a BF baby to be truely constipated.

babybessa Oranges are highly allergenic, babies shouldn't have any citrus fruits until they are about 9 month sold, certainly not at 8 weeks. Your HV needs retraining!!

poo output is a good indicator of what is going in...ie how much milk baby is getting. over the weekend could you try feeding baby more often? it is very rare for b/f babies to become constipated, but it does happen. constipated isn;t how long the baby goes without having a poo but what comes out...dry round stools, like rabbit droppings mean constipation, loose yellow stools with grainy bits are b/f poos

def book to see your GP, even if just for reassurance. 5 weeks is still on the young side for b/f baby to be going without pooing, but not unheard of. we are very lucky in this country to have free access to medical professionals and at the end of the day everyone is working towards the babies best interests. it can help to think of mum and dr standing next to each other to best help the baby rather than being pitted against each other somehow

From about 8 weeks some b/f babies can go up to 10days without having a poo because everything in the milk is used by the baby and there is little wastage, however with a young baby poo output is still the best indicator of what is going in.

baby still needs 8 - 12 feeds in a 24hr period and there are many cues for feeding, crying being a late sign of hunger. with a newborn it's kind of a good idea that if they are awake to feed them and they will learn to regulate their own intake and tell you when they're not ready for a feed.

this link gives lots of useful information
www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/newborn-nursing.html#afterweek1

When she does poo its very runny and yellow.

I gave her a bath earlier hoping that would help but still nothing.

She feeds around 10 times in a day (some big feeds some small) and if I give her a bottle of expressed she will take 5oz so I know she is getting a lot of milk.

You can feel her tummy bubbling when she is crying.

morning mama2moo

you feel worried about dd and you know her best. mums instincts should always be listened to.

it's quite likely if everything else is ok, feeding well, awake times and alert, good skin tone and colour that she'll do a poo anytime now and everyone will be relieved!

in the meantime it's a good idea to give your docs a call. they'll always see a new baby at short notice and can give her a good check all over. laxatives are a last resort for a tiny baby as it's quite harsh. a doc can check there's no physical reason, ie a blockage, for not pooing.

Babies under 6 weeks are still adjusting so much to life outside the womb and can often be grumbly / collicky. warm bath is a great idea, tummy massage, collick hold (tiger in the tree) and lots of carrying (slings are great for grumbly baby, esp soft stretchy wraps for newborns).

carry on the great job you're doing, lots of feeds and do post again when you have any news

x

Was also going to suggest bicycling her legs or, get a cotton bud dipped in vaseline and tickle the anus with it. Obviously, do not insert it but the tickling helps give baby somewhere to aim to and the vaseline helps it come out. (Btw - am not a nutter!! Our pediatrician suggested this and it always seemed to work)

It is normal for a breastfed baby to go a week or even 10 days without pooing, Please do not give your baby anything to make her poo. She is not constipated, she's just used everything up, so there is nothing to poo out. My dd poo'd ever 7-10 days until she started solids at 6 months.

the longest my bf ds went was 17 days. He was 'under the hospital' and the pead was a bit shocked but not concerned. He was a bit older than your dd at the time, about 7-8 weeks when he stopped pooing several times a day.

Honestly, it is normal and fine for a breastfed baby to go several days without doing a poo.

The only time you would worry is if it is in the first days, about up to 4 weeks or so (as it could indicate baby not getting enough milk, but important to look at other signs as well)

Or if the poo is hard or comes out in pellets - this can mean the baby is constipated. If the poo is soft, they are NOT constipated and they DO NOT need any help with it.

I am doing a peer support training course and we have just covered this so I am very confident that this information is correct.

She pooed!! Yesterday and again last night. She didnt struggle at all so I guess she just doesnt need to go much.

Thanks again to you all x

glad to hear the good news. I'm also glad you had the good sense to come here for advice.

I unfortunately gave my then 7 week old a spoonful of orange juice recommended by the GP. Poor thing was sick for two days after that, I was so upset and felt so stupid, but I was a first time mum asking GP for advice and following it. Never again!

can't agree with those against the prunes. I tried it with my 3 month old who has been constipated for a week and it worked wonders! He had a nice healthy (not diarrhoea) poop within 3 hours. I would definitely do this again. I just soaked some prunes in water over night and then fed him the resulting "juice" via a syringe-- about 2 ounces. This is recommended in the Yehudi Gordon books and by my paediatrician. And he seemed to like the taste as well. Also, it's not true that if the poo is soft there is nothing wrong. If they are alternately constipated followed by totally liquid poos (no kernals if they are breastfed) that means that there is still some blockage. This is chronic constipation by definition.

ebmen, you're right about soft poo sometimes meaning constipation/blockage....but not in a 5 week exclusively bf baby. The info you are sharing applies to older babies and toddlers.

It is normal for babies over a few weeks old to go several days without poos. It does not need treatment, because normal does not need treating.

However, if a baby appears to be screaming in pain - like the OP's - then of course they need checking out. Glad things seem to be going better for you, OP.

HVs recommending prune juice and orange juice to babies only weeks old....very odd and indicative of some training needs

Just seen date on this thread - 2 mths old!!