Poo: How hard is too hard

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

DD was EBF and we are now starting to give her solids. Her poo has gradually been becoming more formed, even before we started solids. The last couple of times she has been it has been 3 or 4 days between poos, and they have been long, smooth, fully formed, like an adult poo, with no "nobbles" that might denote constipation.

However, passing this seems to cause her some discomfort, and she seems to pass a bit and then a bit more and cries while she is doing it. Volume wise, the poo seems huge in relation to her body size, a good 4 or 5 inches long.

Is this poo to hard for a baby? Is she complaining because it hurts or because it feels funny and different to what she is used to? Is there anyway I can help her - I don't want her to start having poo issues... :(

my ds1 had terrible constipation once we weaned him, but it's all ok now, with some children apparently it is just due to the immaturity of their digestive system. he went 11 days once - owwwww! when really bad he would poo a 'conker' or two as i desrcibed it, then maybe the next day a whole big poo would come out. he would scream if really sore. he was prescribed lactulose which really helped and is fine for babies (altho ceck with your GP). there are more natural rememdies for a preventative effect, e.g. pears, apple juice, avoiding certain constipating foods. the poo you describe sounds fine but her discomfort would indicate that maybe it is a little hard for her, and i guess you are aiming for slighly more frequent than getting so far, but it will come gradually i should think.

Sounds a bit infrequent. My paediatrician told me 3 days was the longest DS should go...

If you want something to soften the stools then I was told to get 'lactulose' from the chemist, I mixed this in with DS's formula on occasion. It isn't a laxative, it just makes the poo softer, so she won't cry. That can be really upsetting, I know!

Also, if you're weaning then most likely you're using rice cereal? There's nothing magical about rice cereal, it's only that the texture is right. Baby oat porridge is just as good and won't clog her up so much. Holle make a rolled oat porridge if you can find it. Failing that, there's a 'four grain super porridge' (the one without the fruit) that Plum Baby make which is good, because it's not all rice.

Adding stewed pears also helps them 'go', but banana can also cause constipation, in case you weren't aware.

Don't forget to offer DD water many times throughout the day. I found it took a while before DS would take it, but now he's fine drinking plain water (which is better than getting them hooked on juice).

Best of luck!