Breastfed 5mo drinking oj?

[JJandbump]

Hi, this is my first posting on MN, hoping to find some help...

My ds is 5mo, and today is day 13 without pooing. he is 100% breastfed and from what i've been told this is nothing to worry about and will resolve itself as and when. my hv has suggested i give him water with fresh orange juice in it, to try and get things moving, but i would like other mums' opinions on this. it seems to me all i've been told since he was born was 'breast is best for the first 6 months', don't give anything else, not even water, so it feels wrong to be giving him anything like OJ.

should i just give it to him anyway or stick with bmilk and hope he just poos eventually?

Have you tried drinking the OJ yourself and then feeding him?

It is a very common solution; either teaspoon or two of OJ in water or the same but with prune juice. It's very common to give this to much younger babies thatn 5mo so please don't worry. It will work and then you won't have to give it anymore. It's really not like giving a cup of juice.

Found this:

"In fact, some breastfed babies only have bowel movements every week or two. In these children, as long as the bowel movement is watery or soft when they finally have it, then they are likely normal and not constipated."

I really wouldn't and second what Shaz said. Also is he straining but not able to poo? You could try bicycling his legs?

The other to think JJ is that many mums will have already started to wean their babies at 5mo so giving a little juice in a lot of water, is fine. Most mums do baby led weaning at 6 months so babies by then could be actually eating prunes!

Hey, it worked for us.

I wouldn't give a 5 month old OJ. Breast fed babies poo less than formula fed babies as there is less waste.

Thanks everyone for your comments. The weird thing is it seems to have come out of nowhere - up until 13 days ago he was happily pooing away a few times each day. Very bizarre, and still feeding normally so I've no idea where all the milk's going!

I have eaten all sorts to try and help the siuation, including curries, fruit juice etc. He doesn't appear to be straining much, he has plenty of wind which unfortunately smells as bad as you'd expect! Have also tried some gentle abdominal massage, which he seems to enjoy but hasn't helped much yet!

I will definitely try cycling his legs though, see if that helps.

Thanks everyone )

If it's completely different to normal and has suddenly come out of nowhere, I'd certainly book an app at GP because no matter what anyone says about infrequent poos in bf babies, if it's a very sudden change for no reason, when he's been pooing daily before that, then perhaps you should check him out.

Have you tried a warm bath followed by a baby massage? Clockwise strokes on the tummy and on the small of the back could help.

I wouldn't give oj. Apart from it not being milk, it's very acidic and could actually upset his tummy. My ds is v sensitive to oranges to the extent that I had to cut them out of my diet when I was bfeeding. If he is otherwise happy and content, not uncomfortable and straining then I wouldn't worry about it. Bm is the best thing for him. Maybe he is on a growth spurt and just using everything up! is he having plenty of wet nappies? Agree with the warm bath and massage ideas. Be prepared for the next pooey nappy though. No doubt he will save it for the worst possible moment!

If its not normal for your DS, i would go to GP before searching online for remedies to rule out anything like constipation.

It could simply be that his digestion has altered to accomodate your curries Or his body is preparing for real food.

I probably should qualify that my son was actually constipated (pellets) when I drank the OJ and then fed him. It definitely worked though!

The teaspoon of OJ or prune juice in a bottle of boiled water is recommended by midwives/HVs routinely. We're only talking needing to do it the once I should think. However, breastmilk is a natural laxative and so really, a completely bf baby, shouldn't get constipated and is more likely to have become super efficient at using it all up. I know it sounds like I'm contradicting myself but I know what I mean.