baby needing help to poo

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My baby is just over 4 weeks old and is breastfed. She seems to be increasingly struggling to do a proper poo but does little bits. She gets really uncomfortable and upset the same as colic symptoms but nothing helps to get rid of it and I'm really starting to struggle seeing her in pain and having to try and comfort her for hours. Yesterday i tried something I'd seen online using a thermometer slightly into her bottom and so much poo shot out no wonder shes unhappy. The poo is runny so shouldn't be hard for her to pass. Obviously i don't want to keep doing this but it's the only thing thats helped.
Has anyone else had this? And if i take her to the doctors will they just say its normal for breastfed babies to go for a while without pooing?

plus digestive issues and things like allergies can go undiagnosed for years.kids get used to feeling a certain way so dint make such a fuss about it as it's their normal state, or they self medicate by just not eating things, so they can just go hidden fir years. or parents are fobbed off with so called diagnoses which aren't really a diagnosis -eg reflux, silent reflux, colic, toddler diorrhea, etc so they have a name but no cause. (not saying these things dint exist on their own.they do. but often they are a symptom of something more that can take a long time to be realised)

Nothing you eat or drink will affect your baby's gut in any way, so prunes etc are a waste of time unless you like them :)

Ditto cutting out dairy unless you think she has a genuine intolerance or allergy.

Some babies do seem to get upset and uncomfortable at the sensations in their gut.

Unless your baby is unwell, and not thriving, then the doctor will probably reassure you that there is nothing wrong. Good idea to speak to doc or Hv. The baby will almost certainly grow out of it.

No need for water or sugar water. She's not constipated.

DD was like this from about 5 to 8 weeks old. She was EBF, and started going up to 5/6 days between poos. By day 3 she was clearly uncomfortable and was worse on days 4 and 5.

I did the cotton bud thing - very gingerly - a few times. Huge poonami each time and a MUCH happier baby. Plenty of people will criticise me for doing this, but I met a maternity nurse who told me it used to be pretty standard to stick tip of (gloved) little finger up there if a baby was struggling.

Other ideas which helped us: DD pooed best being held in a squatting position straight after a big feed. Tummy massage clockwise as mentioned above. We never tried sugar water, I wasn't keen on giving a newborn sugar (or apple or prune juice). We saw a cranial osteopath for other reasons and he got her to poo a couple of times.

If you google or search on MN this is actually fairly common. It's not constipation per se because it's not hard poo, but IMO it is struggling to poo and it does cause them discomfort. It is not just 'colic', it is definitely poo related. Personally I think it's to do with them working out which muscles to use to poo but that's just a theory.

As I say, DD became much more regular at about 8 weeks - I think the rotavirus vaccine helped things along! Good luck - bet you never thought you'd be so happy to see a pooey nappy eh

Yep your right minipie, yesterday she pooed well all day and i was so happy!!
I also agree about them working out how
To go, its like they forget which muscles to use.
Fingers crossed it sorts it self out in a few weeks

My daughter also started having issues pooping when she hit the 4 week mark. She went for about a week without doing a poo so I took her to the GP's. they prescribed her Lactulose and she pooped a few days later... a massive explosion... but then none again for a few days. I was told to carry on with the lactulose but I didn't cos it didn't seem to be working as it'd still be a few days without a poo. Now she poos on her own every 2-3 days which is fine with me, it's never hard poo and looks how it should do.
I really do think it's normal for them to not poo for a few days since breast milk is such little waste product.

Well i went to see a health visitor who said the poo ( i had taken a picture) wasnt quite normal and baby shouldn't be uncomfortable between going. She also watched Dd and said she had silent reflux and to see a doctor to try amd get her some gaviscon.
So i did that and suprise surprise i got the whole it will go away on its own, shes putting weight on so its not a worry so we won't do anything! Ive also got this male doctor for our 6 week check next week so i will be requesting a different one.
So frustrated that im just supposed to watch my baby be in pain.

Really interesting perspective on colic

babyhintsandtips.com/doctor-tips-colic-bore-your-baby-to-sleep/

I'm glad you have got it sorted and diagnosed. Go well 😊

How was the birth? Would suggest you try cranial osteopathy if either v quick or drawn out. My son had v bad constipation forms baby / tried everything and finally this. It did wonders. Only needed 2 X treatments.

The birth was very quick pollyr01.i have booked her into for cranial osteopathy but its not till the 14th of march so a bit of a wait. It is interesting to hear success stories as i was unsure whether to go for it but decided anything that migjt help is worth a try

If she still seems a bit constipated then I'd be careful with gaviscon as it tends to increase constipation. If you think she does have silent reflux then suggest you ask GP for ranitidine (much more effective and no constipation issues). Silent reflux is notoriously overdiagnosed though so best to do some googling and see if you think she fits the symptoms (eg acidic burps, uncomfortable/won't sleep on her back).

This doctor was completely uninterested in the poo issue and said its normal for breastfed babies! Yet the health visitor was a lot more sympathetic and said yes it is normal but they should nt be uncomfortable when it happens.
She does often show the signs of reflux now i know what to look for but not always.