Can a baby poo too much?!

[Luckystar1]

DD is 16 weeks. Sleep is absolutely atrocious. Waking every 1.5-2hours nightly. Likely 'the' sleep regression, but realistically, since her first jabs, sleep has been awful.

Anyway, I keep hearing that as breastmilk is so nutritious and easily absorbed that many babies might go days without pooing... DD poos up to 10 times a day. Big poos, all normal colour etc, just extremely frequently.

She also still poos at least once a night.

I'm concerned that there's something 'wrong' that the milk just 'goes through' her! And that's why she's waking so frequently.

Weight etc seems to be ok, she's following 75th centile more or less, I just can't keep up with the constant night wakings. I have a 2 year old too.

Thank you.

I don't have any helpful advice but DD was always pooing like mad at the beginning, to the point where she had broken skin and sores, it was horrible.

It did pass but maybe the immunisations make it worse? Does she feed for long at each feed?

She feeds very quickly, comes on and off and then wants another feed quite soon after. I'm so close to throwing in the towel. I need more certainty than this. I breastfed DS for 16 months, he never had a drop of formula. But he was bloody dreadful too, I was hoping this time would be different!!

My DD was breastfed and would poo loads. She is 18 months and whilst no longer breastfed is still very regular, my HV said it was just the norm for some babies.

A word of warning, this meant CMPI for my DS. Constantly feeding (it makes them feel better as aids gut motility) then pooing constantly. Poos very acidic smelling. Just wrong.
Dreadful disturbed nights with writhing etc.

It might not be of course but look into it. We had no rash or weight loss but I knew he wasn't right.

Oh bloody hell I hope it's not CMPI. The poos are fine, it's just the frequency!

What Elspeth said with bells on!
My Ds also has CMPI, and when he was breastfed (now on dairy-free formula instead) there was a poo at every nappy change. Still bright yellow and grainy, but smelled very acidic.

Oh no!! Every nappy usually has poo, some loads, some just a little bit usually always. No smell that I can discern...!

Well of course it might not be. Do a bit of googling.

It's also not actually that big a deal if it is so don't panic. We eventually just had to go on special formula. That was that - sorted. We weaned him back onto dairy fully by 18 months.

I will google thank you!

She's exclusively breastfed and I have no real desire to stop so it would be a huge pain in the arse, so hopefully it's not that!!

Just to pop in to say you can try going dairy free. Tesco have a lot of free from dairy stuff. But it takes 4 weeks to see results and is a pain in the arse as it even includes biscuits

I had two super-pooers and went through the faff of trying dairy-free to see if that sorted it. Utterly pointless - it's just how some babies are. I think you'd find she was a frequent waker even without the pooing as well. Sorry.

Oh, and both of mine were completely BF as well. I'd listen on in jealousy to those EBF babies who wouldn't poo for days, while changing poo number 6. It ends. DS1 barely goes once a day now at 4yo, and DS2 (2yo) explodes goes once every three days.

Thank you! That's good to hear. My concern was whether there was something 'wrong' with the milk that she wasn't absorbing it as much as these non poopers and this needing to wake more frequently as a result... literally grasping at straws!!

Our DS pooed a lot up to around 4 months. And then all of a sudden he stopped pooing (once every 3-4 days was normal then for him!). So maybe it quickly changes for you as well (and then you start worrying something else is wrong ). He's 2yo now and all's well, with one poo most days.

DD used to poo up to 3x every feed and it only settled down with weaning. We also went dairy free and soy free for a few months and it made no difference at all. If your baby is otherwise well I think that it's probably just their normal.

I was going to mention that my DD is also cows milk intolerant, but last time I suggested it being a possible cause I was flamed... Anyway she now has soya milk as is 18 months and her nappies are completely normal now. So yes, could be a reason