Newborn struggling to poo!

[charley39]

I have a 12 day old baby and am worried about his poo or lack of. He is formula fed, feeding well and having lots of wet nappies but he went from day 7-10 without pooing and when he did eventually go it was a very smooth paste with no consistency at all. Since then we are now 48hrs again with no poo. Last night he screamed the house down for hours and kept pulling his legs up and looking in pain. When contacting the midwife they explain it’s normal for a baby to go 3days without pooing but it doesn’t seem right for this to be the norm!? Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this? I’ve tried bicycle legs, tummy massage, he refused cool boiled water, tried wiping his bum gently to encourage aswell but nothing works.

Sounds like you are doing everything right but please don’t offer water to a newborn, it can have some quite awful effects.

Other things to try are putting LO in a sling (not a baby carrier) and going for a walk, even if it’s just around the house and bathing them. My DD had a tummy tub and she almost always managed a poo in that. I think it was the combination of the warm water, having no nappy on and the position.