Day 9 of no dirty nappies!

[braw]

DD2 is 8 weeks old and hasn't had a dirty nappy since last Saturday, she's in discomfort passing wind and has been letting out a scary new high pitched cry. She had several on the Saturday, one almighty explosion on Friday but prior to that hadn't had one since the previous Sunday. Before that she had several a day. The last nappies were normal, not hard or constipated looking. We've done warm baths, tummy massages etc. At the out of hours today the nurse refused to believe me and said if it gets to Wednesday (day 11) it would be "an emergency". She recommended giving a few ml of cooled boiled water but I thought this wasn't recommended for EBF babies? Any advice? I am really worried as DD is in lots of pain today.

Is she still feeding ok and having wet nappies?

Feeding ok I think, hard to tell! Plenty of wet nappies. She's literally passed nothing for 9 days. The nurse kept saying "not even a tiny bit? Are you sure? That's very unlikely" etc etc but I mean absolutely nothing.

You’re right, cooled boiled water isn’t necessary for EBF babies.

If she’s still feeding and having plenty of wet nappies I’d be inclined to leave her to it. She’ll go at some point I’m sure. Have you got any fancy outfits you don’t want her to poo up? Try dressing her in one - like when you want your period to start you wear nice knickers

Congratulations on 8 weeks of EBF!

I'd be pretty concerned for an EBF baby. Mine seemed to poo almost constantly. I think I was worried once at 3 days but then they exploded as usual.
If she is in pain and something doesn't feel right, get a second opinion. Always trust your instincts, you can't be too careful with a baby this small. How is she now OP?

Haha good idea about the nice outfit. Might try dressing her in it just as we leave the house in a rush, perhaps going somewhere with a lack of baby change toilets, maybe without any wipes packed? That should get her going. In all seriousness though, the nurse said it'd be an emergency if we get to day 11?! I am normally pretty relaxed but that freaked me out!

My DS was like that when he was little - a couple of times he went 12/13 days with nothing at all! I was assured by midwife / health visitor that it was perfectly normal for breastfed babies (just as it's normal for them to go multiple times a day). And in fact my DSis's son did exactly the same.
Only when they seem very uncomfortable you could do something about it - our GP prescribed some suppositories on one of the longer stretches which did the trick but was a rather unpleasant experience for all involved!!

@BammBamm DD1 was never like this, she had dirty nappies a couple of times a day so I'm really unsure how much to worry. I am planning to call HV tomorrow, like you say I am following my instincts and getting a second opinion. She's ok just now, quite settled. She is sleeping pretty much as usual and having settled/happy periods but she's having more and more unsettled periods and is increasingly distressed during them.

Sadly as EBF babies are relatively uncommon the nurse may well have been applying her knowledge of FF babies and bowels to your baby.

My wee guys record was 11 days. Everyone wasnt worried as breastfed babies are very good at using all they eat.

@ineedsleepineedsleep She is getting to the point of being very uncomfortable now

My friend has babies who don't poo often. Her eldest once went 10 days. She did the cooled boiled water thing, treated it like Calpol so 2.5ml every 4h. Vaseline liberally applied, and a lot of time in the sling usually works too.
Good luck. When it does come it will be horrible.
(You could try dressing her in something that you really don't want to get poo on, that always worked for mine but the most we've ever waited for a poo is 5 days)

I think I gave 5ml of prune juice in a calpol syringe but that was about 4 months I think so prob not recommended so so young...

@ClaraLane She assumed DD was FF, I corrected her but she continued talking as if she was FF, told me to "add boiled water to her feeds". All making me less inclined to follow her advice as I feel she wasn't really listening to me on top of not actually believing what I said (god knows why I'd bother lying about this).

@JohnLapsleyParlabane Sling and car seat usually works for DD but no luck yet. I'm solo with both kids all day tomorrow so maybe she'll sense it would be a bad time for it and really let loose...

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/parenting/3715526-ebf-no-poo-for-14-days?watched=1&msgid=90815107#90815107

Here's someone at day 14!

On a bf group I'm on lots of mums talk about this and the lactation consultants say it's ok for ebf babies. But if she's uncomfortable that doesn't seem good. Do you have a feeding team or bf support group you can ring for advice? What about la leche league?

Have you tried a bath and a tummy massage? You could google for the best way to do it. I can’t remember which way to rub, clockwise or anti.

My baby is 14 weeks old and EBF, did at least 1 poo every day until 9 weeks and then suddenly didn't poo for 10 days, and now rarely goes more than once every 4 days.

I told my HV and she said it's very normal for EBF babies to not poo so often after 6 weeks and average once every 7-10 days for a few weeks.

@Gustavo1 Yes warm baths with a flannel over her tummy, clockwise tummy massage as instructed by baby massage expert friend. No joy!

@TrixieFranklin It's just that she's in so much pain now

www.nhs.uk/start4life/baby/breastfeeding/breastfeeding-challenges/constipation/

A few tips here!

Maybe change your diet?

Thanks for the link @dementedpixie

Are you sure she’s uncomfortable? I don’t mean to sound condescending but, you know when you’re on alert to something, it seems to be the cause of things?
The best things I have found for small babies is lots of extra feeds, thorough winding and leg cycling exercises.
If you’re very worried, call the GP tomorrow and they should fit you in for a feel of her tummy. They should be able to feel if she’s back up or just empty.

Yes, not uncommon with EBF babies. With mine, I was advised that as long as there were plenty of wet nappies, that the baby was passing gas and that their tummy wasnt hard or distended (the latter two suggesting a blockage) then just to wait it out.

If she is uncomfortable, your GP should be able to give you a glycerin suppository to administer which will stimulate the bowel movement. It won't stop it from happening again but is a harmless way to give some fairly quick relief.

As she is still so small, do seek out medical advice beyond that you've already had (which sounds dubious), they'll be happy to check out a newborn to make sure there are no issues.