Breastfed baby not pooing

[katiee1999]

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My breastfed baby has had a decrease in pooing since he had his 8 week injections. He’s 12 weeks now. Doctors have prescribed him laculose and movicol, the movicol worked and he had an explosive poo, and hasn’t done another in over a week. I don’t want to keep using medicine to help him go, and expressing to give the medication is a hassle as it is. I don’t know whether it’s just a coincidence that he’s stopped pooing since his injections, it could be something else that can cause it. I know breastfed babies poo less than bottle fed babies, but considering he was pooing around 3/4 times per day and now not at all, I’m concerned. HV wasn’t very helpful, just told me to get in touch with GP, who also wasn’t very helpful (telephone appointment considering the circumstances) and just rushed to prescribe laxatives. Can anyone help?

Just realised I also pasted a copy of my mums bills 🤣🤣🤣 ignore the first part

Exclusively bf babies can go up to 14 days between bowel movement's once feeding is established. I wouldnt worry unless baby appears in discomfort or pain.

If exclusively breastfed then not pooing is normal!! Please read Kellymom and la Leche League guidance. I'm not sure why you were given medication. Ours used to go every 5-6 days, sometimes more, and yes it was an explosion 😂 but generally breast milk is used efficiently.

BF babies can go quite long periods between poos. I think it's something to do with being able to absorb almost all of the Bmilk.

I remember my DD going about 10 days between poops once. She was fine and happy and weeing as usual, but it was a bit of a concern to me at the time. When she did finally go I was expecting a poonami but actually it was just a normal poop.

Is baby well in himself? Is he still weeing regularly? If that's all ok then it is probably all fine as long as he is pooping sometimes.

It's very common for bf babies to have a change in bowel habits and to start having long periods in between bowel movements.

If not distressed, I wouldn't worry. Exclusively BF babies often go a week or more without pooing. It's totally normal. It takes them a few weeks for their systems to start working efficiently which is why they poo more at first. 8 weeks is about the right time for them to be starting to digest their food very effectively, hence no poo for days.
Stop the medicines and see how you get on. If there are obvious signs of pain / discomfort then consult the dr again but you'll probably be fine.

I wouldn’t give laxatives unless he’s in distress or the poo is very hard when he does go. 10 times a day or every 10 days can be equally normal in an ebf baby.

Thanks so much everyone! Yeah he seems happy and doesn't seem like he's in any pain, also a lot of wet nappies which is good! You've really eased my worries, thankyou again :)

DS used to go every Sunday evening, like clockwork. Would put him in clothes I didn't like so much on purpose.

Dsis, who has 4 ff kids could never get her head around it

I know you don't want to keep using movcol. But it's an amazing medication

My daughter had such bad constipation. It almost ruined her bladder and kidneys. She was left with such bad urine infections from a distended bowel. That she had to take antibiotics for over 2 years. Every single day.

It just adds water to the stool. Nothing else. It's not one that makes them use their bowel muscles. Which eventually means they stop working. It's an amazing modification of Normal bowel medication.

I wouldn't worry about using it. Even long term (under the guidance of a dr). But that's why it's used so much.

However. Breastfed babies can go quite a few days

Unless he is in discomfort. I wouldn't worry to much. Look for a distended vowel. Squirming. Lots of gas etc.

@Hoggleludo surely movicol should only be used for constipation though?

Movicol is brilliant and constipation can be ignored and go on to cause all sorts of problems however if Your baby’s poo was normal bf baby Poo then there was no constipation. Nothing you describe is outside the norm and your GP has prescribed unnecessary meds for your baby.

How often is he pooing? Mine only ever went between about every 3-6 days. It’s normal. They only started going every day at 6 months when they started solids.

My DD was like this from day one. She would go once every 6-7 days, then after her jabs she started going up to 8 times a day, which I assume was due to the rotavirus suspension they give. It settled down but she's 5 months next week and now goes 4ish times a day - apart from today which has just been the one! As PP have said, this can be normal in EBF babies.

After vaccinations?... I noticed my baby also didn't poo afterwards for a few days which was odd, until I read the Calpol leaflet which states that it causes constipation. So for 2nd and 3rd vaccines I gave baby gripe water a couple hours after the Calpol. Constipation solved. Good luck! x

Does he seem in discomfort? Are the stools normal? It doesn't matter how long he goes without pooping, honestly it can be 2 full weeks in exclusively breast fed babies, as long as he's happy and the poops are normal and soft. Think of it this way - faeces is waste product, the leftover gunk from after the good stuff has been absorbed. You can't get a better 'good stuff' for babies than breastmilk, hence they're absorbing more and pooing less frequently.

@CaryStoppins. Yes. I stated that.