Newborn not pooing

[LaMadrilena]

Hi all. I gave birth on Sat 29th to a perfect 6lb baby girl. All medical checks ok, except for a slight tongue-tie which they say should fix itself.

On Sunday the midwife had to give her a massage to get her to poo, and must have squeezed out half a kilo . Since then she hasn't done any more. She seems to be eating ok, although very frequently. Sometimes looks like she's trying to push something out, but mostly seems comfortable. She has had a couple of weeks. I'm waiting for the midwife to call back, but does anyone know if this is normal? Should I be worried?

Thanks!

Congratulations on your little girl! Are you formula feeding or breastfeeding?

Sorry, left that vital info out! ATM, exclusively breast feeding.

My second child was like this, hardly pooed at all, think she didn't poo until day 5 and midwives etc said to keep an eye on it. We massaged her bum to get things moving - just wet a cotton bud and massage the bum when you changed nappy and it should get things moving. Until weaned she was always an infrequent pooer (as can be the case with bf babies). I think so long as your baby is having wet nappies and weight gain is ok, then its not necessarily something to worry about. I'd try massaging her yourself to see if it gets things moving.

Sorry that should have been wet a cotton ball, not bud!

If your really worried you can ring the midwives at the hospital you gave birth at.

So in the first 6 weeks ebf babies should do at least 2 poos the size of a £2 coin per day (after 6 weeks it can be common to go longer but before 6 weeks it’s really important).

Less than 2 poos a day suggest that little one might not be getting enough milk. The recommendation is a full feeding assessment should be done (where someone watches at least one whole feed start to finish). The infant feeding team at your hospital should be able to help with this or if you can afford a private IBCLC you might get seen faster. Don’t get fobbed off by someone checking that latch for half a minute, make sure you get proper attention from somebody qualified (not all midwives are bf experts)

How is her weight / wet nappies?

Thanks all for the replies. She is weeing normally I think, still no poo though. Weight went down around 5.5% over the 48h in hospital, which is apparently fine (I wouldn't have a clue). We'll try the cotton wool massage. I couldn't speak to a midwife in the end - she did call, but just as I was bathing her and couldn't get to the phone. She seems fine in herself, eating and sleeping ok.

My dd was exactly the same only way I could get her to poo for first few weeks was to lay her down with nappy off for a while then lift her legs and wipe her bum with cotton wool and warm water, that got her going within minutes every time

2 poos a day? Said who?!
My breastfeed DD never went much, 2 x a wk (a lot when she went)- in fact the only way I could get her to pop was to sit her in her bouncy chair, gravity did the rest within 10mins.

This is really normal. Breastfed babies can be as regular as every feed or as irregular as once a week or so.
If she's happy content and alert when awake and feeding well and weeing lots then really don't worry. You're milk is only just coming in so I wouldn't expect there to be lots to spare right now.

You can try gentle massage if gently lifting : bending the legs but I really wouldn't worry.

Mine would often go a week/10 days without a poo as a newborn. If there are plenty of wet nappies and they don't seem uncomfortable then I think it's pretty normal.

Hi @LaMadrilena - congratulations on your new arrival!

You’re wondering if infrequent poo is normal or something to worry about. In the early days and weeks, the number of dirty nappies is one of the important signs you can look at to see how breastfeeding is going. What you’ve described does sound like a red flag to get checked out, to make sure your DD is getting all the milk she needs at this early stage which is so important for her weight gain and brain development. There are often some simple adjustments you can make to your position or hers that could help her get more milk.

Here is a link to information from La Leche League about the normal range of dirty nappies in the early days. If you’re worried, ask your midwife while you’re still under their care (usually at least 14 days after birth).

www.laleche.org.uk/is-my-baby-getting-enough-milk/#dirtynappies