4 month old breastfeed baby hasn’t poop in 16 days

[Mimis55A]

Hello,
My exclusively breastfeed 4.5 month old hasn’t had his bowels open for 16 days.
He seems happy, doing lots of farts and the abdomen is soft. GP thinks he is well and nothing to worry about.
Has anyone’s baby not poop for such a length of time? What was the outcome?
Thanks!

When did you last speak to the GP about it? Did they not give any advice at all?

16 days is too long. Is your baby being weaned? Try stewing some apples or pears with sugar, until very soft. Puree or mash it when cooked. Give that to your baby when it's cooled down enough. That should help.

This is common with exclusively breastfeed babies. I had the same issue with my children. According to my health visitor breast milk gets absorbed much better than formula so there is little residue. I was advised to do nothing. Both my children eventually pooped

Department of health doesn't recommend weaning till 6 months. Speak to your health visitor on Monday if you think your baby might be ready

I would have ignored the GP and taken my baby to A&E to be checked over if he hadn’t pooed in over two weeks. I suggest you seek further medical advice and get someone to check over your child again.

I think my DDs personal best was over 3 weeks between poos. Then it was nappy carnage. Go back to the GP if you are worried but it is normal for BF babies.

Agree this can be normal for breastfed babies. My DD used to go once a week and I spoke to GP about this who said every baby has their own version of normal. Just keep feeding 😊 especially as you say he seems happy enough.

I certainly wouldnt go to A&E unless he is obviously in pain and GP is unable to help. I also wouldn’t start weaning yet either.

Is he gaining wait as you’d expect? If so, I wouldn’t worry. He’s happy, he’s passing wind, he’s been checked by a doctor. As a PP mentioned, breast milk is nutritionally exactly what is needed, so there isn’t aways much waste to pass.

You can’t be serious. This is not something for A&E.

Mine went 14 days once, was regularly once a week. Day 15 I took him to GP who wasn't bothered and then he did a massive poo that afternoon.

16 days is longer than normal but not insanely so for ebf.

As previous posters have said, totally normal for an exclusively breastfed baby as it's almost completely absorbed with little waste product. When my son was that age he was breast fed and only went every 10-14 days although that was completely normal for him. I was told anything up to every 3 weeks is normal. Obviously go to GP if you're worried or it's a massive change from the norm.

Yes had exactly the same thing happen with my little one. Kept going back to the doctor and they were not concerned. Did loads of massage etc and nothing but then when he went! He went! His nappy was off at the time and I used about 3 other nappies as it kept coming out like a mr whippy machine! Good luck

Sounds like my experience of breastfed babies is wildly different to some other posters - I’ve breastfed 4 children for 8 years in total and they have all always pooed pretty much daily, so yes I would find it really alarming if one of them didn’t poo for 16 days and I would definitely be getting them seen for second opinions.

Oh god the mental image of the mr whippy machine poo 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Mine did this (21 days was her record). I checked with the HV who laughed and told me it is normal. Don't worry and please don't start with the stewed fruit as suggested upthread. No need to see the doctor unless the baby seems unhappy / in pain.

@RomeoMcFlourish This is also my experience of my baby, we get a daily poo if not two. He has occasionally gone a few days (longest was 2.5 days) with no poo, though the poo he then did was completely normal.

I think it depends on the baby really! As mine poos daily, if it became 3 weeks I’d probably go back to the gp. If daily pooing is uncommon for your baby then it sounds normal really! I have also been told that breast milk can leave very little waste as it’s all used by the body so it doesn’t seem too strange for it to happen!

I remember this with my DD who is now 30
Just short of 3 weeks

The poonami when she went was unbelievable. In a high chair in a pub and it shot out of her vest at the neck as well as both legs. Changed her in the landladies bathroom in her flat!

And then it happened again in the car seat on way home and had to stop at the house of the mum of an old friend and hose her down in their bath and drive her home wrapped in their towels!

I know if can be normal for ebf babies to go a while, although my DS was a daily poo-er when ebf.

However these tales of babies not opening their bowels for three weeks and then having a massive explosive poo don't seem to tally with the idea that it's because there's just not much waste product to pass?

X

This thread is so interesting to read as my ebf baby would go 5-7 times a day up until weaning age at 6 months and I thought that was the norm! I guess it all depends what the normal pattern is for you whether to be concerned. If it was my baby with his 7 daily poops then not going for 16 days would have been concerning, but if longer gaps between poops for your baby is normal, they seem otherwise well and the GP is not concerned then I would think don't worry.

Yes it is super normal for ebf babies to go for ages without a poo. Formula fed babies have very different digestive systems due to the waste in formula so to some mums it seems like it should be a panic which it absolutely isn’t.

If your baby is feeding well, weeing normally, isn’t in obvious pain, stomach is not tender and they’re happy and alert during waking hours no need to worry.

Dd used to store her explosions for when I’d forgotten the baby bag, or when I was about to have a smear. I can laugh about it now - 6 years later!

My second was like this. My first would do about one poo a week though. (Normally in the bath, it was carnage.)

She never went 16 days but if the GP isn't worried and he doesn't seem uncomfortable it sounds fine to me.

My ebf would regularly go 11-14 days without called gp about it a few times said Aslong as tummy was soft and she was happy not to worry as bf babies don't make much waste they use everything from the breast milk

These babies must feel so satisfied after their huge poonamis 🤣

Babies don't start solids until minimum 6 months and they're given veg to start with not fruit with added sugar!