6mo not done a poo for 4 days - should I be worried?

[SamJohnsMum]

Because I am worried!! DS was 100% BF until we started solids last week. By solids, I mean a smidge of baby rice. It seemed ok for a few days, although he did slow down from two poos a day to one they were still very loose so I didn't think anything of it. He then missed a day (poo-wise), but did a normal one again the following day - although it didn't seem like two days' worth. After another missed day I stopped the baby rice (didn't realise until then that rice can be constipating) and went onto my homemade pureed carrot.

This went down well, but we still haven't seen a poo and it's been four days now. I have him a day off from solids, but no joy. The pharmacist gave us lactulose, which I wasn't overly comfortable about giving him, but we tried - and he threw it up 10 minutes later.

DH had a problem as a kid and he had a blockage that had to be removed in hospital - his mum had thought he was pooing well but it turned out that the runnier poo was just making its way around the hard stuff that was stuck fast. I don't want DS to have the same problems!!

What should I do?

Keep an eye on it, but I think this is quite common and normal.

My 25wk old fully bf DD (starting solids next week) has recently stopped pooing every day (until 2 weeks ago she would poo about 4 times a day), and now poos twice every other day. Maybe it's a sign of a developing digestive system at 6 months?

However, as I said, since there's a history of digestive complaints in your family, if he doesn't poo after 10 days (the longest a bf baby should go, I believe, without pooing), you could try the lactulose again or take him to the doctor.

But be careful what you wish for! The first poo that my DD does after her 'day off' is always ENORMOUS. Goes everywhere...

Oh, and as I understand it, breastmilk contains natural laxatives (hence constipation in bf-babies is really rare), so keep offering him lots of feeds.

Sorry - final thought: perhaps you should post this in Weaning or Breasfeeding - the ladies there would probably be able to offer assistance - not sure if Nappies/potty training will give you the answer you want!