9 1/2 Month Old Isn't Pooping

Are her stools soft when she does go? If so then she is not constipated. It is normal for breastfed babies to go many days without pooping. I've read even up to 14. I've breastfed all my children and they all went several if not many days with no BM. I remember my son going 10 days when he was an infant. If

If the stools are firm then maybe a glycerin suppository? I think the is what the Dr had me do when my son didn't go for 10 days. I was upset after putting my son through that and then finding out it's normal for BF babies to go that long!

Good luck

This is normal for breastfed babies. You have to go by symptoms. My youngest never pooped regularly. He was happy and healthy with no symptoms but no regular poop (except once a week or so.) My son didn't start having "one loose large stool everyday" until just recently and he's 16 months old now. From your post, it sounds like the only thing making her uncomfortable is what your doing to make her go. Doctors don't seem very knowledgeable when it comes to breastfed babies and proper nutrition. If she's happy and healthy then just keep doing what you're doing, do more research and get a second opinion. Good luck!

Do not give a 9 month old breastfed baby Miralax or MM. She doesn't have to have a BM every day. My oldest would go once every 3-4 days and that was perfectly ok. Breastmilk is used very, very effectively by baby and therefore there isn't much left as waste. I'm not sure how your doctor decided that baby should have one large loose stool every day. That's pretty specific info for a very non-specific bodily function for an infant. Like our pediatrician said about my son-"if that's his norm (every 3-4 days) then that's ok."

Let her body work on it's own without intervention. You don't want to start down that road when she is probably just fine. If she seems uncomfortable all the time, strains all the time to go then she might have an issue. Otherwise just let her be. If you feel like you want to try something, the only thing I would try is probiotics designed for infants.

Try chiropractic. It can often help with constipation and is all natural. Since she is sitting and crawling by this age there is more stress on her lower back and she could have some pressure on the nerves that go to her intestines. Gently removing that pressure could allow her body to normalize itself.

Try Miralax. It's an OTC stool softener. It helps bm naturally by absorbing water into the bowels. My grandson was chronically constipated and it helped when he had it every day.

My daughter was completely breastfed and she was very regular - until she started solids at 6 months, and then she skipped days and had very hard BM. She took to solids so well but didn't like the taste of water so I'm guessing she needed more liquids - and she was a champion nurser. If the stool is soft, I wouldn't worry. But if the stool is hard and she's bothered by it, I would use a stool softener to alleviate her pain. I tried everything to no avail - prunes, pears, peaches, prune juice, more fiber, less fiber, even glycerin suppositories - which only relieved her for the moment and she was letting out some hard logs. If it gets to that point, you may want to consider giving Miralax (as opposed to it as I am) or something more regular because it's not healthy for the colon to be stretched from holding all that stool within. Apple juice and probiotic yogurt (activia) helps, but I wasn't ready to give my 6-month-old juice that early. Some babies are more prone to constipation than others - both my kids are, and they have completely different eating habits. My older one started Miralax at age 2.5 but fortunately didn't need it anymore after 6 months, and he's my picky eater. My second one started at 6 months and will probably need it for a while, even though she eats a huge variety of foods. Hope you find something that works for her.

Hi there,

I don't think you mentioned the consistency of her stools? If they are not hard, don't worry about it, or try not to. :) My little guy is almost 11 months old, and has gone up to 9 days without pooping! I've taken him to the pediatrician several times, but he was happy and she examined him and said he looked great. I even got a second opinion and that pediatrician said no to worry either. One of them suggested that since I breastfeed on demand, and often, that he wasn't eating enough to need to poop frequently. Since he's now eating more, he's pooping a bit more often, but he just went 4 days and he's been eating a lot.

Try not to worry as long as she seems comfortable, and as long as her stools are not hard. If she is constipated, with hard stools, then you need to do something. My daughter (now 4 yrs.) had a horrible problem with constipation. It lasted for years and was excruciating for her. But that was probably from an allergy that made pooping painful, so she held her stools, making them harder, and it took forever to break that vicious cycle.

If her stools are hard, you can try Miralax when she's old enough. I don't know at what age it's recommended. If they are not hard, try to relax and trust that her little body will work it out. :)

Also, we just found that watermelon has quite a speedy effect on our little guy. But seems like every kid has something different that works.

Good luck!

My son was the same and if he went more than 6 days without a BM we gave a glycerin suppository which worked bbut we all hated. Then we discovered kiwi fruit as a remedy from a naturopath friend. A kiwi a day kept his BMs regular - every 1-2 days and she also suggested removing wheat and dairy which we did for 4 months (hard but worth it, he drank goats milk and goat and sheeps cheese and yoghurt and ate oat, rye and spelt bread and pasta) then we slowly introduced wheat and dairy. Now he is 3 and if he starts going more than 2-3 days w/o a BM he eats a kiwi fruit and is back on track. Everyone is different though, but I truly believe diet plays a major role.

You didn't describe her "normal" behavior; just when you gave her the milk of magnesium. At her age, stop looking at her frequency, and look at her demeanor and her behavior. Is she happy? Does she play? Is she sleeping decently? Or is does she seem uncomfortable? Grumpy? Does is seem like her belly hurts?

Look at these signs first. If she's happy and alert and developing appropriately, then it's probably nothing to worry about. Even my 4.5 YEAR old son goes every other day on occasions! And my 21mo daughter has days where she poops 4 times, then maybe a day with only a tiny poop.

It really depends on what your daughter is eating and how well her body is absorbing what's in it. One reason exclusively BF babies can go so long between poops is because BM is absorbed into the body more completely, so there's nothing to eliminate. And I know she's not exclusively BF, but Dr. Jack Newman (world breastfeeding expert) said the longest he's seen an exclusively BF baby go without pooping is 30 days. Now, at her age, that wouldn't be normal for your daughter, but this ties back into her behavior.

If she does seem uncomfortable, try anything that begins with a "P." Prunes, peaches, pears, papaya... That info came from our NP at my son's ped office (DE). We had trouble when he was around 6mo, but it was the rice cereal. Everything cleared up when we switched to oatmeal.

Hope that helps!

Probiotics. You may also want to get your hands on "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" by Dr. Natasha McBride. It's very important that a digestive system works properly or else other problems may arise.

I find that Gerber Carrot Apple juice works best for my son, but each child is different but its worth a try Good Luck!

Probiotics did wonders for my daughter with the same issues. Whole Foods and Sprouts both have a good selection made especially for babies and kids.

Hello there,

I know you are tired, and you feel for your little one. But, hang in there. When my little girl was about 3-4 months old, she had this same issue. It was so bad that I had to "help" her get it out. That was not pleasant at all. The one thing my doctor suggested that finally worked was giving her corn syrup mixed with water. about one teaspoon in her bottle. It worked like a charm. I did it everyday for a week and then every other day the next week.

Good luck and God bless.

D.

Too much fiber can also cause constipation.

Things that worked for my kids: graham crackers, ritz, applesauce.

Also, I've heard that breastfed babies can go as long as 3-4 days without a BM and that that is normal.

At this point, I would contact a pediatric GI doctor for his opinion just to rule additional things out.