Breastfed Baby Hardly Poops

Hi
My sons were strictly breastfed until 3 months and they pooped all the time. I would be extremely concerned with a baby that does not poop more than twice a month.
Please understand that I have NO medical training-but as a mom-this concerns me. Have you gotten a second medical opinion? The advice I have seen from the medical community on this website is scary?? Glad mine are grown and my choices have already been made. Good luck.. And keep asking the Mama's
They know!
J. H

Pears, prunes, peaches, aPricots - the P's make babies Poop! Since she is breastfed and is a little young for solids, maybe try giving her a couple of spoonfuls of pear or prune juice? You can put it in a medicine dropper and give her some that way or if you pump and give her a bottle, put a little in with the breastmilk.
Pear juice always makes my LO poop!
Good luck.

My son went 10 days sometimes when just breastfeeding...it made me nervous but if he doesn't seem uncomfortable, it's probably fine. I would try adding some infant probiotics (good bacteria) to his diet - if he's just breastfeeding, you can make a paste with it (it's a powder) and put on your nipples or just give it to him mixed with some filtered water in a dropper. You can find them at Whole Foods or the health food store, or online. We like Natren Lifestart or Udo's Choice infant probiotics.

my dad who is a pediatric surgeon wouldn't let me let my son go more than 3 days without pooping. If you let her go too long it is going to get into a vicious cycle. At 4 or 5 months my son started to get a little constipated. We started to give him pear and prune babyfood. We also would give my son a teaspoon of Milk of Magnesia (MOM) in the morning of day 3 so that by evening he would have a BM. This seemed to work well and I only had to do it a couple of times to get him back on track. Do not let your baby go too long without a BM, this causes their colon to not recognize the signs to go poop. I think that if you can get her regular now then you won't have problems down the road. For some strange reason and I don't know why, but pediatricians don't ever seem too concerned about BMs, which I think isn't good because who likes to be constipated? I know don't and I know it is hard to get regular again after. Good luck.

Hi,
You bring back memories....my daughter is 2, but I clearly remember when she was 5 months and barely ever pooping!!! She was strictly breastfed as well and my doctor said it was normal. She never seemed like she was in pain or uncomfortable, but it did seem weird. She would go once ever two weeks sometimes. I never gave her a suppository. So, I don't think you should worry at all UNLESS she seems really bothered. It will pass and she'll start pooping more in the near future!!!

Yes, yes and YES! We had the same routine with my daughter...she pooped once a week, if that. My pediatrician was not all that concerned either. She wanted us to give her brown sugar or karo syrup in her bottles to loosen her up but that did nothing. If only I knew then what I know now.

It's perfectly OK for a baby who is exclusively breastfed to poop far less (up to 14 days between BMs) than formula-fed babies. Breastmilk is very efficiently made - it contains no fillers, so your baby is really getting all she needs, and there just isn't very much waste. As long as your baby is gaining weight and growing well, there isn't much you can do. Once she starts solids (and don't feel rushed to start before 6 months) she will poop more regularly - that's exactly what happened with my daughter.

Constipation is NOT an issue of how often, it's an issue of consistency. If your daughter is straining, crying when she does poop, and the poop is small, hard and formed, then talk to your doctor about adding fruits, juices, suppositories, etc. If she's having normal stools, she's really ok.

If I had known all this 4 years ago, I would have been able to enjoy my daughter - and far fewer poopy diapers - more. My son is just the opposite, up to 5 poops a day, and they are both perfectly happy, healthy children.

Ultimately, call your doctor if you have any concerns, but I think you're fine!

Your doctor is right.

There is nothing to worry about. Many breast feeding experts and books will tell you that there is little to no waste in breast milk and it's common for baby's bodies to use everything they take in, leaving only liquid (pee) waste to come out.
Both of my daughters would go 2 weeks or more between bowel movements. It's normal for many children.
As long as your baby is not uncomfortable you have nothing to be worried about. Have you ever been constipated? If she was... you would know it!
Do be aware though- that when they do finally poop- it can be a whole lot at once! So diaper blow outs are something to watch out for!

Please just relax, stop giving your daughter those horrid suppositories and enjoy having a child that doesn't poop 2-3 times a day! Just imaging the multitude of stinky poops a formula fed child would give you!

-S.

What could you be eating to cause the problem? Look at wheat/dairy/sugar in your diet. Experiment with eliminating these foods. Also get some baby probiotics(good bacteria crucial for digestion & assimilation), you can get this at any health food store. Mix the powder in with breastmilk and give on a teaspoon, this will surely help.

It very well could be that she is having a problem with something you are eating! (You say you are solely breastfeeding?) Try eliminating things from your diet one by one and see if one makes a difference. My niece would often get rashes on her bum when she was solely breastfed if my sister ate something the baby was seemingly sensitive to!
I would definitely hold off foods for as long as possible and stay away from grains when you do feed her. They always seem to bind babies up.

Genmacher,
I think you are right to be concerned. You might want to ask you doctor for a Pediatric GI referral. If your doctor is hesitant, get another doctor.

I see many moms on the site saying this is normal in breastfed babies. That was certainly not my experience. Of course you do not want your baby to become dependant on laxatives, but 11 days between bowel movements is very long and I think it deserves more investigation.

J. L.

My son, now almost 22 months, also went long periods without pooping. Because he was exclusively breast fed, didn't have a distended belly, was able to pass gas and didn't appear to be distressed, our pediatrician said it was fine. Ten days was the longest he went without a poop, and then he pooped on his own. We did try a lttle prune juice, but he didn't seem to like it and wouldn't drink it.
I wish I had some good advice for you. Just wanted you to know that I, too, was told that it is not unusual with breast fed babies. Good luck!

Peace,
S.

HI!
Have you talked to your pediatrician re an intolerance to milk?
Certain food intolerances can cause diarrhea or constipation.And if this is the case, well grains may not be such a great idea when she gets into solids.

Personally, if my pediatrician were to brush this off, I'd brush him off and find a better doctor.....Even just Suppositories can cause an issue....

All the best,
Nikki

I feel like I could have posted this question myself. I had the exact same problem with my daughter when she was an infant (now 2 years old). Our pedi kept telling me that a breast fed baby cannot be constipated. Well, in my opinion, a baby who doesn't go for days and screams when trying to poop is not doing well. I started her on prune juice daily. We started with a bottle of diluted juice (2 oz prune with 1 oz water) in the morning and again in the evening. Once she became more regular and comfortable I backed down to just the morning juice. Once she began fruits and veggies I was able to eliminate the juice. Even to this day I have to make sure she gets plenty of fruits and veggies. On a "bad day" raisins work wonders (of course not for your little one now). Best of luck.

P.S. - I'm a 32 year old, part time PT with a 2 year old girl, married almost 7 years

I would guess that when you go to solids, there will be more substance to process and then more pooping. Personally, I wouldn't wouldn't worry too much quite yet.

If it persists after going to solids, we used prune puree or prune juice to move things along and he loved it. When you get past pureed foods, grapes were our great regulator. They worked wonders!

But for now, I'd skip the suppository. It may be your child's body is particularly good at processing your milk and there just isn't much left over except pee.

Enjoy the wonders of your children! They are our best teachers!

Genmacher,

I personally have not had to deal with this but I know someone who has. She just went with the flow about it. I was a bit shocked by this but she said the baby eventually went everytime.

What does your ped say about the suppository? I just ask because you certainly don't want that to cause any issues for her down the line.

If you are not happy with the lack of support or concern your ped has for this issue, get a second option from a GI doctor.

Good luck,

L. M

Your doctor is probably right, but I would worry too. My middle child went 10 days without going when he was about a month old and his doctor said the same thing- not to worry. But of course I did. I gave my son a small amount of prune juice every day until he was regular. Once you start solids you could try giving her at least one of the P-foods daily... pears, peaches, and prunes. You can also look on the bright side... with my youngest and oldest my milk seemed to go right through them and I was changing 5 or more poopy diapers a day.

You are right, it is not good or healthy for your baby to not be pooping. Have you tried chiropractic adjustments for your little girl?
As long as the doctors have checked her out and made sure that there are no structural problems with her bowel, she may be having trouble because of a nerve irritation from an area of her spine. I have had several little patients who had elimination issues that cleared nicely with just a couple adjustments. Adjustments are very gentle for little ones. The youngest child I have personally adjusted was 5 days old and many babies of chiropractors are adjusted on the day they are born to ensure good health.
Dr. E.