Breastfeeding: Could My Constipation Be Causing Baby's Constipation?

Most likely, you are not drinking enough water - that would cause constipation in both of you. When you are breastfeeding, you need to drink lots more water than you normally would. Good luck!

constipation is often caused by a lack of sufficient water in the body. When we dno't have enough in our body for cellular regeneration and such our body will reabsorb it from the fecal matter into the intestinal wall. Baby always gets first, but if you don't have enough for either one then you are BOTH in trouble. Drink at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces... if you weigh 150 (just an example) then you need at least 75 ounces of water daily. As a nursing mother I would recommend drinking an additional 20 ounces on top of that each day as if you were working out.

I would think that this could definitely be passed onto your child if you are breast feeding. It sounds like you may need to up your water intake and watch the amount of binding agents you eat (bananas, rice, applesauce, grains, etc)

You take a probiotic and make sure you are not feeding or eating much prcessed foods such as pastas and other foods with wheat or grain.

Drink water, tea & pear juice. Reduce your consumption of bread, meat, cheese & ice cream. Eat organic trail mix (Trader Joe's), organic salads, organic fruits, and take probiotics. Lack of sleep can be very, very constipating -- the bowels slow down for the slightest imbalance. Exercise. Walking and yoga. Finally, if you need more help, colon hydrotherapy is amazing. (Once you get over the initial freak-out of how weird it seems.) Fixes your bowels, melts the weight off, clears up your skin, and improves your overall sense of well-being.

No, you can't pass on constipation to your baby. :) It just doesn't work that way.

For your baby: What are you using to determine she's constipated? Constipation is a medical term that is defined as hard, dry, difficult to pass poops. It doesn't mean that baby isn't pooping. In fact, it's perfectly normal for a breastfed baby to go days (mine went 10 days on a regular basis) without pooping. The breastmilk is so perfect for them that they are able to digest it completely. They just don't produce enough waste to make it worth pooping! (Remember, at this age, anything OTHER than breastmilk can cause problems: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html. Yes, water counts as a "solid" and can cause serious electrolyte imbalance, so keep up the good work with the breastfeeding!)

Here's some info on gassiness in babies: http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/gassybaby.html
It even talks about whether or not gas in you can cause gas in the baby. (hint: It can't!)

Now for your constipation:
Oh, lordy I struggled with this when DD was young! Drink lots of water, take a fiber supplument, and I can't say enough good things about probiotics. Basically, find a yogurt that says that it contains LIVE culture. That should really help. I drink Keffir every morning. I get it at the organic/healthy food store. I love it.

when I was nursing our pediatrician said constipation is not about how often but the consistency and if she is struggling to poop or seems in pain or uncomfortable. with breastfeeding I guess the frequency isn't really an issue and our Dr. said if she doesn't poop for days at a time, even up to a week, not to worry. As long as the poop is normal consistency and no pain/discomfort for her.
I agree, it's all about the water intake and you should be increasing it dramatically. I got one of those water cups with a straw from the hospital (I think it held a liter) and the day after delivery my Ob/Gyn picked it up in the hospital, looked at me and said "four of these a day!". I never forgot it and tried my darndest to achieve it.

good luck to you.

Hi N.,
Most likely water intake is a factor - drink more!

Add some 'psyllium husks' to your diet for extra fibre, and probiotics too - both will help. Eat some dried apricots or prunes, that will also help!

Strange but true (anecdotally about the dried fruits) - many mammas find that helps.

Vitamin C will also definitely help - powder or tabs, also pears or pear juice.

Water, water. water!

I'll also recommend a visit to http://ibreastfed.com/ for more bf support.

- C.

It definately could. Maybe you need to drink more water. Alot of mommies do not drink enough when they are breast feeding. You really have to kick up your water intake when you are. I also wanted to say that if your little on is gassy, it could be what you are eating. I had to lay off of spicy foods, broccoli and chicken completely because they made my dd miserable. If you are getting plenty of water then the gassy feeling may be that. We uses Mylicon for gas and it seemed to help.

Go to the Pediatrician and check and see what you can do.

If constipation continues... it will get MORE uncomfortable for baby and the poop will get harder to push out.
IF she is indeed constipated. So you have to confirm that with the Pediatrician.

But if is just a "gas" problem... then Mylicon gas drops for infants really helps. Gas causes pain. My daughter had that problem. Mylicon helped her as a baby.

All the best,
Susan

Funny you should ask. I always noticed a link between my bowel frequency and our babies'. So whether there is any science to it or not- I wondered the same thing (when baby was solely breastfed). What regulated the whole thing for me was oatmeal- almost every breakfast.
All the best,
S.

I don't know the answer to that question, but just out of curiosity...do you eat gassy foods? I remember I used to alot of Chinese food while nursing my middle one and he used to get VERY painful tummy aches and gas. I finally realized that it was the onions and bell peppers. As soon as I stopped eating those, he was all better! Ask you doc if there's a connection. If youy don't have medical insurance, you can still Sharp's advice line. They WILL talk to you. You can also call any pharmacy and ask them to recommend a stool softener that either will ot will not affect your breastmilk, depending on your preference. COM TO THINK OF IT, I remember my youngest only had a BM once or twice a week for the fiirst few months of life. Doc said it was fine. He wasn't uncomfortable in any way though.

Did you have a normal vaginal delivery? Did you have an episiotomy? Many women and scared to poo after and can become constipated (which makes it worse). NOw that that is said... Your baby can be sensetive to the same things your body is. I notice especially with my now 2 year old that our BM would mimick each other. Sometimes it still happens and she has not been BF for over a year. Makes sense, we eat mostly the same stuff. YOur daughter has a lot of your genetics so things that you may be sensetive to that you eat she may be as well. But if your daughter is not going for a few days that is normal for a BF baby.

Up until around 4 months of age, some babies produce a large amount of Seratonin which causes painful gastrointestinal cramps especially in the evening. Around 4 months of age your baby will start to produce more Melatonin which has the capacity to help induce drowsiness and relax the smooth muscles encircling the gut. So around this age, so-called day/night confusing and apparent abdominal cramps/painful gas (colic) begin to disappear. In a normal baby Seratonin and Melatonin begin to balance each other out by the fifth month. Until 6 months of age, the digestive track is not fully developed so differences in bowel movements from one week to the next are not uncommon. As long as the baby is eating and urinating regularly, bowel movements can decrease to no more than once a week. Your constipation only reflects dehydration on your part which in turn may decrease your milk supply but it would not cause your baby to have constipation. Good luck! :)