Constipation in a 3 Mnth Old Breastfed Baby?? Help Please!

They have babyfood prunes you might could get him to eat or try the baby lax liquid suppositories they are both great ways to get them to go. I breastfed all my babies and that happened at least once with them all. IT freaked me out as well.

Not to worry. I have three girls (8,5,4mo.) all of which have been breastfeed. They have all done the same thing. It is very common/normal for them to do this. When he does go be careful b/c you will have a diaper explosion (they have to make up for lost time)lol. They will go every 3-5 days. As long as its a thicker/runny/yellow b/m and not rocks he should be fine. I wouldn't get concerned unless it goes more than 4 days.
good luck!

Give him a tiny bit of karo syrup mixed w/water or organic apple juice. This is what the nurse told me to do when my BF baby was the same age and went 4 days w/out a bm. It IS normal and ok. He'll be alright. Just watch out, when he does have a bm, it'll be explosive!

I so would not worry about it. My daughter did the exact same thing. As long as your baby is acting normal and does not appear to be in pain, He is just fine.
My daughter was about the same age, and she too was stricktly breastfed from day 1, and was very regular in her BM's but then she stopped going. It was 9 days before she went! I was so worried and called the doc so many times. My doc told me that is the thing with breastfed babies, they can go 7 times in one day or once in 7. She never acted like she was in pain or uncomfortable or anything, accept a poopless baby.
don't panic, you will just stress your self.

It is perfectly normal for an exclusively breastfed baby to go several days without a BM at this age. Yes, in the beginning it seems like they poop 5, 6, a dozen times a day... so it can be surprising when their digestive systems cross a developmental milestone around 10-12 weeks and they suddenly don't go for days. Seems like this happens about the time they start sleeping a little longer too. My daughter aso went through this phase -- she would have a BM on Wed and Sun. I only remember the days because it was always at church! And, just because the frequency reduces, it doesn't mean the volume is much less. Prepare for diaper explosions!

At any rate, unless his stools are hard, clay-like, or if he's uncomfortable, extremely fussy, etc., you shouldn't have anything to worry about. If it truly IS a problem, you can talk to your doctor about what to avoid eating while you're nursing to eliminate what may be causing him trouble.

After several more weeks his pattern will likely change again -- especially once you start introducing solids.

My son had the same thing happen to him! For a couple of weeks he had really irregular bowel movements and I had to give him a half of a baby suppository, which I got from Wal-Mart. It may be due to what you are eating, make sure you are getting a lot of fruits and veggies and drink a ton of water. That will help him go! In our case, it happened around the time I had a wisdom tooth pulled and then I got sick, so my diet wasn't the best for a little bit! It all evened out just fine though! Good luck!

It is normal for an exclusively breastfed baby to go up to a week w/o a bm. I have 2 boys that I breastfed and went through the same thing. First baby I took to the pedi and was assured all was well. She said if it went up to a week or over, give him an enema. He finally went on day 6. My 2nd baby who is 11 months old now went through the same thing. He eats food now and still may skip a day.

N., please don't worry. I have breastfed all three of my children and this is normal. My 2nd child went 16 days without a bowel movement and she was not constipated. I know that is not normal even for a breastfed baby, but she actually went that long without a bm. She was actually just using up everything that went into her, so she had no waste, and therefore no bm. A better indicator of true constipation is how hard the stools are. If the stools are still loose, then your little guy is most likely using up all the nutrients, etc. from the breastmilk. But, if his stools are hard and not easy to pass then he may be constipated. If he is constipated, I do not recommend giving him prune juice at such a young age, you would be better off giving him something a little easier on the stomach like white grape juice, or pear. You could also try nursing him more often. If you are still concerned talk to your pedi. Hope this helps.

Very, very normal. If he doesn't seem overly fussy, he's fine. Truly. My sister is a pediatric nurse who does phone triage, and she gets TONS of these calls all of the time, but the babies are fine. Breastmilk is nearly all digested by an infant, so there just isn't as much waste. He's ok! I wouldn't give him anything for it. Just nurse him and give him a warm bath.

Hello N.,

I wouldn't let it go more than 3 days. the doctors keep saying that it's normal. but is it really? I don't think so. I regret letting my daughter go almost a week without a BM.

anyways, what have you been eating? stop milk, cheese and soy products for a few days and increase your magnesium and water intake.

have you taken any medicine? any antibiotics, decongestants, etc? are you constipated? rub his tummy, lay him on his left side. maybe give him a bit of prune juice (you can 2 oz water 1 tablespoon of baby prune)
~C.~

We've experienced this with both of our breast fed babies. With my first I was very concerned and called the pedi and was told the same thing. I continued to worry and not trust the answer I received but after several days 4 or so, he finally went. He never went back to several poops a day as before but went 1-2 a day. My 10 week old just went through the same thing but it was a shorter time (2-3 days without pooping) now she is going about once a day. She had horrible diaper rashes all the time since she was pooping so often and now they are completely gone so look forward to that. He'll be fine.

We did experience the same thing when we introduced solids later on with my son. We had to give him glycerin suppositories and prune juice then but he was probably 6 months old. Since you are nursing, it should all work itself out. good luck

I exclusively bf all of my kids too, and so that seems like a long time to me. I understand your worry. But if he's not cranky or seeming to be uncomfortable, I would assume that he was fine. They do just go through wierd spurts sometimes.

I know that giving him a bottle would be hard, but I always tried a medicine dropper to give things to my kids. So maybe you could try a little prune juice in a medicine dropper.

Good luck.

My little one,who just turned 1, and has battled bowel movements from early on. She was/is exclusively breastfed as well. The pedi kept saying it's normal for breastfed babies to go with pooping for 8 days. But my little one was in so much pain/discomfort I just knew something wasn't right. Come to find out she has several food intolerances, so I've had to eliminate many things from my diet and hers....especially all dairy and soy. Maybe you could try watching your diet and try eliminating things to see if that helps. I have had to give my daughter several suppositories to help with bm's. As well as feeding her prune juice (through a dropper at first b/c she refused ALL bottles.

Good luck!

Both of my children were exclusively breastfed and would go as much as a week without a BM. Its just another benefit of breastfeeding. It was explained to me that the reason is because breastmilk is the most perfect food and there is not much waste. And since that is what BMs are, our bodies way of getting rid of the stuff it can't break down and use.
I hope this helps you feel alittle bit better.
H.

N.,
Its old fashioned but I raised five and have 11 grandkids and 14 greats. We always add just a teaspone of white syrup to 6oz of formula, works every time, no harm done, B.

Yes, it can be very normal for exclusive breastfed babies - it was for mine. It just depends on their system. You can try apple juice or prune juice from a medicine dropper. It really does help. Mine wouldn't take anything from a bottle either. I have even used Babylax (liquid glycerin suppositories) when my daughter was a little older. If it becomes more severe, you can try that - consult your pediatrician before taking that step - to make sure the age is okay. Try not to worry too much. I'm sure he will go soon with your help :).

First mom look at the stool, is it like little logs, firm and hard? Examine his stool if he is not having any stools like I have described above then hs is not constipated. His BM's should be like putty but not runny. Your diet will play a big role in the consistancy of the BM. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit and drink plenty of water. Relax and do not fret about this. Remember this will pass. Stay calm and your baby will be calm also. Invest in a bottle or two and express some breast milk in a bottle and put some dark karo syrup in it once a day if he goes longer than a week. Get the nursing nipples that simulate the breast.
Sincerely,
J. Graham

I went through this with my 2nd boy--he is now 10. He was exclusively breast fed, and he, too would sometimes go 5 or 6 days, and then have a huge blow out poopy. Scared me to death! The day that he would have the bowel movements his face would be red, and he would smell like his had a dirty diaper. I would sit with him in a rocking chair and hold him with his back against my tummy with his knees bent in front of him to help him release his bowels. He wouldn't necessarily cry, but he would fight it. His pediatrician gave me some little suppositories I could give him every few days if it made me feel better, but he was not concerned at all. He did, after a few months, settle down and start having more regular bm's.
Some little ones just don't like that lack of control that releasing their bowels requires. My 10 y/o definitely has that personality and was a pretty emotional baby. Is yours? I'm sure he (my son) will grow up to be an anal retentive adult. :D Sweet boy, but MUST be in control.
If your Dr. is not concerned, and you baby doesn't seem to be in pain, I would just enjoy not changing as many diapers!;)

C. G.

NO, you do not need to take him to ER. Have you eaten anything a lot different? Sometimes what we eat effects them like beans or chocolate ( a lot of it ) can effect them when you are nursing. If this persists you could try a little kayro syrup ( in the pancake section)in some water and this should help. If he doesn't act like he has a stomach ache I don't think you need to worry.

NO NO NO!! Your baby is fine!!! I went through this exact same panic with my 4 month old daughter....she went 5 days without a bm. Think of it this way.....breastmilk is the purest foem of nutrition for your baby. Poo is the waste products left over.... Your breastmilk is being completely absorbed and used, with no waste. Its a good thing!!! I understand your worry, but you can relax a little. Just ask any lactation consultant...they will tell you the same thing. My daughter went when she was ready and is just fine. It just shows that you are a great mom being concerned about your baby!!! :):) no need to go to the ER and expose baby to all those germs...yuck!!!

Relax and enjoy!! My first son started pooping only every 10 days starting when he was about 3 months!! At first I panicked and worried like you, but after talking to the ped. and reading that it's normal I just relaxed. It was great not having to deal with poops for so long :) So enjoy because once he starts on solid foods he'll be back to normal!!

Stop worrying.

This is the BEST part of breastfeeding. Because BM is the PERFECT food, it is quite normal for a BF baby to go 3 - 5 - even up to 7 days without a BM. The only reason to worry is if baby starts ACTING like he's trying to poop, crying - red in the face - straining more than normal - or passing 'constipated' or excessively runny stool.

Otherwise, just sit back and enjoy until you start solids.

S.

Call your pediatrician. That's what they're there for and they expect these kinds of calls. Some even have a nurse's line for you to call on off hours to answer these kinds of things.

Most babies, even breast fed, will drink juice (diluted) from a bottle if they smell it. So try a little, rub it on his lips and see. It doesn't have to be prune juice, any juice will likely help.

There are also glycerin suppositories which I think are over the counter, but call your pediatrician first.

Has your son started solids yet? I have three children under the age of 5. I started my first on solids between 3-4 mos old (per my doc's recommendation), but waited longer with my other two. If he has started solids, it's not unusual for them to begin to go longer between bowel movements. Rather than looking at how long he's going between bowel movements, it might be better to look at the actual poop - if it's hard and solid or in little nuggets, then he's constipated. If it's soft, then he's probably fine. I know they say breastfed babies don't/shouldn't have constipation, but my daughter had troubles with constipation even as a newborn, though she was exclusively breastfed. When she was old enough to do juice and water I started giving her about 2-3oz per day and it helped a great deal. I've also, when it's been particularly bad, given her glycerin suppositories as a last resort (but not until she was beyond 6 months). I've also bicycled her legs and helped her get moving, which can also help. Believe it or not, giving her a bottle of formula would sometimes help as well. If you really feel like something is wrong, visit with your pediatrician. Because your son is so young, don't try juice or suppositories without talking to your doc first.