One Month Old Constipation

Breastfed babies poop a lot less than formula fed babies, but is there anything else you are giving her that is making her constipated? Maybe Mylecon?

You need to talk to your pediatrician ASAP, as in call right now! Anything over 1 week is considered a problem, but even more so for a breastfed baby that young. That is definitely not normal and could be something serious. Good luck!

It is worth a call to your pediatrician to ease your mind, but I certainly wouldn't panic if she is 100% on breastmilk and I wouldn't give her anything else. It is young for it to happen, but I know breastfed babies that went 10-14 days without a bowel movement--though I was never that lucky with mine---lol. Breastmilk is incredibly efficient and can be absorbed completely.

Bowel movements are waste...what our body wasn't able to digest. Breatmilk also has natural laxative properties so it is rare for a 100% bf baby to get constipated. We've actually given my niece some of my pumped milk when she got constipated on formula and it did the trick nicely.

Constipation isn't just the absence of a bowel movement. It is also about straining to go and it being a hard, dry, pebbly texture. You also can't read too much into the appearance of straining...all babies this age still have muscles developing and they make it look like it is hard to get any of it out...hard or soft!

Is she still wetting 6-8 diapers a day? That is a good indicator that she is getting plenty. Sure, the "norm" is that she should also be having bms every day...but not every baby is average. Try nursing longer on each side to ensure she is getting plenty of hindmilk--it is fattier and more substantial.

If she seems uncomfortable, then the massaging and bicycle legs will help any built-up gas break free. Beware, when the poop comes....it will likely be a lot.

As stated before, PLEASE call your pediatrician! 12 days is very dangerous and way too long, especially for a breastfed baby. Have you supplemented with any formula at all, even one bottle a day? That can definitely do it. My daughter had 2 oz of formula a day (the rest was breast milk) and she was very constipated. We did several things to get her to have a bm so we wouldn't have to take her to the hospital.

Ideas-
*Rub her belly in a clockwise motion. DO NOT rub counter clockwise
*Bicycle her legs
*Give her a warm bath
*Stimulate her rectum-Our doctor suggested a rectal thermometer. It worked for us a little. Be sure to use lube though!
*Use 1/2 (cut long way to make two long pieces instead of two short pieces) of a glycerin suppository a day. They are VERY cheap at Walgreens.
*I would consult your pediatrician first about this, but when my baby was 5 weeks old and constipated, they suggested giving her 1/2 oz of either white grape or prune juice with 1/2 oz water. You could also try one ounce water with one tsp Kayro Syrup instead.

Good luck, and I hope you call your ped asap!

Breastfed babies usually have soft stools. You need to call her pediatrician and talk with the advice nurse. Twelve days is way too long to go without a bowel movement. She must have some symptoms which are making her fussy. Is her stomach distended? Does her face get red indicating that she's trying to pass a stool? Is she passing gas? Does she have a fever?
What is her usual pattern for passing stools? Has this happened before and what did you do to stop it?

I see 2 babies in your picture. How old is the one with constipation? If she's young and not eating solids you could try giving her grape or prune juice watered down with water.

You can use a suppository designed for babies to see if that gets her started.

But I would also immediately call the pediatrician. Twelve days is way too long without a bowel movement. There can me serious medical reasons for this.

I've heard that u can give babies apple juice just make sure its not watered down(1 tablespoon per 2 ozs for constipation). Just when u do it watch her make sure she can do juice. Did that with middle child and juice goes straight through her. But would also take her to her doctor! Hope everything turns out for yall. Good luck!

I was told cycling the legs rectal thermometer and there was also a suppository that I was able to give . Twelve days seems way to long I would call the pedi right away.

Our son was breastfed as well, but had trouble having a bowel movement as well. Our doctor told us that it wsn't constipation , but that a baby's 2 sphincter muscles in his rectum work together as a pair and sometimes they don't both open together to rid the body of waste. He recommended inserting 'baby sized' glycerin suppositories up his rectum when he hadn't had a bowel movement for a couple of days. They worked like a charm! The BM was completely liquid, but it just couldn't get out without a little help of the suppository opening up both schincter muscles at the same time. In a little time, his muscles developed and we didn't need them any more. Look for them at Target, Walgreen's etc. Good luck! We all learn as we go!

I would get her in for an Enema as soon as you can my daughter just did 14 days and stopped eating all together because she was so backed up. I couldn't believe how much S&*% she had in her. I just took her into ER and we were out within 2 hours.

Seriously she was breastfed and just wasn't moving it out. Even breastfed babies should have bowl movements ever three days at least. That's what they told me.

We tried suppositories at home first and they didn't do the trick but the Enema worked within a half hour.

not to alarm you, but I would take your little bundle to the doctor... not having a stool can make her sick. Is she fussy and irritated? To help, rock her body back and forth... or push her legs to her chest like she is doing leg crunches. push on the belly a little to help push the BM down. when she is older, give her prunes and apples.

I went through that with my daughter. There are a long list of foods that you should try to avoid eating that will affect your breastmilk, a couple are lettuce and chocolate. My daughter was affected by so many foods, that I switched to formula and then I had to try different formulas! You can probably find a list on the internet.

I'm not sure why people think a 100% breastfed baby who hasn't had a bowel movement for 12 days is a problem? It's NORMAL for BF babies to not have daily bowel movements. Normal even for them to go a couple weeks. Breast milk is easily digested and while it does have laxative properties, there is less waste because the baby's body utilizes everything. True constipation in totally breastfed babies is very rare.

If baby is peeing fine and not acting uncomfortable or like she's starving, I would just nurse more and try not to worry. However, if your baby is getting formula too, then yes, she could be truly constipated. Either way, lots of nursing would be helpful. A phone call to your pediatrician might help ease your mind as well.

I've been through this with all 3 of my children and I know you must be concerned. Good news is that breastmilk is so well observed by your baby that there is little waste. Usually this not a sign of constipation so please don't give her any home remedy or any kind of laxative. My pediatrician says that some babies have gone 2 weeks or even longer without a stool and been perfectly fine. However, if there is ANY concern with your daughter not gaining weight appropriately because she is not consuming enough breastmilk, please take her to the Dr immediately. My first child did not have a stool for 10 days when she was 5 weeks old and that was because I was not producing enough milk. She gained no weight between birth and 2 months of age. The Lactation Specialist worked with me and in 6 weeks my little girl was back nursing exclusively and gaining weight appropriately. Hope this helps. R., midwife mom of 3

My son went through this, and my sister kept telling us to take him to the chiropractor. He would go through cycles of not pooping for days and then letting just a little out at a time, causing terrible diaper rashes, not to mention the pain of changing so many poopy diapers a day.

We finally did take him, and he has never been constipated again. Plus his disposition got so much sunnier! He must have been uncomfortable before.

I would still check with the pediatrician, and then just be careful not to get on the suppository or enema roller coaster. Babies who have everything going smoothly (pun intended) don't tend to be constipated often. But treating the symptoms with drugs is never a good idea for very long. Our bodies aren't acting a certain way because of a suppository deficiency.

I wouldn't worry too much, but just make sure it doesn't become a regular thing. Good luck!