1-Week Old Hasn't Moved Bowels in a Day and a Half

My Son is 2 now and I panicked about the same thing. If you are Breast feeding, It is normal. Breast milk is the most perfect food and sometimes they use EVERY bit of it and there is NO waste. If you are using formula, just remember his little system is trying to adjust and since he has passed the miconium, It's like us having Diarrhea, Once you are empty it takes a day or two of bubbles and gas until everything is normal again.

Hi! Congrats on the little one. I have really never had this problem with any of my little ones. However I have a nephew who is 2 years old now. When he was just born my brother told me he would poop only like once a week. The doctor told them it was normal and not to worry. He is doing fine now, but you should go ahead and call the doctors office and let them know and see what they say.

You may want to gently massage the bowel area and back. If he is lying on his back then start at the center of his belly and work very gently in a clockwise motion outward in bigger and bigger circles. Adults who sit too much get constipated easier too, infants who can't walk yet or crawl need this extra help. I am not a doctor, I am using intuition only on this matter. You can take or leave anything I say, but love IS the most powerful healing tool on the planet - this I KNOW.
Love, L.

My 18 month old son went through the same thing right after I got him home from the hospital. I called the doctor and they suggegted to rub a cotton ball dipped in warm water around the rectum, or to insert a rectal thernometer slightly (dip it in vaseline first). It worked and we haven't had a problem with it since. good luck and I hope your little guy is feeling better.

My son didn't go for days at a time. And that was pretty consistent until he was like 6-8 months old. He is my first as well, so I was concerned too. My doctor said that sometimes it may even be a week between and as long as he doesn't look like he is in pain or struggling when he does go then he's fine. Call your doctor and just ask him over the phone, If your doctor is not concerned then don't loose sleep over. Just monitor your baby and make sure he's not in pain. Other wise relax and enjoy not cleaning poopy diapers for a little while. Believe me the time will come when it's poopy, poopy, poopy.

Hi I am a new mama to my daughter was souly brestfeed as well. for the gas I used mylicon it says for infants under 24 lbs 0.3 ml but i did about half of that I used the dye free one and it seemed to help relive gas and help her poop.. I was told by my doctor that its normal for a brestfeed baby to go a week with out a bowelmovment try the mylicon it works also if you are eatin any fiber or spicey foods that may be hurtin him as well try a bland diet it sucks for awhile but it will get better Oh and there is this book that helped me called Super baby food. Get it there little tummys are still growin and developing so there is so much we can do to help them.. I hope what I have shared will help..

Your best bet is to call your pediatrician. I hope it works out!

breast milk is absorbed SO well this is very common.

but when the baby does go I wouldn't be surprised if you get a blow out..

My son did the same thing for almost a week. I had been frantically contacting the doctor since day three. She was not concerned as long as he was peeing. On about the 7th day, she advised that I take his temperature (anally). This made me very nervous as I know it is a "sensitive area". His temperature was fine, but.....within 3 minutes seven days worth of "poop" exploded onto our white sheets and walls,not to mention me. My son was very happy. The doctor said that all it needed was a little encouragement. Check with your doctor first and have the towels prepared. Good Luck. p.s. I have had two more kids since and have used the same technique. Works everytime. Sometimes kids just get constipated. Suppositories might when your child gets older. I have found that they sting the kids and try to avoid them unless absolutely necessary. Also....if you do the anal temp method, make sure that you know how to do it correctly. It barely needs to go in, check with your doctor first !!!

Hi N.,
My 1st child had similar behavior....and I was extremely worried as well....what I found that helped instantly was rubbing castor oil and his/her tummy in a counter clockwise direction and then lay your baby on his back and work his little legs like he's riding a bicycle. Gently push his legs up so his knees are against his chest...continue this until you have some action...if not, try this exercise again until you have success. I was quite surprised when my girlfriend did this to my baby and she(the baby) relieved herself almost instantly...what a relief for us as mom's too! Good luck with your little stinker!

LO

My little boy is four months old and I recently had this happen with him (he is also exclusively breastfed). The doctor told me that it is normal for little boys in particular to not poop for several days-up to one week. They told me that I could try taking his temp rectally (this could stimulate the muscle that makes him go) and that I could also try giving him a warm bath. Your guy is still a little young, so I would definately call your doctor for the best advice. I hope this helps...Good luck and congratulations on your new addition!

I wouldn't worry about it, I think it's just his little body getting adjusted to the breast milk and having passed all of the meconium. If it makes you feel better, does your health plan offer an way to call an advice nurse? I am sure he is fine and if he is only fussy for a minute of two and then passes gas, I am sure he is just fine. Sometimes I use to put my kids on thier back and gently bend their knees towards their tummy, it seem to help work out the gas a bit. Good Luck Momma!

Hi N.! How wonderful that your able to exclusively breastfeed and that your baby is thriving. Props to you!! His gassy tummy could very well be a reaction to certain foods that you're eating. Even certain vegetables could cause irritation to his tiny tummy. A change in your diet, and gas drops like Mylicol may help. Good luck! -J. :)

N.,

Babies that age have an extremely had time pushing poop out of thier little bodies, that is why they are started on liquids, I found with my little guys that rubbing of the tummy helps move things through the digestive track, lay your son across your lap with his head in your left hand and rub his tummy counterclock wise this will help him move things through his system, and being that its been so long since he had a bowel movement like the other ladies said it will probably be a blow out! Just be prepared by putting a towel on your lap under him!

Also when I was a baby my Ped told my Mom that it wasn't uncommon to go up to 21 days without a bowel movement in breastfed babies because they are able to absorb everything they intake, but I don't know when its okay to start lack of bowel movements!

Just hang in there and the tummy rubbing really does work! I use it all the time on my niece and when my 3 were little it worked well on them too!!

X.

First of all, N., I think you are great to ask other moms what their experience has been. I am both a mom AND a midwife who has had this experience and counselled moms who had the same experience. While it does seem like a long time to go without pooping, it is totally normal if your baby is totally breastfed. Breastfed babies who have NO other food cannot be constipated. Saying that let me clarify that by defining constipation. Constipation is NOT about how often a baby goes poop. It is about how soft or hard the poop is when the baby goes. Breast milk is so well utilized that many babies do not poop on a daily basis. BUT their poop, whether it is every other day or once a week is soft.
Constipation, for bottle fed babies can be hard like rabbit pellets. Additionally, it is not how much effort a baby seems to exert to poop. It is always interesting to watch a baby work so hard to move out a small amount of poop while others poop out a LARGE amount without any apparent effort!
None of that matters. your baby does not need anything except for breast milk for 9-12 months. (my rule of thumb was when the baby reaches over and grabs the food out of your had, it is probably time! LOL! By the way, the longest I know of was 21 days...even the doctor was getting a little nervous. But sure enough on day 21 the baby had a super poop right during his uncle's wedding. Down mom's dress and down the aisle! Nice.
A.

I agree with the comment below; however, that is common after 6 weeks of age according to LaLeche League and my pediatrician. I would contact the pediatrician as a 1 week old should have a bowel movement every day. My son did that after 6 weeks and went 5 days without a bowel movement and then exploded EVERYWHERE.

He is fine as long as he is having all those wet diapers there isnt a problem. You will find as long as you are breastfeeding exclusively he will have fewer poopy diapers than a formual fed baby. Your son is using every drop of your milk and had very little waste left over. You will also find that you feel like you will be feeding him all the time for the same reason. Get a couple of good breastfeeding books and read up.... Breastfeeding can be very hard at times, I know I breast fed 3...good luck and congrads...:)

Hello N.,
My name is A.. My daughter is almost 6 now. But when she was a baby she did not have text book breastfed baby bowel movements. I exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months and everything I read said that should mean a bowel movement pretty much after every feeding. She went 12 days once when she was about 4 months. Her doctor said that some babies are just not every day poopers. He also said that it is a sign of getting everything she needed out of the breast milk and not a lot of stuff she didn't need. He also gave me a little check list to make me feel better. So when she had gone longer than I thought was ok I would run down the check list and not worry as much. The check list is... No fever, no uncontrollable crying, not lathargic, no excessively hard tummy, and no vomitting. If we didn't have any of those symptoms we would just wait it out. It was hard sometimes but she is fine now. I also found that doing the bicycle motion with her legs while she was laying on her back helped with the gas and helped get things moving. A little abdominal massage helped her too. Sorry this was so long, hope it helped a little. Hang in there and have a wonderful day.

My daughter did not have a bowwel movement for over a week after only a couple days home from the hospital. I kept calling the doctors worried but they said there was nothing to worry about and that it was normal. As long as baby continues to gain weight and you do not see any swelling of the abdimon, then everything is fine.

I will give you slightly different advise then everyone else only because the symtoms you are describing could indicate a serious problem that is not a common condition that many doctors have expereince with. I say this with experience my son didn't start having constipation until he started food at 6 months old and it got worse from there, he just now at age 4.5 yrs old got dx with Hirschsprungs Disease. This is a condition typically dx in the newborn phase. I would highly suggest the doctor do tests to rule this condition out. It happens to ever 1 in 5000 babies. I will let you google it. I am not trying to scare you but I do think it is something you may want to consider asking the doctor about especially if your baby continues to have constipation.

My son was one of those kids who had bm once a month and by all means that is not normal. Even our GI said it is not normal for a child to not go poop atleast every few days.

J.

always good to ask your dr. you probably have a two week visit. but my daughter for the longest time (many months) only went poop once a week. We were so worried but our dr. kept telling us it was fine that she had seem baby's wait almost 3 weeks! Then we decided it was great, less diapers to change!!!

E.

Hey N.,

Congratulations on your little one! My name is J., I am an occupational therapist and have an idea about your little one. There is an infant massage technique I know of that can sometimes help babies have bowel movements, it is definitely worth a try, though if you are really stressed out about it, call your pediatrician as they may suggest trying prune juice or some other methods...
Infant Massage: if you have any olive oil, it may help with the massage. With your baby lying on his back, gently apply pressure on his belly in his lower right quadrant (where his appendix might be...it will be on the left if you are facing him), slowly massage up towards his ribcage. When you are below his ribcage (hands still on his belly), gently change direction and move across in a horizontal line from left to right. When you reach the left side of his tummy, then you gently change directions again and move straight down towards his hip. What you are doing is following the path of his large intestines..it may facilitate a bowel movement. Try this 10 times or so and then wait and see. I believe it should help within 30 minutes...but I took the class 7 years ago, so my memory might be failing me. Hope your baby goes to the bathroom soon! It sounds like he is still having sopping wet diapers which is a good sign..the fluid is going somewhere!Good luck!
J.

I remember when mine did this and I asked the Dr. about it. His response was, "Isn't it great, not to have to change a poopy diaper?". He told us it's totally normal for some kids to only go once a week. Congratulations on your baby.

Yep, don't worry. I had my first baby about 2 and a half months ago. Just as long as your baby is not consitpated when he does go to the bathroom (can't get the poop out, has to push really hard and then the poo is like rocks) then you're okay. Also, my baby was pretty gassy too- I used Mylicon and Baby's Bliss Gripe Water. Both are very safe and they helped a lot. My baby (Nora) LOVED the gripe water. It would no sooner hit her tongue than she would quiet down and be happy. Also, the bicycle motion helped her. That's what has worked for me!

I just saw someone recommending sugar water. The hospital sent me home with explicit instructions not to give the baby sugar under any circumstances, just thought I'd pass that along.

Keep doing what you're doing! As long as there are wets and you're feeding on demand, no worries. He's probably using all the good stuff to grow! As babies my son pooped several times a day and my daughter went every third day: both are healthy. Congrats on your new addition!

Hi N.,
I am mom to 4 boys. My youngest is 5 months. My first two were very regular and usually pooped several times a day, but my youngest two used to go 3 -4 days (one or two times even went 5 days) without a poopy diaper. It is perfectly normal. They were all exclusively breastfed. Even though my 3rd child wasn't very regular as an infant, he is very regular now as a 3 1/2 year old and goes once sometimes twice a day. If it ever goes longer than 5 days, I would ask a dr. for some advice. :-) Kara

If it gets to three days, there are newborn suppositories over the counter. Ask the pharmacist.

My pediatrician told me that he has never seen an exclusively breastfed infant have constipation and that some babies go multiple times daily and some go once a week. I know these things are difficult for a new parent, but as long as he is urinating and not in an unusual amount of pain it sounds like he is doing fine. It's okay to call your doctor, they are used to it and that's what they get paid for!

Totally normal. We had the same thing happen and I even went as far as calling the advice nurse. Then she had a huge poopy just after that. When we went for our 2 week check-up we asked the doc too and she said babies who are exclusively breastfed can go days without pooping. So, yes, it's completely normal. But, if you're still worried, then all I can do is send some baby poopy vibes to you :)

mix about 1 tsp of sugar to about 3 oz. of water (make sure it's warm)have your baby drink some of it and it will help their stomach. Also you can put your baby on his back and move his little legs by bending them and putting them back n forth to his stomach. This helps relieve the gas and get their bowels to start working. I am a mother of three children and I have been through that.

Breastfed babies poop less often. That is really all there is to it. Now how often they do vary by kid. One of mine would poop about once a week, another one about every 36 hours. Now with the gas issue and delayed bowel movements, you should be prepared for a blowout. You know, those poops that come out leg holes and up the back. Over all, don't stress. Enjoy your first little one!

My little boy is 2 months old now but had the same issue when we first brought him home. Everything you read from the hospital says that they should have so many poops and so many pees but per my sons pediatrition it is okay for a exclusivly breastfed baby to not poop daily. If he doesn't go for 4 days OR if he acts like he is in a lot of pain has a buldge in his belly or is pooing any blood then you should seek medical treatment asap as there could be a hernia or an entangled bowel. If he is able to be calmed by rocking or walking around and the pain is just from gas then you can try little tummys although it doesn't seem to work very well for our little boy. What your baby is going through sound like what ours went through and still goes through from time to time. He will get really gassy but not poop for a full day and sometimes a day and a half but when he does go it will be A LOT... beware!! I hope this helps ease your mind a little, I'm sure your baby is fine, but if you have any doubt call your sons doctor and they can put your mind at ease... that's what they are there for! =)

I think it is pretty normal too.

That said, my baby (now almost 3) had reactions to the wheat/gluten and dairy/casein I was eating. The proteins in each of these travel through into the breastmilk. I finally took him to a nutritionist and did stool tests. He had an intolerance for both of these! It took me over a year to get symptoms under control (diaherrea, screaming, face brushing, rashes, etc.) If he gets either of these foods today, different symptoms come back.

Glad he decided to go on his own.

It is so hard when your baby is so uncomfortable! Hopefully these techniques will help. 1) Try lying your son on his back and massage his tummy in a clockwise motion. This will assist him on moving his bowels. 2) You can also try pumping his legs like he is bicycling. Either forward or backward or both. 3) You could also try bringing both of his knees to his tummy. Either action with his legs helps to get out some of the gas. This helped both of my 2 kids when they were infants.

Good luck!

Hi N.,

It is true, you don't have to worry. Especially with breast milk, it is pure liquid so there isn't much to make. The real stuff is going to start when your baby starts eating more foods, maybe in four or five months. I breast fed my kids for a year each and I worried too. After a while you start worrying after they haven't done anything for two days because you know it is going to be messy so be prepared to change clothes, sheets, etc., etc., a lot!!! However, enjoy it, especially since you are going back to work in a few months. E.