5 Week Old Poop Problems

My daughter did the same thing, I was told about those exercises too. I had to work so I had to pump my milk, if you do the same put a drop of kyro syrup in her bottle it worked like a charm. Hope this helps.

I used the old time remedy - suppositories. You can get children's suppositories at Target or Walmart or probably anywhere at the pharmacy. For such a young baby, I would slice it in half (veritical) and stick up her little bottom. You will be amazed at the amount of gas that will come out and probably some poop. It's not good to use every day because you don't want her body getting use to the extra help.

For gas, the other remedy I used was Gripe Water. It's in the baby section of the drug store and at whole foods. It worked better on my kids than the gas drops.

I would still consider eliminating milk from your diet for 2-3 weeks to see if it would make a difference (it takes that long to clear the protein from your system). I experienced much the same thing--I had been drinking milk all along too, but it made a difference when I elminated milk. I introduced milk back slowly between 4 and six months. Their little digestive systems are developing all the time. What works today can have a different effect tomorrow. I kept yogurt and cheese in moderation as the protein structure is altered by the process to make these products.

Also, it isn't all that unusual for a breastfed baby not to poop each day. Her system could be using the breastmilk more efficiently...except for the discomfort.

Last, this is about the time that your milk is really established and you may even be having some over-production where she is getting too much foremilk (full of gassy carbs) and not enough of the fat-rich hindmilk. The solution is to nurse on one side until she detaches, burp her, and put her right back on the same side. It will ensure that she is emptying the breast and getting plenty of hindmilk. Offer the second breast if she still seems hungry. Remember to start with the breast that you ENDED on from the last feeding--a bracelet or pin can help you keep track.

Constipation is lack of/difficult bowel movement AND its texture (dry and pebbly). Breastfed babies rarely are truly constipated because breastmilk is a natural laxative. Adding formula isn't likely to help anything at this point.

She is coming up on the time for a typical growth spurt at 6 weeks...so be prepared for her to want to nurse even more than ever!

My son starting having the same problems at about 3 weeks old. I eliminated milk from my diet and noticed a change within a couple of days. I now have a very happy baby. That may not be the issue with your child, but it is worth a try. I know several moms and babies that had this same issue.

if you ever give her a formula bottle, you can add light karo syrup and that will aide in constipation relief.....a teaspoon or so.

Both of my sons had this problem! The doctor told me to get the children's suppositories from wal mart and break one in half and insert it into his bottom. Let it dissolve before you remove your finger though or it will come back out! Gross, I know, but within about thirty minutes to an hour she should have a pretty good poop! HTH!

As long as when she poops it is not hard balls - she is NOT constipated. As has been mentioned - breastmilk is more completely digestible with little solid residue. Anything from pooping every feeding - to pooping once a week is normal. I agree that the milk in your diet could be causing her gas and discomfort and you might try eliminating that. Also infant gas drops are great.

I second what Amanda C. said! Stick with breastmilk. Adding formula could just confuse the situation and you won't know what is causing her discomfort. There is a good reason they say "breastmilk is best!"

I second the suggestion of emptying one breast completely before moving her over to the other. While exercising, bicycling her legs, you may try to gently press both knees up into her chest, bottom raising slightly upward, so "wind" can escape! Also try INFANT MASSAGE. Book on it at NRH and Southlake libraries.

She's not having trouble. Unless it comes out in hard little balls, she's fine. Breastfed babies don't poop as much because there's very little waste and it's SO well digested. Breastfed babies can go 7-10 days without pooping!
She may be gassy, so do bicycle kicks with her legs and rub her tummy in a clockwise circle to help with the gas.

THis is exactly what I experienced with my daughter, same timing too.

IF your baby is sensitive to milk, it takes a while for the proteins to build up in her intestines for it to make a difference. SO, in the beginning, the milk you drank didn't affect her because she was at level zero, so to speak. But now, she's got 5 weeks of undigested proteins in her intestines.

I would suggest going off all dairy for 2 weeks and see if it makes a difference. IF not, you haven't lost anything and your daughter hasn't had to start meds or anything like that. And you can always change course later but try this to start. And, be sure to give it at least 2 weeks because just like it took a while for the milk proteins to build up, it will take a while for them to exit her body.

I did this with my daughter (2 years old now) and am presently doing it with my 3 month old. As long as I stay off dairy she's as happy as a lark. If I try to sneak it, she lets me know! Also poops are back to normal and yellow again. Hope you have success!

Have you tried some gas drops? All of my kids has gas problems and we used the Gerber brand gas drops. My son went from screaming for hours to sleeping blissfully shortly after my husband got back from the store with them.

My baby was very fussy and used to cry all night. He was also constipated and used to poop every 2nd day. It was bothering me looking my baby uncomfortable. A friend suggested baby magic tea. At first I started twice a night in his formula (I am breastfeeding mom but he also is on formula) and since then he has no such issues.

Breastfed Babies can go very long without pooping - like a week. And then, when they do go, the REALLY go. If she is breastfed, I suggest drinking more fluids YOURSELF - this may give you more foremilk, which is thinner and and more watery. It may help her poop more often.

take her legs and push them up to her tummy and do that off and on to see if that helps.........

Hi J.!
It is not unusual for a breastfed baby to go days without pooping, and 5-6 weeks is one of the ages that they seem to slow down with the BM's. If the little squirts that she does get are not hard and dry, then stuff is most likely moving through just fine. If she runs a fever or stops eating, I would call the doctor.

Breastmilk is not only the most digestible thing you can give her, but it also tends to promote good bowel movements. This website is a valuable resource for breastfeeding answers: http://www.kellymom.com/

Food allergies/sensitivities are actually rare in breastfed babies. It tends to be the "go to" that people will tell you, because they have no other answers. It is very unlikely that anything in your milk is causing her to wake crying. It's hard to determine if she has a normal amount of gas (we all get gas, and babies are no exception) or if it's an unusually high amount. Eating "gassy foods" will not cause gas in your baby, though, so if you are advised to omit any broccoli, cabbage, etc, take that with a grain of salt. Your milk is made out of what is in your blood stream, not what is in your gut.

Waking suddenly, screaming, sounds like pain or being startled. - though that doesn't mean it is. Gas pain hurts, as many of us know. You could try holding her upright on your shoulder for a while as she sleeps during the day and see if this helps. It could be that she is gulping her milk as she eats. It could be reflux, although that usually shows up pretty early on, in my experience. Is she arching her back really hard when she cries? If so, ask your doctor for an RX for reflux. It's just an antacid (like prevacid) and is pretty safe. Many babies are born with reflux, and it is quite painful. My son had it horribly and it was very painful, eventually leading to bleeding, etc. (I was ill advised and weaned him from breastmilk to formula, which made it 100 times worse) If she has reflux, your milk is helping to soothe it, and the more you can get her to nurse, the better.

Anyway, I hope you find answers soon! These early months are so hard, but they go by very quickly.

I know as a first time mom you want to do everything for your daughter. She could just have gas (if you ate anything gaseous, she will have it too). You can make an appointment to see the doctor but if she is not running a fever, throwing up, dehydrated, those are the major ones. As a mother of three from 21 to 6, the first one you are like a hawk watching every movement (literally) because your baby didn't come with a handbook. It is probably nothing, set an appointment to meet with your dr., and relax. You are a very attentive mom and stressing out is not helping you or your dd.

:}

L.

My son had similar problems, but his poop was always like marbles. The dr recommended putting prune juice in his bottle and it worked like a charm. I started with about a teaspoon and then checked to see how that was working and then moved up a little and down depending on whether the poop was hard or soft. You could do the same type of concept depending on whether she is pooping or not.

It sounds like you are breast feeding so maybe you can drink a glass of prune juice and see if that helps her.

I didn't read all the responses...something similar happened to my little ones. I just started drinking prune juice and within 1-2 days, my little ones would poo. I'm assuming you're breastfeeding. I always try a more natural approach before giving meds. Remember, everything you eat gets passed to your little one. I also started eating frosted miniwheats at the same time (for fiber). Once your baby starts eating solids and she gets backed up, try introducing prunes (I believe it's a 1st food) or she could drink prune juice tto (I do 2/3 water to 1/3 juice). You can also try to make teething biscuits using prune juice once she starts teething. This recently worked for my 8 mo old and 2 1/2 year olds, within a few hours they both had loaded diapers and underpants. Hope this helps!!!

If she is exclusively breastfed, then she is probably not constipated. My older son would not poop for up to 10 days when I was bf'ing. At first I freaked (and so did other family members), but after talking with the doctor and realizing that it is normal and didn't hurt him (his poop was normal when he did it) I just let nature take it's course. Your daughter may be uncomfortable from somthing else. Around 4-6 weeks is when colic rears its ugly head. My son would cry every evening from about 5-7 pm until he was about 4 months. After that he was fine. Honestly, it was great to go that long without poopy diapers. I think the change from several a day to none is a bit disturbing at first, but her digestive system is maturing and that is just part of it. Good luck!

This happened with our newborn. My husband went off to buy the suppositories recommended by the pedi. While he was away, I took a rectal temp to see if a little stimulation would help and it did! As my husband walked into the house, we had poop! :)

Jamie,
Are you putting your baby on a feeding schedule? If so, I would let her nurse on demand. Have you been feeding her every 2 hours? This is essential for you to build up your milk supply. If you have not been, try increasing her feeding times. Do not limit her time at the breast. By this time you should be feeding her from one breast per feeding to be sure she is getting all the hind milk you are making. This is very important for her growth. This milk contains more fat content than the foremilk.

Increase your water intake and increase your vegetable and whole grain intake. Anything that helps you go number 2 will also help her. Stay away from known gassy/trouble foods like broccoli, onions, tomato sauce.

Hope these suggestions help. If you need more help? Give me a call ###-###-####.

K. Voigtsberger
Breastfeeding Trainer

I second what Amanda C. said but I would also add the use of Gripe water (I got mine from sprouts). My now 10 month old has not needed it in a long time but we did go through the upset tummy gassy stage at about 4 to 6 weeks and the Gripe water seemed to help more so that some of the other gas drops. Also, really do try and stick to bland safe foods for a couple of weeks. Early on my diet did seem to have an impact on my little guy and what he responded to changed as he got older. At about 3 months it didn't seem to be an issue any more. Now I eat what ever I want and don't worry about it (we are still nursing).

Whatever you do, just hang in there. I know it's hard but just keep doing your best and this stage will quickly pass.