Infant Poop Question

Hi J.,

I have twin boys that are now 16 months old. At two months old, both were fed the same - breastfed and supplemented with about one bottle a day. One became very constipated and the other pooped everyday. I took the constipated baby to a chiropractor in Santa Cruz for adjustments. He also recommended taking probiotics. Now, both my twins, my five year old and I take probiotics every day. It's very good for the digestive and immune systems. I've found a powdered probiotic that I add to their bottle once a day. Plus, my chiropractor said it's really important to poop every day even if it's a breastfed baby. That's how the body eliminates toxins. Hope this helps!

C.

It is very normal in my experience. My oldest son, now 7, would go days with out pooping when he was being brest fed! Breast milk is just so purfect that sometimes it just really absorbs. If he doesn't seem to be gassy or uncomfortable then I would think there is nothing to worry about. If it helps to calm your worries a call to his Doctor is a good thing. Best of luck!

Constipation in a baby is actually not considered not pooping, its considered solid, hard "pebble-like" poop. My son would sometimes go a week without a poop.

That's a long time without pooping. You could let your little one drink a spoonful of prune juice if you're super worried...but, Breast feeding is funny that way. My boy used to poop only 1-3 times a week. Breastmilk is so easily absorbed, it leaves very little residual for pooping back out again.

Once, he went 2 weeks, & I got concerned. I gave him a light massage to his tummy & lower back, & the rest of the day was a "Poop" day. He went right back to normal.

Now that he eats solids, there are times when he can poop 1-5 times a DAY! Enjoy the peace while you have it.

My son has a similar issue around the same time. He is 10 months now and goes every other day. But for about 2-3 months, it seemed like he'd only go every three weeks. I read that as long as his bm is not hard when it comes out, and as long as he is not struggling to go and/or in pain, then it is not constipation. Eventually, despite how difficult this was for me to watch, he became regular again.

I noticed that there were certain things i ate that seemed to set off the whole problem. I drank some kefir yogurt, which eventhough is very good for both of us AND seemed to increase my milk supply like crazy, thats when his movements changed.

I spoke with our doctor and they said he was fine though.

One thing that i think helped him become regular again was the introduction to Natren Life Start, which is a probiotic (b.infantis) for infants. This is actually recommended for infants in the book "Digestive Wellness for Children."

I just put a 1/4 teaspoon in a little water and fed it to him with a medicine dropper. I did this for about a week and it worked immediately. A breastfeeding mom can also take some herself. Its a bit pricey(ranges from $16 - $21) but it is well worth it. Keep it refrigerated.

I highly recommend that book mentioned earlier, as it talks about childrens nutrition and illnesses from a standpoint that you most likely wont hear from anywhere else.

I hope you find some resolution.

Don't panic, but do call the doctor. It isn't uncommon for exclusively breastfed babies do go more than a week without pooping. 17 days may very well be a record. I hope that he is fine. For the record...I had a baby that pooped just about every single time she ate and I thought something was wrong. I had heard all the stories about how efficient breast milk is...I just had A LOT of milk.

My daughter once went 14 days and same as yours wasn't uncomfortable or anything. I tried giving her sugar water, warm baths, etc. Eventually she went and the doctors told me was probably just using everything I was giving her and didn't have any waste. This was also around the time that I admitted my milk just hadn't come in and I needed to supplement (At a month and a half she had lost weight and was lighter than when she left the hospital.) She never had this problem again after I started supplementing. Perhaps it's time to try introducing solids?

It is not good for your infant to not poop everyday. Toxins build up and can cause problems later. If you need some advise on what to do to help your infant get what you need so he gets what he needs let me know and i can show you.

N. Marie
____@____.com

I was always told that if they go longer than 14 days to take them to the dr. A friend of mine had that problem with her exclusively breastfed little boy. Turns out he was severely impacted. I'd take him to the doctor and have them check.

2 of mine went 10 days or so, they're just using everything they're eating. As long as they are not uncomfortable, gassy and crying, should be just fine.

My daughter did not go quite that long, but I have heard it is common. It is because breast milk is perfect food. My daughter went 9 days once - unfortunately it ended as we were boarding an airplane in Chicago...an incident we still affectionately call pooh-storm 2000.

J.

Hi J.,
Honestly you need to schedule an appt. today with the pediatrician. 17 days is much much too long let alone a week. My son's doctor said years ago that a child must poop everyday. He had some issues w/his intestinal tract. Dr. Oz even says we have to poop everyday. Please do make an appt. today.

Yes, yes! Scary, huh!? It's pretty normal...

Even if the tummy isn't distended, i would take him to the doctor to get that checked out-- 17 days is 2 weeks--there may be blockage. You can try to use glycerin suppositories in his bum--that worked wonders for me when my son was an infant. Other than that i recommend calling the helpline from your doctor or seeing a doctor just to make sure. Take care! :D kc

YES!!! And I about flipped out! I breast fed exclusively and she went almost 3 weeks without any solid BM at all...not even the pasty stuff w/rice pellets in it or colored liquid.....she just tinkled and that was it. None of my other kids had that happen but Sarah's system, according to the pediatrician was metabolizing the milk so effectively there was no waste left to get rid of! So.....don't panic! Do check with your pediatrician if it goes past 3 weeks but chances are - God's plan to feed our babies is VERY efficient:) As long as there is no apparent discomfort or rash, you're probably good to go.....AND, just think how much you're saving on diapers, lol! Good luck, enjoy this age....it's the beginning of the best! M.....and oh yes, Le Leche league is always a great group to bounce questions off of even if you arent' able to attend meetings or there aren't any in your area.....google them and there's usually a couple of phone numbers listed to call....their experience and support was wonderful when I needed it!