No Poop in 10 Days! HELP

My son did the same thing when he was 6 weeks, he went for two weeks without BM. We waited it out and it resolved on it's own, I recall being frantic, but he is now a happy active 4 year old with no bowel issues, try not to worry.

Little Tummies has a laxative drop I would use on my baby. I would only use like a quarter of a dropper or so.

Good luck!

I wouldn't worry about it if she's solely breastfed and not in any kind of pain. My SIL had this same issue and supplemented with some formula. She seemed happier about it because her daughter began to have a bm every day. But, solely breastfed babies don't get constipated.

A little karo syrup in the water will do the trick as well as any prune juice or supository. And it will be much more gentle.

My son had the same problem when he was close to 1. Then I was talking to a friend and found out chiropractors can help w/ constipation. (I do not go to one and have never been!) Anyway, I took my son to a specialist (she works w/ children and women) she did a minor adjustment and w/ in the hour he had the biggest poop EVER! We took him one more time to make sure his hips were staying in place and we've never been back. He's almost 4 now! I was willing to do anything to help my son poop! Lisa Barnett, D.C. ###-###-#### is the Dr. we used! Good luck!

Call me bad I don't remember all the details but I did have this problem with my daughter now 3. I breastfed my son for 5 months and my daughter almost 7 months. We did everything you have done and still had problems, what I can say is no help from my pediatrian I finally figured out that it wasn't that there was anything wrong with my daughters body other then what I was putting in it. Not every day is normal with breastfed babies. Try looking at what you are eating that could be causing it, what you eat will effect the baby's belly also. Broccoli was a big no no for me while breastfeeding, of which I discovered while pregnant with her that Broccoli was actually good, never ate it before. To give an example of your milk effecting the baby, my husband and I had eaten at Carino's Italian Resteraunt after my daughter was born. I love garlic and their roasted garlic and olive oil on bread it the bomb, but after a nice dinner out and eating a ton of that(not healthy I know)I later was trying to feed my daughter and she wouldn't latch on or take it out of a bottle was just crying and we finally figured out after tasting the breastmilk that it tasted like garlic and smelled like garlic. My daughter just know is starting to eat garlic. I felt so bad. So my advice is to start a food diary on you then do process of elimination on your diet.

It sound strange but when you think about it you can say RIGHT. What you eat is what your child is eating,if you have fruit, or fruit juice,grapes,etc.,to eat this might help with out going to the extreme's Good luck.

Take her to a pediatric gastroenterologist.

As long as she isn't in pain (constipated), going several days in a BF baby IS normal--but not 10 days. I'm pretty sure that's the point at which you should take her in to the doctor--especially if the supository doesn't work. It could be a more serious problem.

I can't imagine a pedi telling you it's okay that she isn't pooping daily. One to two days maybe but more than that is not normal. Try one tablespoon Karo syrup in with your breast milk or formula...of course you'll have to bottle feed it to her.

good luck,
d

I highly recommend a chiropractic adjustment w/ a pediatric-trained chiropractor. The one we use is Dr. Mahan, ###-###-####, on the NW side of Houston. If she is constipated, you'll be shocked at what comes out of her w/in an hour of the adjustment. One adjustment could very well solve the issue, or it may take a few adjustments--it all depends on the person/baby. He adjusted my baby when he was constipated, and we had results by the time we got home. No unnecessary drugs to further complicate the issue!

I went through this with my daughter from about 6 weeks until about 14 weeks and we did the suppository every other day to keep her happy and from getting too uncomfortable. About the time she hit 3 months she started going on her own and now goes multiple times a day like she did when she was first born. For us it was muscular - the more time your baby gets moving with tummy time and floor time to move and wiggle the better as this seems to have been what our daughter needed to get her body working again. Good luck!

In Mexico people use an oil that is given to the baby/child in a very small amount and it works great, but since this is not your option, I say, continue giving the baby water with prune juice and do this as a preventive method too. The rectal thermometer is generally recommended as well.

I think she is probably ok. I freaked out with my son as well because he went a really long time, can't remember exactly how long, with no bowel movement. He was really little and breastfed as well and I was calling the dr a lot to figure out what to do. He didn't seemed uncomfortable or anything and was a little chunky baby. The dr told me to give him water with a little corn syrup if it continued. I never did that because he hated water, but he finally went. After that I stopped worrying, he would always go several days and many times a full week or so without going until he started eating some solids at around four months or so. Good luck!!

10 days is certainly at the upper limit, but so long as your baby isn't showing signs of distress, you shouldn't be too concerned about it. Unless there is some other mitigating factor, exclusively breastfed babies don't get constipated. Constipation by definition is not just lack of poop...but rather the consistency (dry) and difficulty in passing.

Babies this age are still developing their muscular systems...so even babies that poop on a regular basis can appear to be struggling.

Rather than using suppositories, which can be habit forming, and other dietary means...try massage and working her legs like a bicycle. That can help stimulate things to move along.

Here is a link to LLL massage techniques:

http://www.llli.org/NB/NBJanFeb98p13.html

It is with a focusing on dealing with colic but will likely serve your purpose, as well.

STOP STOP STOP! Do NOT give suppositories, do not stimulate with rectal thermometer, and certainly do not give your baby water and prune juice. Babies at this age shouldn't be having anything other than breastmilk. Your second pediatrician is right. This is totally normal! Breastfed babies can go 10 days with no poo and be fine! Leave it alone or you will make your baby girl dependent on other means to help her have a BM. Your first pediatrician really should NOT have advised you that way.

This is not constipation. Constipation is when the poo is hard and dried out. This "not going" is very normal. When she does go, is it a normal breastfed BM? Is it dark yellow in color and normal consistency?

Please listen to your new pediatrician. he/she knows what he/she is talking about on this one. Do not do any of that to the baby anymore. It is normal for breastfed babies because there is so little waste/filler in breastmilk.

It can be unsettling to see your baby, who was going 6 times a day, to settle down to every other week, but it IS normal. This is a GREAT page to refer to when you think you have a baby poo problem: http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/pediatricks/poop.asp

Is baby ONLY drinking breastmilk? If there is any formula, it can "bind up" baby. Make sure YOU are drinking plenty of water (NOT baby), but really - this is normal. I can't say that enough.

Dr. Sears suggests putting babies in a bath of warm chest-high water (baby's chest) and massage baby's tummy and "wait for the mudslide". But don't artificially stimulate it.

I agree that if her poo is normal when it does come out, relax. My daughter was like that and she grew out of it and is 3 yo and poops every day. I totally stressed about it too but that stress doesn't get her to poo; it just makes everyone tense. So smile, breathe, relax...I think it's all going to be just fine, and even already is! :o)

My breastfed son did exactly the same, he once went 11 days. I hear they can go 2 weeks!

This is completely normal and natural. It does not mean she is constipated. There is just less waste from breast milk. Be proud you are providing her with the best and most exact food she needs.

Suppositories, prune juice and rectal thermometers are NOT natural. Please don't do this to your baby.

When she begins a little solid food (beginning at 6 months, or when her teeth come in) it will change. It does not need to "correct" itself, as its not something wrong that needs correcting.

Relax. It's just one of those things that we probably would be more accepting of if only we lived in a more natural way.

I would do the baby lax suppository to ease your own mind. I had to do these on my 3 month old every 3 days for at least a month. She has had no I'll effects from it and is now 5 yrs. 10 days is a long time I think. Once they get more solids in the diet it may get better. My kids just had chronic constipation. Miralax worked wonders once they were older. It is an awful struggle with constipation. So sorry you are having that problem with baby.
M.

You can purchase a product for babies called maltsuprax, add it to a bottle of the milk. It works wonders! Kinda expensive but well worth it. I had to use that with one if my children. Ask your local pharmacist about it.

I feel your pain...my son went 16 days without pooping when he was 3 months old. It's so hard to know what to do. Everyone will say that breastfed babies don't get constipated, but there's just something not quite right about never pooping! Our pediatrician recommended prune juice, karo syrup, and other typical "home remedies", none of which worked to increase the frequency. When he did go, it was normal consistency, no distress, just very infrequent. We ended up being referred to a pediatric GI specialist and having a barium enema done (hands-down, most awful thing I have ever had to put my child through) only to find out that there was nothing wrong. The specialist was stumped, and could only tell us that he either wasn't feeling the urge to go or wasn't able to coordinate his muscles to relax and push simultaneously. We ended up getting a prescription laxative to mix into some juice, but even with that he only pooped every 3-5 days, which still wasn't often enough according to the specialst. So I decided that his body must just not be on a typical clock and quit worrying about how often the specialist thought he should poop! :) He did become more regular at about 6 or 7 months, but still at 17 months only goes every 2-3 days. When he is having difficulty going at this point, it is pretty clear that he does just have trouble coordinating the pushing muscles and the muscles that need to relax because he eats a very well-balanced diet with plenty of fiber and when it does come out it is very soft. So I would say not to worry too much and that these things seem to sort themselves out as the baby's organ systems all mature and learn to work together better. Keep in mind that suppositories can become "addictive" and the baby could become dependent on that stimulation if used too frequently.

My daughter was the same way for many months and the peditrician said that it was normal for her not to go for several days since I was breastfeeding.

When she finally had a BM, it would usually cause her to strain and cry even though it was soft. I mentioned it to a friend of mine who's a pediatric surgeon and she said my little girl had a fissure probably inside her anus that wasn't able to heal since it reopened every time she went. She also said that my daughter was preventing herself from going since it hurt her until she absolutely had to. My friend then showed me what she was talking about and sure enough there was a tear. She then prescribed an ointment for the tear that would help heal and allow my daughter to have regular BM without all that pain.

She mentioned that this is very common for the little ones and most Pedis overlook it or don't consider it to be a problem. I didn't want my little girl to be uncomfortable if she didn't have to be so I continue to use the ointment if she hasn't gone in a couple of days and it seems to work. She now goes regularly.

My breastfed daughter had a similar problem. For 3 or 4 months I gave her 3 oz of pear juice everyday. It helped her to have a BM every three days. It was truly awful and she was a colic baby on top of that. After she became 5 or 6 months old, and started having baby food, it got much better.

Hi A.,
I would look again at another pedi- or insist your baby be checked for an obstruction. If breast feeding is the issue then unfortunately I would put my baby on formula. None of my children ever experienced this issue but I did not breast feed- but I have known some others who have and had to resort to suppositories and formula. But, I would want to be very sure there was no obstruction preventing normal BM's
good luck and blessings

10 days is a long time... but I would want to know what her poop is like when you have used suppositories. If it is normal poop, not huge amounts or hard or bloody, than this may iindeed be normal for her. I totally agree with the new doc about not using suppositories. I agree with the other poster that you need to be careful not to treet "lack of poop", but you could be dealing with constipation.
I had breast fed babies only and both of my boys had problems with constipation (not just lack of poop). My eldest didn't start having problems until 2-3 months old. It was horrible!! Severely painful large hard BM's after 5 to 7 days of nothing. We were able to completely cure him with baby oatmeal made with pureed prunes every morning. My second son was constipated from day one. He would get so constipated he was unable to eat and had started losing weight. He vomited constantly because of his stomach being squashed from the poop buildup in his abdomen. They actually did a barium swallow on him looking for problems when he was 3 months old. Everything was normal, so he was started on lactulose at 2 months and remained on it until 10 months. The lactulose worked, but it meant having to give him a bottle twice a day with formula. It was no big deal for us because the doc recommended supplimenting the breast feed with 2 bottles a day anyway to help him regain some of his weight. Once he started walking the constipation went away. He has never had problems again.

Does she look uncomfortable? Is she crying out in pain not being able to go? The suppositories and even the prune juice seem a little harsh on her system. The breast milk is absorbed by the intestines much more than formula so there is little 'waste'. I always use a little warm olive oil to help my little ones go when they look like they are suffering from a tummy ache. It's good for adults too. I just warm the spoon under hot water then pour a little olive oil on the spoon and then with your finger give her like 2-3 tastes of it. This has always worked for both my kids, poop always comes along shortly after or at least the next morning! You could always try massaging her tummy and doing the leg exercises to help move things along. Just keep nursing her as much as she will nurse and as long as she doesn't look uncomfortable then try not to worry.

If she isn't cranky she is fine. Increase the fruit, vegetables and fiber in YOUR diet.

It's normal. My oldest son went poop every 10 days or so on a regular basis. At first I was freaked out but once I realized he had no problems and always pooped fine, I enjoyed the fact that I didn't have to change poopy diapers every day. I only wish I could have been as lucky with my second. :)

Have you tried the Dark kayro syrup? It works wonders! Just put a dab about the size of your finger tip in her bottle & it should work like a charm. Good luck!