LO is 4 days old, some eating/pooping/allergy/gas questions

[DeChRi]

This is baby #3 for me and a whole set of new questions.

None of my past two have had much for bowel probs. My last had reflux badly, so a few eating challenges. I eliminated dairy and such then but it didn't help.

So my 4 day old finished passing all meconium around 2.5 days old. She has had many BMs since. The last 48 hrs she has had many episodes of crying, with a few things in common each time:
1) She is due to eat and acts hungry but won't latch...starts to, cries, roots, repeat.
2) The crying is followed up with several big poops in a short period of time.

She does not seem gassy, isn't thrushy, nurses like a rockstar all the rest of the time.

I busted out the paci last night during a spell and she loved it. Sucked until she had some diaper blow outs, the hawked it out and nursed like normal.

Today she went through the same thing, I paci-ed her to calm her, and eventually she dozed and I popped it out and she ate well. This is the isolated incident that wasn't "fixed" but lots of pooping.

Could this be a diet sensitivity already, or just kind of working out the kinks?

[Llyra]

I think it's just working out the kinks. Their nervous systems are still immature, so they have trouble organizing their behavior to settle in to nurse, especially when they're distracted by their intestinal activities, or tired, or fussy and overwhelmed. Sometimes a ten minute snooze is all it takes to help them get settled and focus on feeding. And sometimes just riding it out until the poop comes, then changing them, will help them be able to nurse.

Keep in mind-- many poops is a good thing, a positive sign, something to feel encouraged by, at this age. If there's a lot coming out, that means there's enough going in. The babies we worry about are the ones on day 4, 5, 6, etc., that still aren't pooping regularly.

And even if baby seems gassy, or seems to have trouble passing the stool-- strains, cries, turns bright red, takes awhile to get it out, passes a bunch of gas beforehand-- all of that is okay and normal. It takes time for them to perfect the muscle coordination they need to really control those bodily functions, and in the meantime, it can be quite a process.

I'm sure you know to use the paci with care, in extreme moderation, so that your breasts are getting enough stimulation to bring in a full milk supply. But I'll mention it just in case, for the general good. They way you describe using it-- to help baby in fussy moments to calm down enough to nurse-- doesn't sound like a problem to me. A clean finger will also work for people trying to avoid pacis.

[DeChRi]

Thanks so much for the comprehensive reply. It's amazing how each baby comes with it's own set of new things for us to learn. :-)
I will rest easy and let's things work themselves out for now. And thanks for the reminder on the paci...we didn't even have one on hand and DH grabbed one that evening (my last DD hated it) to see if it would calm her enough to eat. It really took maybe 5 min with it until she was drowsy and we could nurse. I am super blessed with a great supply (knock on wood), and have had to pump for a few minutes on a couple occasions the last couple days due to wicked engourement pain. I rationalized that the 2-3 spurts of paci were offset by the pumping (from a supply standpoint). Really, it's just super hard to try and feed a hungry babe when I'm engourged into my armpits.
I'll for sure keep the paci help to a minimum during the next few days while we need it. I have never tried the finger either...will give that a shot first!

Thanks