7 week old dd hasn't pooped in 3 days!

[henny penny]

She doesn't seem overly uncomfortable but how long can that last? Her ped said to give karo syrup mixed with water in a bottle, take her temp with a rectal thermometer for stimulation, and a warm bath. She's never had a bottle and is exclusvely bf. Does anyone have any other ideas or advice? I'm going to try the ped's suggestions but wondering if there is anything else I could do?

[Bokonon]

Stooling patterns can change around that time and it's not unusual or harmful. Please don't give karo syrup. A warm bath is fine. Breastfed babies can sometimes go 10 or more days without a bowel movement.

[PatioGardener]

normal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

no need to give an ebf baby karo syrup - yuck! or a bottle. your ped is ill informed.

it is common for ebf (no solids, just mama milk) to go up to 10 even 14 days with no poop!!! normal!

i would NOT give karo and water.

back soon with links.

[henny penny]

Oh, thank you!!! I was hoping to get some information that I felt good about! Yeah, yuck to the karo. And introducing a bottle would be such a hassle if it is really not needed. She only poops about once or twice a day for her normal pattern so I guess a few days with nothing is not extreme.
Please, more tips, reassurance!

eta: I was worried to begin with only because ds (also ebf) pooped about 100 times a day!

[PatioGardener]

from lll:

It is normal for the bowel movements of a breastfed to decrease in frequency when the colostrum, which has laxative properties, is completely gone from the mother's milk after about six weeks of age. A baby this age may continue to have bowel movements as frequently as five times a day, sometimes even after every nursing. It is also normal for a breastfed baby older than six weeks to have only one bowel movement every few days. Some healthy babies will have only one bowel movement a week. When bowel movements are less frequent, they should be more profuse in volume. As long as the baby is gaining well, wetting sufficiently, and is happy and content there is no cause to be alarmed by infrequent bowel movements, and it is not necessary to give the baby a laxative, fruit juice, or any other "helpers." In fact, attempting to force bowel movements can have harmful consequences to your baby.

http://www.llli.org/FAQ/bm.html

[PatioGardener]

and from the Mayo Clinic:
"It isn't a good idea to treat infant constipation with corn (Karo) syrup. Although dark corn syrup was once a common home remedy for infant constipation, today's commercially prepared dark corn syrup may not contain the type of chemical structure that draws fluid into the intestine and softens stool — making it ineffective for infant constipation. In addition, for children younger than age 1, Karo syrup may be a potential cause of a rare but serious form of food poisoning known as infant botulism. "

EBF babies RARELY get constipated, so karo and water is not needed.

but if someone googles this thread they should know that karo syrup is bad for babies!

[Cujobunny]

No, you don't need to give anything. It's normal for breastfed babies to go a few days, a week or more without pooping. Some think it's because breastmilk is so well digested & absorbed that there's not much left over to poo out. Others say it's because the colostrum (which has laxative properties) is completely gone from your breastmilk after about 6 wks of age.

From La Leche League

From Dr. Greene, pediatrician

As long as when the poo does come out it's not hard & baby isn't straining, it's not constipation.

[Knitting Mama]

When I brought up this concern myself early in Cecilia's life, my pediatrician told me that in her experience, many babies used breast milk very efficiently and had little waste because of that. Cecilia was a once a day pooper for most of her early weeks, with an occasional skip of a few days. Oddly enough, she now, at 3.5 months, poops way more often than she did earlier!

[emnic77]

My 8 week old is a once a day pooper at best. She's on day 3 too, we had a check up today and ped said 6-7 days is when they start to get concerned.

[henny penny]

Wow, thanks for the great info and links everyone! I knew I came to the right place! I think I need to have a word with my ped about their advice. Great info from Mayo Clinic. And as always LLL saves the day! I am very relieved. Thanks again!