Should I be concerned that EBF 5mo has not pooped?

[crystal_buffaloe]

So, my EBF 5mo has not pooped since yesterday late morning (27 hours ago). She usually poops several times a day. This is by far the longest she has ever gone without pooping (the longest before this might have been 8 hours). She also slept through the night last night (from 12pm to 5:45am), and she has been eating at least once and usually twice in that time period. She doesn't seem to be sick, but I'm a little worried. There's also been a sharp decline in what I produce for the pump in the last month. Is she getting enough? Why hasn't she pooped? (I know she's not dehydrated; there are plenty of wet diapers.)

[sunnygir1]

Both of my EBF babies went through a period where they were pooping 1-2x a week instead of daily. I think it is considered to be within the range of normal. Just make sure you're drinking enough water and your babe is urinating plenty (i.e. not dehydrated).

[PatioGardener]

She may be going through a growth spurt and using up every last drop of the breastmilk! As long as a baby is eating nothing but breastmilk, I don't worry until it has been 2 weeks without a poop.

Warning: When she does go it will likely be BIG (as in a poopsplosion.) Keep extra clothes on hand!

[crystal_buffaloe]

46 hours and still no poop

Thanks for the reasurrance, though.

[PatioGardener]

Are you counting pees to reassure yourself? At least 5 heavy pees in 24 h is what you want (more if you CD).



nak

[hildare]

i'd say normal...

[crystal_buffaloe]

Okay, finally she pooped, but it was just a regular-sized (maybe even smallish) poop. Yellow, liquidy, some seeds, maybe the size of 1/2 a dollar bill, 50 hours after her last poop. If it is going to be that long between, shouldn't they be larger? She has waaay bigger poops than that just ocassionally, and always til now has pooped 3-4 times a day (and more as a newborn).

Heavy pee this morning at 6, medium pee at 8, heavy pee after a long nap at 12.

Nursed this morning at 6, at 7:30, and at noon.

I left for work at 8:15, she went down for a nap at 8:30, I got back from work at 11:45 and she'd just woken up at 11:30. I'm not too too terribly stressed about it -- and I'm a little embarrassed that I'm this wrapped up in a poop saga that's not even that interesting -- I'm just a little concerned that maybe she's not eating well.

[PatioGardener]

Sounds normal to me. You know that since she did poop, and the poop was liquidy that she's not constipated. And her pees sound normal. I'd chalk it up to normal growth patterns myself, but still be prepared for a larger poop in the near future.

[crystal_buffaloe]

Okay, we got it -- normal-looking yellow runny poop, and a whole heck of a lot of it, at 1:00, nurse at 2, nurse at 3, wet diaper, and now down for nap #2.


Thank you!

[PatioGardener]

Yay for poop!

[crystal_buffaloe]

Okay, so how long between poops before you actually WOULD be concerned (this is kind of hypothetical)? She didn't go again until Monday (so 3.5 days). So I'm thinking maybe this is her new pattern, but I don't want to miss something important.

[PatioGardener]

More than 10 days and I would be watchful, and over 2 weeks and I would be concerned.

Also, that pooping pattern is normal if baby is peeing well and gaining weight well. If pees were less than normal or more concentrated or smelly, or if baby was not gaining weight well, then I would be concerned and think that the pooping is another symptom of not getting enough milk. If pees are good and baby is over 6 weeks of age then infrequent pooping does not worry me at all.