Needs some assurance - bf baby not pooping much - UPDATE

[lillymonster]

I had oversupply with my first baby and she pooped every nursing, so this is new territory for me.

I have my 2nd on January 4th, a repeat c-section after attempted vbac. She nursed great in the hospital and home for a while, and then I think I got the flu or something last Tuesday. I wasn't sure what it was, went to l&D to make sure it wasn't an infection and they said it was viral, plus I had bad gas and constipation so I didn't eat or drink much. I forced myself to drink gatorade and water on Thursday, and have been drinking more, but she hasn't gained much according to the pediatrician. Her pooping was within the 2 a day guidelines, then she had 2 huge poops on Friday, one on Saturday (no little ones, just one huge one) and no poops on Sunday and no poop so far today, afternoon on Monday. She is going through about 8 wet diapers a day, and nursing 3 hours at night, pretty much either every 2 hours during day and then a section of cluster feeding before bed. So her nursing amount seems fine and her wet diaper amount is fine. We are going back on Friday for another weight check.

So I am a little worried about the no poo thing...do you think that will go back to normal once I get over the flu and starting eating and drinking more normally?

UPdate: On Monday she finally pooped at 5pm, then again at 8. Then this morning, the biggest baby poop I have ever seen in my life, it filled her whole diaper from top to bottom and it was very stinky for a baby poop. My guess is probably because I had the flu only 3 days after I got home and didn't know it (thought it was just bad recovery from my c-section) I lost my appetite and didn't drink much, I was also incredibly constipated, and it took like 9 days after delivery for me to go to the bathroom, I wasn't taking care of myself. I think this was just a temporary thing from not drinking enough.  She also stopped cluster nursing so much, so I think she was working to build up my supply too. So she pooped and everything seems okay for now.

Edited by lillymonster - 1/17/11 at 4:00pm

[MountainMamaGC]

After all the meconium has passed it is normal for an exclusively breastfed baby to poop from every feeding, to once a week or even 10 days. Sometimes there is very little residue left after the baby has digested and absorbed everything.

[matty02]

I agree that it is normal for a breastfed baby to go from pooping after every feeding to going up to 10 without going. I was a nanny for a breastfed baby and breastfed two of my own. All of them went through this. Just watch out when they go! Since your baby is nursing often and has wet diapers it is probably fine. Does your baby act fussy and constipated? 

[PatioGardener]

I disagree a little with the PPs, so here is a slightly different point of view.  Infrequent poops are common and normal in an exclusively breastfed infant (older than 6 weeks), but not a newborn.  In a newborn, infrequent poops can be a reg flag, and should be followed closely.  LLL has a great page on this with more explanation than I can type 1-handed while nak :)

http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVDec97Jan98p123.html

I hope you are feeling better soon!

[lillymonster]

Originally Posted by matty02 

I agree that it is normal for a breastfed baby to go from pooping after every feeding to going up to 10 without going. I was a nanny for a breastfed baby and breastfed two of my own. All of them went through this. Just watch out when they go! Since your baby is nursing often and has wet diapers it is probably fine. Does your baby act fussy and constipated? 

She is not acting fussy, she is not acting any differently than when we were in the hospital and she was pooping normally then. She hasn't gone any less time or more time between nursings and isn't going a long time between nursing

[matty02]

I didn't realize how young she was. My children and the baby I was a nanny for were a few months old when they pooped less often. A newborn usually poops after every feeding. I would contact your pediatrician just to get it checked out just to be safe. 

[lillymonster]

Originally Posted by matty02 

I didn't realize how young she was. My children and the baby I was a nanny for were a few months old when they pooped less often. A newborn usually poops after every feeding. I would contact your pediatrician just to get it checked out just to be safe. 

I called, so I guess I just have to stress until she calls back. I nursed my first until she was 3 and she was exclusively breastfed until 2 1/2, so this is a whole world of different.

Pediatrician said to call if she doesn't poop again in the next day. Her weight check is the 20th and they will move it up a day if need be. But it could be because I had the flu and I was dehyradated a bit

[poorlittlefish]

I agree that you should go to the ped and get her checked out and weighed.  Having said that, my second DD was an infrequent pooper.  She has enough wets but once the mec. was passed she went several days in between poops. I tried to get her to poop with the thermometer in the butt and nothing.  She was gaining ok and the dr. just said that some babies are like that.  It is rare though so please do get her checked out.

[PatioGardener]

Originally Posted by poorlittlefish 

I agree that you should go to the ped and get her checked out and weighed.  Having said that, my second DD was an infrequent pooper.  She has enough wets but once the mec. was passed she went several days in between poops. I tried to get her to poop with the thermometer in the butt and nothing.  She was gaining ok and the dr. just said that some babies are like that.  It is rare though so please do get her checked out.

it may be normal for your baby, or it may not be, so best to look into it.  that LLL article I posted above has some good tips and even explains how oversupply can lead to infrequent pooping.

hope the weight check goes well!

[KoalaMommy]

I'm glad you're having it checked, that doesn't seem like a normal stool pattern to me for such a young baby.  I would expect at least daily at this point.  If your pedi is concerned, I hope you'll also include an LC in your process.

[Carma]

DD2 also didn't poop for almost a week after the Meconium came out. It is rare but everything was fine in our case. We had plenty of wet diapers, bili-levels good and she grew really well.

It is good to check it out, because it is not the norm.

Carma

[PatioGardener]

yay for poop! 

Hope you get more today :)