9 week old hasn't had a BM in 12 days

[momma2alauna]

My 9 week old hasn't pooped in 12 days. Before that she went 7 days without pooping. When she did poop, it was a normal soft, runny consistency. She has some very strong smelling gas and seems to be a bit uncomfortable today, so I called and talked to a nurse at our peds clinic. She acted like 12 days was a pretty long time to go without pooping and recommended that I give her 1-2 oz of prune juice. I'm wondering if I should give her the juice or wait a few more days and hope she poops in that time. Anyone have any experience with this?

[eabbmom]

Is your baby feeding well and gaining weight?

[momma2alauna]

Yes, she eats often and appears to be gaining weight. She has lots of rolls in all of the right places. She has a ton of wet diapers every day, too.

[eabbmom]

12 days is a little on the longer side of normal, but if her poo when it happens isn't hard pellets she's most likely not constipated. If she isn't in pain I don't see any harm in waiting.

[rnra]

When you put your hand on her belly, is it tight, hard, or lumpy?  Does it look distended?

[momma2alauna]

Thanks Eabbmom.

Rnra- no, her belly isn't hard, tight or distended. It is soft, like it normally is.

[pek64]

Magnesium helps with constipation. Red raspberry leaf tea is my recommendation.

[htcmom]

You can take a Q Tip and put some lube on it and rub it just inside the anus, in a circle motion. This will stimulate her to go. This is what my peds doctor told me to do when DS would go a week or so without a bm.

[MadelynMc]

We had this problem when our daughter was an infant and prune juice definitely helped. When we got super desperate, the baby enema seemed to work instantly. She pooped immediately without using much of the enema. I think the stimulation itself does the trick.

[Banana731]

If Your baby is exclusively breastfed she is probably fine. Some babies are just like this Please check out the 3rd paragraph under #2

http://www.breastfeedinginc.ca/content.php?pagename=doc-IMB

[momma2alauna]

Thanks all. She finally went this morning, day 13! I'm happy that I held off on the prune juice. Her poop came out looking soft, yellow and normal.

[htcmom]

I glad she finally went. I personally would not give prune juice to a 9 week old. Their gut is just not ready for it.

[crayfishgirl]

Originally Posted by htcmom 

I glad she finally went. I personally would not give prune juice to a 9 week old. Their gut is just not ready for it.

I agree with this, and for anyone searching in the archives, both my children went long periods between poops until they started solids.  My son went the longest at 19 days, and it was soft and normal when it finally arrived.  I think 2+ weeks is the longer end of normal, but not anything to worry about if they're wetting and eating regularly.

[pek64]

Has anyone tried to eat or drink something rich in magnesium to encourage pooping in a breastfed child? Just curious if it would work.

[skycheattraffic]

My DD routinely went 10 days without pooping while EBF. 14 wasn't common but happened a few times too. Breastmilk is just so readily digestible with so little waste that it takes a lot of it to make one poop. When the poop came, it was always huuuuge but runny, soft, seedy yellow. Unless baby is hurting, poop is dry and pellet like or belly is hard and distended, it's just one of the perks of EBF: much less poop to deal with

[tiqa]

Originally Posted by skycheattraffic 
 

it's just one of the perks of EBF: much less poop to deal with

Not to be the voice of contention, but my breastfed baby poops about 5-6 times a day (she's about 6 weeks now). My other BF baby was the same. My baby who had to be FF went once a day to once every other day. So I'm sorry, but on this one, I'm not sure I feel the BF-love - certainly not in our experience is an EBF baby less poopy. OTOH the poops are much less stinky than formula ones... so that's a plus. ;)

[skycheattraffic]

Sorry Tiqa, I should have said "one of the possible perks" . I know not everyone lucks out but I'll certainly clean 5 EBF poops over one formula poo if given the chance. We had to supplement a little in the early weeks and when my pumped milk wasn't enough, I certainly tried to "have to pee" when DD needed a change so DH would get his fair share of formula poop

[htcmom]

It depends on the child not the milk. I have had 4 babies that pooped with every feeding and 2 babies that pooped about every 4-5 days. Same momma same breast milk different poopers. All EBF.

[Devaskyla]

Guess no one else has read these blog articles about how breastfed babies not pooping regularly may be *common*, but it isn't normal.

http://holisticibclc.blogspot.com/2011/06/gut-microbes-and-poop.html

http://dou-la-la.blogspot.ca/2012/08/our-babies-our-guts-or-what-napoleon.html

[momma2alauna]

Originally Posted by Devaskyla 

Guess no one else has read these blog articles about how breastfed babies not pooping regularly may be *common*, but it isn't normal.
http://holisticibclc.blogspot.com/2011/06/gut-microbes-and-poop.html
http://dou-la-la.blogspot.ca/2012/08/our-babies-our-guts-or-what-napoleon.html

Those are very interesting articles. I am almost positive that my daughter is allergic to something because she has been congested and full of mucous since week 1. I'm currently eliminating dairy from my diet, but have only been doing it for a few days now. She also has very strong smelling gas, which has concerned me a little. I wonder if I should do a full elimination diet, so that I can get to the bottom of this quicker. I hate the idea of her gut being out of sync.