3.5 week old, No poo for 4 days...remind me again...

**Faithful Mumma** · April 2nd, 2011, 12:37 PM

My beautiful little DD baby is 3.5 weeks old.

We were expressing and doing EBM with two bottles of formula per 24 hours (my supply couldn't keep up with the expressing) up until Sunday....from Monday she has been feeding off me

(after overcoming a Posterior Tongue Tie, High Palate & Mastitis!!

), and as my supply has increased she went to one bottle of formula in 24hours, to NONE AT ALL now

.

I thought she was starting to get a bit blocked up when I was still expressing, and wondered if it was the formula, but she went to the Osteo on Monday, and whatever he did made her do the BIGGEST POO you have ever seen, and she did the same again on Tuesday (which had some chunky bits in it)...but she hasn't pooed since, so thats 4 days today.

I think (If I remember correctly from my older dd and my ds) that breastfed babies can go up to 10 days without pooing??? But I am just a bit concerned because she has had formula in her system up till 24 hours ago, that this is what is causing her not to poo??

Thoughts??? She is farting like a trooper and has LOADS of wet nappies.
She doesn't seem uncomfortable, but her tummy is really hard and tight.

Is there anything I can do? I have tried some gentle downward massage on her lower belly (my gp showed me how to do this with my first dd).

Thanks in advance!

**Faithful Mumma** · April 2nd, 2011, 01:59 PM

bump

**onthefly** · April 2nd, 2011, 02:17 PM

Hi!
Lots of wet nappies is good. Usually, in the first 2 months or so, we would expect poo every day (often several times a day) for a fully breastfed baby. Once they get older they can go weeks without pooing as their digestive systems get more efficient.
There are always exceptions though, so it is best to look at the whole picture. Ie, number of wet nappies, weight gains, settledness, alertness, etc...
The best thing you can do right now is feed, feed, feed

REmember you can always call the ABA for these sorts of questions if you need a quick reply - 1800-686-2-686

**crumpet** · April 2nd, 2011, 02:19 PM

my DD is formula fed BUT at mothers group the other day they were talking about BF bubs and pooh and i did hear something about it being normal for a BF bub to not poop for 7-10days....

HTH..

**Beach Mama** · April 2nd, 2011, 02:19 PM

If she is farting and wee'ing I would just give it time - does she seem in any pain with the firm tummy? Massaging is really good, and a warm bath might help things get moving. My DS once went 12 days and I was told 14 was normal in b'fed babies although he was a bit older and hadn't had any formula. If you are concerned can you call your MCHN or the ABA and see what they say?? Now that she is only having breastfeeds I would think she will go again soon. xoxox

**Sagres** · April 2nd, 2011, 02:20 PM

Thats a tough one to answer because of the formula and BM that would be in her system. But yes, a fully BF baby can go heaps longer without a poop. If she seems comfortable and farting OK I would tend to think things were OK?

**Amity** · April 2nd, 2011, 02:22 PM

My fully BF bub (although with some formula top ups) went for 21 days without a poo.

Yes you read it right. Twenty-one.

I ended up washing the baby, the cot, the sheets, the walls, and the curtains.... of course it was 4am as well!

Try not to stress to much. The MCHN and dr will only get concerned after 3 weeks. Well that was what I was told...

**Faithful Mumma** · April 2nd, 2011, 02:36 PM

Lol Divvy! Haha, thats funny! I remember having to carry the car seat in once and literally pour the poo down the toilet once with my DD1!

Think I will wait it out a few days. It wouldn't worry me so much if she was a bit older, and hadn't had the formula.
She did seem a bit uncomfortable before, but after some mega big farts, that are sooo smelly

she was okay again.
Have been feeding lots today to see if that helps.

Thanks so much again!

**Beach Mama** · April 2nd, 2011, 02:56 PM

Farts are a good sign!!!! Div that is hilarious! I have to say I was prepared for a mega pooplosion after 12 days and nup - just a normal average baby sized poop and he followed it up with another 10 days of no poop, which was then also average! Just goes to show how efficient their bodies are at taking the nutrients from the breastmilk!

**luna moth** · April 2nd, 2011, 08:53 PM

Wow, Divs, I thought my little girl did well to hang on for 15 days! Hers have never been hard to clean up though. They got closer together as she got older, and now it's a very regular every 3 days at about 6pm!

Good thinking to keep an eye on it with the FF though.

**Faithful Mumma** · April 2nd, 2011, 10:26 PM

I have been reading up on it, and sometimes in young breastfed babies, it is a sign that they are not getting enough breastmilk...I am wondering if I have been taking her off the breast too early?? I am not used to such a slow feeder....hmmm...something for me to think about..
I also think my supply is still increasing as well, on the last feed before bed tonight, she got a second let down for the first time during the one feed, so maybe it hasn't been quite enough for her yet until now?
Guess I will just keep trying to feed lots, and leave her on the breast longer as well.

**UsPlus2** · April 2nd, 2011, 10:36 PM

Don't have any different advice to add, Just a huge Congrats on over coming your difficult start to breastfreeding and yay for getting her back to Just you, great job

that cant have been as easy.

**Faithful Mumma** · April 2nd, 2011, 10:46 PM

Thanks so much Us Plus2, what a lovely post!

, it's so nice to be able to relax now and just enjoy my beautiful bubba without all that extra pressure! For a little while there I thought it wasn't going to be possible to breastfeed at all, which was a shock since this is my third baby, and the other two were easy to BF...but we are finally there.....and it is SO worth it!

**Fleur** · April 2nd, 2011, 11:55 PM

Big congrats on getting to exclusively BF

Pie used to go up to 10-12 days between poos. We did worry because we had ehard it was usual for older babies, not young babies (this was between 1 - 8 weeks I guess?). But as with Audax's bub, as she got older she got more regular. She did get uncomfortable in the day or two before a poo, and I used to do a little bit of tummy massage as well. Plenty of wet nappies is good, and as long as the poo isn't hard & dry & pellety, then it's probably normal.

**Tuesday's Child** · April 3rd, 2011, 01:13 AM

If her farts have been smelly, poop might not be too far away. That's what I found with DD anyway. Then again I'm not sure if formula would cause smellier (is that a word?) wind than BM. If she seems well, that's a good sign.