Breastfeeding And Baby’s Bowels?? Please Help?
2009 October 10
My baby is 4 weeks old and is exclusively breastfeed. She has loose bowels (looks like diarrhea, sorry!) and as usual, older people give you advise when you have a baby. My grandmother says it’s not normal for her bowels to be that way and that they should be more pasty like, but my grandmother breastfeed over 50 years ago!!! My baby’s Dr. says it’s perfectly normal with breastfeed babies.
I was just wondering if any other moms who are also exclusively breastfeeding have noticed this same thing in their baby? Is this really normal? In addition, my baby also passes gas and slightly poops with each gas….. (sorry again!) is this normal? Dr. says it is.
Thank you all.
Serious answers please!!
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Oh yes, very normal. My son is 11 weeks old and strictly breastfed. His poops are starting to get more pasty now. My son at first pooped with every feeding and often with a fart too. Now he is a little older and poops once a day, and still gets wet farts soemtimes. No big deal. I personally wouldnt’ confide in your grandmother because she sounds like someone who will make you doubt yourself, not calm your worries and tell you that things are good (new mothers need that pat on the back and the ‘its all good’) not people causign you to worry
yeah, my baby did this until i introduced solids. they describe diahrea (sp) as when all of the bowel movement is absorbed by the diaper and you just see a ring around the diaper.
it’s been a while since my children were newborn but it all sounds very normal,your doctor is correct.
of course,everyone in the family and friends are going to tell you to do it like this and that,blah,blah,etc.but just smile and say thank you to their advice.some of it you take and what you don’t want you leave.everyone has their own way of doing things,if you find some advice useful,then by all means take it.they mean well,and when we’re new moms we don’t know what’s right or wrong but we learn.enjoy your baby,congrats!!
Why are you doubting your Dr? It’s good to question, I’m not trying to discourage that, but I was just curious if there is a reason you’ve found to discount what s/he’s said to you about it being normal.
It’s perfectly normal for babies to have loose bowels as you’ve called it, very runny, yellowy poo was what my daughter had until she started solids if I remember correctly. Gas is also perfectly normal, as her digestive tract is start working out the kinks, so as long as she’s not is a lot of pain, missing out on sleep, etc than she’s fine without taking anything for it.
Yes it’s normal. I used to put an old bath towel on my lap for those diaper “explosions.”
It is perfectly normal. When I breastfed both of my children, their BMs looked very runny and yellow. Trust your baby’s pediatrician. Everyone wants to give advice, but half the time they’re way off base. Just trust the experts and your instincts. You’ll do fine.
My daughter is 3 weeks old now and I went throught the same worry…..But at her 2 week check up her doctor said it’s completley normal and that even if it was a case of the runs there is no better thing to give her than breast milk he said breast milk is natures pedialight so unless it’s paired with fever or inconsolable crying I wouldn’t worry about it. But then again nobody can tell you better than your pediatrician. So if your still worried you should call
P.S. Congrats on the new baby
loose bowels are normal for breastfeeding babies. it’s usually runny, yellowish and looks like it has little seeds in it. since it’s so thin it does come out when they pass gas. my son somehow missed me when i was changing his diaper and he splattered a little bit onto my sister’s jeans. gross but sooooo funny! it doesnt sound like you have anything to worry about.
listen to your doctor, but if your still concerned get a second opinion. that is always best if in doubt. i never brestfeed any of my 3 but i don’t think a baby should have this happen when passing gas. and if it is diarrhea you need to take her soon because she can dehydrate. even though your grandmother did this many years ago she still remembers well. trust her judgement.wisdom comes with age and experience. and get a second opinion. good luck and best wishes
absolutely normal. my son’s poop didn’t start hardening up until i introduced solids. as for the gas, i used to do a baby yoga move that worked incredibly well. you lay her on her back, bend her knees to her chest and roll her knees in a circular motion. another one was soft and slow ‘bicycle kicks’ it’ll help her get most of the air out of her. my son passed gas alot too… even while he ate. his manners are much better now, though.
Yes, most babies who are strictly breast fed have loose stools. However, they are just loose. If you notice anything green or stringy like grass – it could be that you have an over supply – this happend to me actually. I was making so much milk that the baby was only getting my fore milk (the clear watery milk) and the hind milk ( think creamier milk) she wasn’t getting much. This tend to make babies very gassy and uncomfortable – but if your baby is happy and eating normally don’t worry about the poops. Trust me once they start eating food it will solidify a little – there are a lot of great websites that offer support and answer questions – but if you really want to have a sit down question and answer session make an appointment with a lactation consultant- they are worth every penny! Let me stop now….good luck, and congrats you’re doing a great thing by giving your baby breast milk!!! this site will be very helpful too http://www.ilca.org