For those of you who hated me talking about vomit while I was pregnant, you might want to skip this post. It’s about poop.
My baby, exclusively breast fed (which I say with great pride, although I feel guilty when I say it. I know plenty of women who tried desperately to breast feed and did everything right and it just didn’t work out. There before the grace of the mammary gods go I.), used to poop at least once, sometimes twice at every feeding. Once her digestive system began to mature she moved to a once a day kind of poopy girl. Then, every other day. Every other day caused me some stress because I never knew when that poop was coming and it wasn’t really a poop it was more like a LAKE of poop. I didn’t want to dress her in one of her super cute outfits if I knew the poop was coming. You know what I mean? Although I’ve been VERY successful in getting poop out of clothes. (My secret: rinse out RIGHT away and then spray with Zout. Wash whenever.)
So now it’s been like THREE days. NO POOP. Plenty of pee and absolutely disgusting farts (what am I eating?!?! I don’t fart like that!) and I’m on edge every time I hear some rumblings down there. Just poop already baby girl! Mommy can’t take the stress! (I know that it’s perfectly normal for breast fed babies to go awhile without poop. She’s peeing fine and is in her usual great mood, so I’m not worried about her health. Just that I’m going to drown in all the poop when it finally comes.)
I know the poop’s coming though because today I have to take her into the dr for some shots and you just know that she’ll poop all over the doctor’s office. For sure.
I bought a new pump too and I’ve been trying to pump because Meli’s daddy and I have a VERY special date Thursday night.
There’s so much to talk about – I started yet another new project, but this one’s going to stick. There was too much prep involved for it not to work. And I worked my first job since Meli’s been born and everything was good, sort of, but it’s done and I’m glad to have that under my belt. And we were gone for eight nights and I’ve never been so happy to sleep in my own bed. No matter how many people are sleeping in it.
Missed you all. Be back soon. Pray for poop.
My oh my, do I feel for you….I do remember those days well…Good luck today…
I like how you warn people that the post will be about poop, because it’s a fair assumption that that would discourage some people from reading it. Is it bad that the warning made me want to read your blog MORE??? 🙂
Like Larry the Cable Guy says, ” That shit’s funny, I don’t care who you are”
Oh dear. We’re in the throes of a poop watch, too. Our baby’s pretty young, though, so the first time it happened, the weekend CREPT by. And at the end of it, the baby looked relieved… and like she had been dipped in mustard. Holy poop!
My aunt tried to make me feel better by describing her own poopy sorrows, though- apparently, my cousin went a harrowing 14 days and then turned herself inside out. 😛 I can’t even imagine the volume- Friday to Sunday was ENOUGH.
You can sometimes stimulate it with a slip of a thermometer…the anal kind.
THANK YOU!
I am thanking you for making it known that there are some of us who tried and tried to nurse with no avail. I had to supplement when I was nursing my son because I just didn’t have the production and it was supplement or he starve. I had one lovely LLL woman tell me I just wasn’t trying hard enough, and another that I was just resistant because I planned on going back to work.
Thank goodness I chose a pediatrician with 4 children – she was able to nurse two of hers and had to supplement the other two.
When I had my daughter 2 years later, she couldn’t keep up with my production…so it obviously can be different each child.
Been there, done that. The good thing is that the doctor’s office is used to poop. Of course, that just means that she’ll poop on the drive to the office. At least, that’s what my son would do.
Good luck!
Oh my, I remember the poop of my friend’s baby when she left me in charge, he’d saved it up for days, we went through about 5 outfits. I remind him of it every time I see him, he’s now 19, I’m kind like that 🙂
But the Boss – wooooooohooooooo! I am soooo envious!
I had to giggle a bit, because I went through something very similar with my second. Both kids were exclusively breastfed, but baby #2 apparently processed it so well that she only pooped once/week until she started solids at seven months. I was worried at first – and horrified with the ‘lakes’ – but it certainly made cloth diapering a bit easier!
Ah, this brings back memories. My son (now 4) did not poop for THIRTEEN days once when he was about 2-3 months old. We got so worried after 8 days that we took him to the doctor, but he said it’s normal and happens occasionally.
And when the poop finally did come, we were *on a freaking sailboat*!
My son only pooped about once a week when he was a baby. Someone before me mentioned stimulating with a thermometer and that does work. Also, dark Karo syrup works as well. Does Meli ever take breast milk in a bottle? If so, you can add about a teaspoon of Karo syrup and, for whatever reason, that helps the poop right out. (That was a suggestion from our pediatrician.)
I read that breastfed babies don’t actually poop in the conventional sense, it’s just bile and some protein granules… it’s still a big mess when it gets backed up though. A tummy rub sometimes helps when it’s been a while for L, it makes her very giggly too.
Just wait until she starts solid food…not fun.
My baby’s poopsplosions seemed to happen when I dropped him off in the kids’ room at the gym. Once they came to find me because they thought he was ill. They called it diarrhea. I call it normal poop for a breastfed baby! So glad he’s on to solids now.
e will go days with out pooping. the longest stretch was five days and the poo was everywhere. He’s done that a few times. I can’t stand it and tell him to wait until papa comes home. We call it poops for papas!
We always had the most tremendous output from our little dears right before photos with Santa or visits from Grandma… never failed!! 😉
One of my bf babies went about 10 days and I was scared! I new what sort of mess was coming.
Good luck when it all comes out! 🙂
I was also going to recommend the old thermometer.
Luckily my guy is a great little pooper. I tend to worry if it has been more than a day because he is normally a meal in, meal out type of baby.
While solid poo is quite stinky, it is definitely easier to clean up compare to breastmilk poo.
When Z was about the same age we went a week at a time without any expulsion. And then once the solids started, she started to get more predictable again. But I know completely what you mean about not wanting her to wear special clothes when she has a “special delivery” coming.
Another thing that works great for getting rid of poop stains — OxyClean. John and I would keep a bucket with a solution of the stuff in her bathroom and dump stained things into it (after washing any matter away). After a good soak, we never had any clothes that ended up permanently stained.
Oh yes, I remember the days of waiting for poop! J had gone a few days without anything, and we were going out to ta wedding. Our dear friend S was watching him for a few hours for us, and we gave her a jar of baby prunes – told her to give hima few spoonfuls (he was eating food at this point). She gave him the WHOLE JAR. We paid for that night out for the next two days!
And I’m glad you could breastfeed Meli – I tried, and tried, and my doctor finally told me to stop worrying about it. Formula fed babies grow up healthy, too. And he is healthy. A tall, happy, healthy 9 year old that is my absolute joy.
Ah, poop. Makes me remember that it is almost time to back to work. I teach pre-k. Poop always comes about at some point at the beginning of the year. 🙂
My first son would only poop once a week (Wednesdays) at the breatfeeding support group. Then, he would poop for 10 minutes. He did this for about, oh, 6-8 weeks, and it became the running joke of the group. I attended three days a week, but it was only on Wednesday that he would poop.
Made for excellent conversation and laughs, as, inevitably, I had to borrow wipes, and sometimes diapers. And, a good teaching point for all the new moms in the group, who looked on somewhat horrified…
Congrats again on such a lovely little one!
LOL – that reminds me of the time when my 5 month old daughter (also exclusively BF – and I know what you mean about feeling proud & guilty about saying so) went 5 days without pooping. Then we took a 3-hour flight. I don’t know if it was just her time or if the air pressure did it but that’s when it finally happened. Poor daddy was on diaper duty (phew!) which is always interesting in those tiny bathrooms!
Good luck when it finally arrives!
Right there with you! At around 4 months the boy settled into an unbreakable routine. He pooped on Fridays. And only on Fridays.
After a while it got convenient. I didn’t carry nearly as many diapers around as my friends did!
Oh my! Isn’t it fun! My daughter went through the same thing. We ended up giving her a few sips of prune juice and it worked perfectly! We dealt with her extended periods of not pooping for about a month and the prune juice worked everytime. Within about 2 hours she would poop. We learned not to wait 3 days before giving it to her though, otherwise a diaper change meant a bath….for everyone!
best poopy post i’ve read all… year? hope she goes soon to relieve your mind.
A good friend’s son babysat for us recently. My little guy (2 yrs) had an explosion. The mom called me to tell me how her son came home and went on and on about how could so much poop come out of so little a kid. I think all future diaper changes will be compared to “the poop that drowned Lake Bluff”
My little guy did the same thing at that age. He pooped, on average, twice a week. Now, every morning, like clockwork. Too bad his nap schedule isn’t that consistent.
Enjoy.
I wish I had your problem! My 6-wk-old is still at the dozen-poops-a-day stage.
Oh, Do tell! Was the poop blast on the way to, at, or from the Doc’s office? I always figured that if baby was smiley and sleeping OK, the poop issues would take care of themselves. I had no intention of turning into Sybil’s mother, if you know what I mean.
Oh, Do tell! Was the poop blast on the way to, at, or from the Doc’s office? I always figured that if baby was smiley and sleeping OK, the poop issues would take care of themselves. I had no intention of turning into Sybil’s mother, if you know what I mean.
Oh, Do tell! Was the poop blast on the way to, at, or from the Doc’s office? I always figured that if baby was smiley and sleeping OK, the poop issues would take care of themselves. I had no intention of turning into Sybil’s mother, if you know what I mean.
Ah, yes. Poop watch. We’ve just about given up now; Raley just goes when she goes every few days (outfits be damned!). But there is the thermometer, Karo syrup, or Senekot (call your doctor first)… none of which have really worked for us. But what works every time (if there’s reason to think there might be a problem) is a glycerin suppository – our dr. was having us use them every 4-5 days when she was younger, now not so much. And that way you can gather all of the supplies you need, and have a bath ready to plop her into!
Glad you’re doing well (aside from the poop!), and have fun on your DATE! (Who’s babysitting?)
I pray for you for poop. Not the explosive poop of death that you anticipate, but a nice – or at least not too awful – poop. Godspeed.
Ah, I remember those days. I guess I’d best not tell you any poop stories if I want to see the sun come up tomorrow, but I do wish you all the best.
Boy do I ever remember those days! Maybe if you ate 1 or 2 prunes it would help? Don’t eat too many or you’ll end up with massive poop again!
Good Luck!!
Don’t have time to read all the comments, but my exclusively breastfed girl used to poop once a week, max! It freaked people out, esp. me. But then I realized it was normal (on the slow side of normal, but still normal) and I was able to relax more. It took a while to get on a regular schedule though when she was itty bitty. Hope yours works herself out, too! Good luck.
LOL! Babies are too funny…..my daughter went 14 days once without pooping. For about 4 months she went every 10 days…..it totally weirded me out, but the doctor said it was totally normal.
My son started skipping days around 4 months, eventually going for a 12 day stretch. I cut out gluten (already no dairy), and after a month of that, he seems to be back on an almost everyday schedule. My daughter was always an infrequent pooper too, and it wasn’t much of a problem while she was ebf, but there were times later when she was uncomfortable, so I wanted to try some things now when it’s easier.
Our pedi suggested a q-tip (with vaseline) instead of a thermometer. Never worked for us, but I doubt I stuck it in very far.
Too funny… I can totally relate! Our little girls ended up being much closer in age than I’d expected as I followed your posts this past years, as my wee one decided to make an early appearance. I had been VERY set on BFing, and would hear no cautions that it might not work out. Well, we tried and tried, and after weighing our options (stay in the NICU in the city and keep trying BF while supplementing with tube feeds, vs, use a bottle and go home sooner), I pumped for her for the first 3
months, and supplemented with formula. ANYWAYS… I’m rambling on to get to my point, which is that when she was getting breastmilk, Avery would poop about every 3 days. And it was WICKED!! Once she got big enough to fit her cloth diapers it was better, cuz they’ve never leaked like her disposables did, but hooooo boy, I never expected to deal with poop like that!!
Good luck, our fingers are crossed for you to receive a nice full diaper SOON…
There really is no ungraphic way to talk about this, is there? Here goes: My son is a reluctant diaper pooper (I mean, he doesn’t like pooping *in* his diaper), which can often cause him to get constipated. I’ve had best luck with first stimulating his butt with a warm, wet washcloth, then rubbing his tummy in firm, clockwise circles. I try to catch him when the farting frequency reaches a bit of a crescendo, and usually can get him to go within 10 minutes… and I am — to my proud mortification — the only one who can successfully do so. I have no idea if this will work for your daughter, but I thought I’d share my mommy experience….
Have fun with/at Bruce! How exciting!!
For big poop blasts, if you use disposable diapers, put on a diaper that is one size larger than usual and just make it tight around her waist. Sometimes that helps catch the excess and prevent leakage. (not all the time though!) Good luck!!
Been there, done that – there’s that feeling that you’re carrying round an unexploded bomb – I remember it well!
my little one didn’t poo for about 12 days and I got some glycerine supposotries from the doctor. I know it sounds drastic, but it worked within minutes. She must’ve got backed up some how. It is common, many friends have had similar experiences between 2-4 months. I wouldn’t worry, as long as she’s feeding, sleeping and behaving as you’d expect, she’s fine.
Holy poop there’s a lot of poop in the comments!
Like many thing about life with babies, there is no control.
Poop happens…
You’re going to see Bruuuuucccceee! sigh. He was my first concert (River album). Imagine. No other concert compares, except the other Springsteen concerts I lucked into.
And the poop? I love your confident mommy voice. You’ve got it under control (well, as much as the little one will allow). 😉
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Thank you for acknowledging mothers who oh so badly want to breast feed and try absolutely everything and it just doesn’t work. Thank you!
I will pray for poop on your behalf.
I have to say, I have never said that exact sequence of words before….
With my first, she never stopped pooping.
with the twins, they stopped pooping when the doctor said they ‘might’ slow down. they went from 2 or 3 times a day to every 8 or 10 days. Dr said it wasn’t a problem, as long as they were passing gas (they were–pee-u!) and peeing (boy were they) Amazingly, they usually pooped within hours of eachother. Usually on mondays. We didn’t go too far from the house on mondays. Poop, you know.
Just be prepared with lots of wipes, and a fresh outfit for both of you!
isn’t motherhood fun?
Oh, I remember the days of watching for that twice a week poop. Put an extra change of clothes in the diaper bag. Just add an extra set to what you’ve already got in there. ‘Cause when it comes, it’s going to be serious!!
Our babies were both breastfed, and I remember them going longer periods between poops once they started solids at 5 months. What helped our oldest when he was backed up was the Exersaucer. We’d put him in it and within minutes he’d stop spinning and bouncing, his face would get red, and the deed would be done. We even came up with a rhyme about it … which I won’t share.
All 3 of my kids, also breast-fed, went through a phase from about 2-5 months where they would go a really long time with no poop – over a week! – and then just, well. You can imagine. They were totally healthy and outgrew it. Now I’m potty-trining the youngest and REALLY looking forward to knowing way less about the poop. Try not to stress!
I am laughing so much!! I found my personal cure to those “explosions”: cloth diapers, but not just any, the kissaluv newborn size. I never had a disposable hold much of anything & changed baby so many times, I thought that’s how it was supposed to be. After I got these (they snap & you just throw them in the wash/dryer..super easy)I have not had that lake of goo escape except on occasion just on the cover (bummis snap covers).
Enjoying your updates…it’s wonderful to hear your perspective!
Blessings,
Mrs.C.
14 days was the longest between poops for my eldest breast fed baby – and yes, it was huge mess when it came. She was in the Baby Bjorn, and we were in the supermarket, and I felt it drip on my foot! we called it the poonami.
I have some grownup friends with no digestive trouble who poop once a week or less.
We tell patients that little ones who are breastfed may poop 12x a day, or every 12 days; anything in between is normal.
As many above stated, going a week (or more!) is not uncommon in exclusively BF’d babies. My eldest never pooped every feeding and by the time he was Meli’s age he was down to every 7-10 days. And while there would be copious amounts, the consistency was such that as long as you got it first thing, there was rarely a leak. More like THICK toothpaste. I would just up his diaper size for the days around an expected BM and no issues.
Good luck and I hope the poop comes SOON! I will say though that there were times when he was older when I thought I could go away to the mall, shopping without the diaper bag because we weren’t going to be gone too long for a wet diaper and every time he would have an unscheduled poop- meaning I had to buy a new pack of diapers, wipes, and sometimes an outfit. Good thing I was at the stores. 😉
Have fun at the concert.
I’ve heard that bicycling their legs around in (I think) a clockwise motion helps. Although that could be counter-clockwise. Hmm, the other way is supposed to stop them up. Better check first…
Just another vote for unfrequent stool being very common in breastfed babies of that age. Mine went a week easily without, sometimes more. As long as the passing of the stool is painless, and she nurses plenty, no worries!
Well, my baby only went a week without pooping. I’m willing to bet that Meli pooped at the doc’s. My baby seems to poop if I put her in a cute outfit, if I’m late for something, or if she’s going to the doctor’s. Yellow watery baby poop was definitely not that bad. It’s hard to contain sometimes, but once they are on solid food, the poop really stinks! And mine is definitely a farter – sometimes crazy loud and smelly.
We had the same experience and nurses telling us that breast-fed babies can’t get constipated. I asked them if he had pooped when we weren’t looking and elves cleaned it up? I vote for Grandma’s lap.
My breast-fed son would fill his diaper ONCE every 4-5 days. Since birth. We didn’t realize this was freaky until someone gave us a sheet where we were supposed to mark down how many bowel movements he had per day. PER DAY? We were totally confused – and then for a day or two totally worried that he was a freak of nature. Then we relaxed – when he had to go, he went. When he didn’t, he didn’t.
After all you’ve been through so far in this life, you really and truly do know that honestly – the shit always & eventually comes your way in the end – right? ;>
GOOD LUCK!!!
I’m sending Good-Not-Too-Messy-Poopy Vibes Meli’s way! Hope the shots weren’t too painful for you guys and that the poop stays inside the diaper…
fingers crossed, ek. :o)
Oh, this brings back memories. The longest we went at our house was about 9 days. Good lord, was there an explosion. I didn’t worry too much about it, except for the mess. Breast fed babies just sometimes don’t poop much. But for me, it just took a trip to the LYS with the baby to bring on monster poops. Seriously…every time I took my kids to the yarn store…it was like their little colons knew.
Prune juice works wonders for babies not pooping….watch out!
Prune juice works wonders for babies not pooping….watch out!
You know, Cara…you were talking a week or three ago about how the blogiverse is changing…I’ve been thinking about that ever since. I realized in the past two or three months that I have actually been EXPLORING the blogiverse and finding new sites…mostly by following the links on my saved sites…but also just by goggling. It is amazing the works that are out there…enough to boggle the mind. So I haven’t been paying strict attention to my saved sites other than to use them to explore.
But then I see the wonderful reassuring comradery of the comments (to a poopless post no less!) and I see the profound value of the blogiverse…hang in there kiddo…we love reading your exploits!
Oh how I remember those days! My oldest once went 13 days!!! He’s 18 now, and I have no idea how often he poops, lol.
If she stains something with her glorious breastfed poop, then wash it as usual, and lay the wet, washed item in the bright sunshine. There’s something magical about it, but you can almost watch the stain disappear.
I breast fed each child exclusively for one year, then breast milk in addition to regular ordinary people food for an additional year to year and a half, then weaning at about 2.5 years. My three kids are very healthy! (So am I.)
Happy baby days! Oh, how I envy you!
Cheers!
Rosemary in Colorado
Now, I can’t verify this to be sure…but I believe my daughter holds the record for “days without pooping that still qualifies as NOT a medical emergency”.
NINE DAYS.
I was in a panic. We talked about poop so much, fretted over the lack of it, compared every other baby we knew, conferred with no less than three doctors….
And on the 10th day, she went. And it wasn’t even the lake you would expect.
After much discussion, it was determined (by professionals) that babies who are exclusively breastfed (and you must be absolutely certain they are not getting any other food) can completely digest breastmilk, to the point where they do not have anything to evacuate.
If there is any other food involved, 5 days is the maximum without intervention! (Lest anybody think our situation was ‘normal’, I’m providing that disclaimer!)
And truly, even on the morning of day 10, that babe was in absolutely no distress. No crying, drawing up the legs, bad gas,nothing. She was utterly content.
I, on the other hand, was a mess. Surely she must have an obstruction? That disease where they are in pain, but do not feel it (I don’t know what that’s called)? No.
She’s going to torture me when she’s a teenager, I just know it!
That was at 12 weeks old!
So, good luck, Cara. Bring extra clothes when you go out…and know that eventually she will ‘do’ what she needs to “do”!
Marissa
That is the best post! Pray for Poop. That was my favorite part. 🙂 I totally understand though and remember that exact feeling. Good luck with the poo and may it not happen at the doctor office.
Hi – First time ever reading your blog! I was directed here from Yarn Harlot.
Anyway, both my babies were clogged up from the minute they were born. At about 3 months I started giving a little apple juice diluted with water – probably about 1 part juice to 2 parts water. And it worked like a charm. With my son, I had to use prune juice on many occasions. Even now, at 3 and 1, they both get backed up if they don’t get 3 or 4 ounces of apple juice a day. I am an organic fanatic, but never give your kids anything that hasn’t been pasturized.
I don’t want to be a buzzkill, but you should never, under any circumstances give a baby Karo syrup or any other sugar that had not been pasturized. It can cause botulism poisoning just as honey can. I had a nurse tell me to give my baby this once, and I was shocked that anyone in the medical community would still advise it.
The American Academy of Pediatrics warns that due to the potential risk of botulinum contamination babies should also not be given corn syrup that has not been pasteurized(sterilized) or declared “botulism spore free”.
Anway, I look forward to adding your blog to my list!
a midwife told me not to worry until it has been TEN DAYS! TEN DAYS!
i certainly hope you and Meli don’t have to wait that long!
I NEED to know – has there been poop?
You bring back memories of taking my daughter to my sister’s house for lunch with three changes of outfit to be on the safe side – but, boy when the floodgates opened…and again….and again. Then again… she came home swathed in towels like a little Gandhi. Happy days.
I love the title of this post! I hope all goes well for little Meli. I really enjoy reading your stories and hearing how all three of you are growing together as a family. Your love shines through in every word you write. Take care.