Well today started with a tear filled morning.
Let me rewind...
Friday July 1st
Ian and I were walking around Wal-Mart and Haley has a diaper blow-out. Baby poopies galore. So I went to the bathroom, and changed her diaper, and on with life we went.
The next day I noticed she had not had a bm (that's short for "bowl movement", that's what us 'sophisticated' parents use when talking about poop). She continued to be without poo the next day, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day........
By July 7th I had called the doctor and discussed with the RN my concerns. After all, I've never had a child before so what do I know. All I knew is my baby is pooping like it was going out of style then all of a sudden she wasn't. They advised me to begin pumping and adding Kero syrup and begin stimulating her rectum to help her push out the poo...and even use a glycerin suppository is she still had not gone.
Like a good mommy I followed directions..sometime that weekend she had a bm with the assistance of a glycerin suppository. Then the next few days, still no more poo. So I am thinking she is still having issues with constipation. We take her to the doctor and he advised we begin giving her a laxative in addition to the Kero syrup and other methods we discussed.
Last night marked another full week without a bm so I went ahead and administered a glycerin suppository because I am picturing weeks of poo backing up her system until she literally explodes into a poopy mist. I waited...and waited...and waited...but nothing. That's odd and concerning. I went to bed thinking I would wake up to a full diaper later in the night. Woke up this morning. Still nothing.
So I decided to call ask-a-nurse because it is weekend hours and I wanted a second opinion on the matter.
So I called and gave my whole run-down about everything that was going on...
This is what I found out...
Constipation is not defined by the frequency of poo but the consistency.
At around 6-8 weeks, it is common for breastfed babies to goes days even weeks without a bm. This is because their bodies absorb everything. There is no waste to expel..breast milk is simply everything they need. Nothing more, nothing less.
I also discovered that even if she WAS constipated, Kero syrup, laxatives, and suppositories are not at all recommended for treating constipation. WOW.
Now I didn't know what to think. So I did some research to double check what she had told me. This is what I found on many resources including ones like WebMD:
It is normal for the bowel movements of a breastfed to decrease in frequency when the colostrum, which has laxative properties, is completely gone from the mother's milk after about six weeks of age. A baby this age may continue to have bowel movements as frequently as five times a day, sometimes even after every nursing. It is also normal for a breastfed baby older than six weeks to have only one bowel movement every few days. Some healthy babies will have only one bowel movement a week. When bowel movements are less frequent, they should be more profuse in volume. As long as the baby is gaining well, wetting sufficiently, and is happy and content there is no cause to be alarmed by infrequent bowel movements, and it is not necessary to give the baby a laxative, fruit juice, or any other "helpers." In fact, attempting to force bowel movements can have harmful consequences to your baby.
So here is my new game plan. Leave the poor child's digestive track alone. The nurse said that if there is something seriously the matter with her digestive track, we will know. She will be crying for hours without us being able to make it stop. She will be fussy, uncomfortable, and unbearable to deal with. If she seems happy, it is because she is probably just fine.
Sheesh....I am still extremely stressed. But I am putting faith into the fact that my body produces food for my child that is simply perfect for her and her needs. And my gift for all that hard work is few dirty diapers and a smaller waist-line faster(ish).
On another note, Haley's professional pictures should be finished this week! I'm excited to pick those up this week.
Good grief.....this parenting stuff.
Let me rewind...
Friday July 1st
Ian and I were walking around Wal-Mart and Haley has a diaper blow-out. Baby poopies galore. So I went to the bathroom, and changed her diaper, and on with life we went.
The next day I noticed she had not had a bm (that's short for "bowl movement", that's what us 'sophisticated' parents use when talking about poop). She continued to be without poo the next day, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day........
By July 7th I had called the doctor and discussed with the RN my concerns. After all, I've never had a child before so what do I know. All I knew is my baby is pooping like it was going out of style then all of a sudden she wasn't. They advised me to begin pumping and adding Kero syrup and begin stimulating her rectum to help her push out the poo...and even use a glycerin suppository is she still had not gone.
Like a good mommy I followed directions..sometime that weekend she had a bm with the assistance of a glycerin suppository. Then the next few days, still no more poo. So I am thinking she is still having issues with constipation. We take her to the doctor and he advised we begin giving her a laxative in addition to the Kero syrup and other methods we discussed.
Last night marked another full week without a bm so I went ahead and administered a glycerin suppository because I am picturing weeks of poo backing up her system until she literally explodes into a poopy mist. I waited...and waited...and waited...but nothing. That's odd and concerning. I went to bed thinking I would wake up to a full diaper later in the night. Woke up this morning. Still nothing.
So I decided to call ask-a-nurse because it is weekend hours and I wanted a second opinion on the matter.
So I called and gave my whole run-down about everything that was going on...
This is what I found out...
Constipation is not defined by the frequency of poo but the consistency.
At around 6-8 weeks, it is common for breastfed babies to goes days even weeks without a bm. This is because their bodies absorb everything. There is no waste to expel..breast milk is simply everything they need. Nothing more, nothing less.
I also discovered that even if she WAS constipated, Kero syrup, laxatives, and suppositories are not at all recommended for treating constipation. WOW.
Now I didn't know what to think. So I did some research to double check what she had told me. This is what I found on many resources including ones like WebMD:
It is normal for the bowel movements of a breastfed to decrease in frequency when the colostrum, which has laxative properties, is completely gone from the mother's milk after about six weeks of age. A baby this age may continue to have bowel movements as frequently as five times a day, sometimes even after every nursing. It is also normal for a breastfed baby older than six weeks to have only one bowel movement every few days. Some healthy babies will have only one bowel movement a week. When bowel movements are less frequent, they should be more profuse in volume. As long as the baby is gaining well, wetting sufficiently, and is happy and content there is no cause to be alarmed by infrequent bowel movements, and it is not necessary to give the baby a laxative, fruit juice, or any other "helpers." In fact, attempting to force bowel movements can have harmful consequences to your baby.
So here is my new game plan. Leave the poor child's digestive track alone. The nurse said that if there is something seriously the matter with her digestive track, we will know. She will be crying for hours without us being able to make it stop. She will be fussy, uncomfortable, and unbearable to deal with. If she seems happy, it is because she is probably just fine.
Sheesh....I am still extremely stressed. But I am putting faith into the fact that my body produces food for my child that is simply perfect for her and her needs. And my gift for all that hard work is few dirty diapers and a smaller waist-line faster(ish).
On another note, Haley's professional pictures should be finished this week! I'm excited to pick those up this week.
Good grief.....this parenting stuff.
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