5 weeks old, breastfeeding and stools...HELP PLEASE!?

Question

I start breastfeeding my baby since last Thursday. I had some problems before. I was expressing milk and giving her on bottles she will take 3 oz. and she used to have 10 -11 dirty and wet diapers in total ( Some days more). Now she is having 5 dirty diapers and maybe 3 wet diapers and the quantity is small. Is she not getting enough milk??? My husband is upset with me b/c she wants to see big dirty diapers !!! He thinks that the baby is not eating enough....Is this normal???thanks

Answer 1

My doc said most breastfed babies will see a decrease in dirty diapers around 6-10 weeks. She said they can go 1-3 days without one. If your husband is worried have him call your childs doctor.  

Answer 2

Its perfectly normal, my little one also has lots of "small" dirty diapers. She is still little and when brestfeeding they stop suckling when they are full. So she is getting enough, just make sure youre feeding her on demand i.e. whenever she's hungry. Some babies feed as often as 2 hourly.

And tell your husband he should try breastfeeding if he's so worried she isn't getting enough.

Answer 3

Be patient, and drink lots of water. Remember you just started so your babies stool is going to change. If you are still having problems contact the lactation nurse at your local hospital. Your baby will let you know when she is hungry so don't worry. In between feedings use a breast pump. Everything will work out stay positive

Answer 4

Only 3 wet diapers a day is less than you should probably be seeing at this age.  Is the urine dark yellow?  Are the 5 dirty diapers maybe also wet?

I'd recommend that you call the baby's doctor tomorrow and ask to bring her in for a weight check. Between now and the appointment write down the number of dirty and wet diapers so that you can share that information with the doctor. Nothing to panic about but if there is somehow a problem it's good to know about it right away so you can start fixing it.

You also might want to feed your daughter straight from the breast if you can.  If she is starting to need more milk, nursing will help you to increase your supply to the level that she needs.  Definitely don't restrict her to any certain # of ounces (it doesn't sound like you're doing that anyway).

Runny stools are normal--like maybe the consistency of yogurt.  Watery stools that leave a ring might be diarrhea. If it is diarrhea, it's very important to make sure that she is getting enough fluids to stay hydrated.  Check her soft spot on the forehead.  If it's sunken, definitely call the doctor and try to get her to take as much breastmilk as she'll drink.

Answer 5

A child should have 6-8 wet diapers - is there urine in her poopy diapers? If so they she is having enough wet diapers - if there is no urine in there then there could be a problem. It is normal for infants stool pattern to change around 4-6 weeks of age. This is because colostrum is still in breast milk until this time and colostrum has a natural laxative in it so this causes an infant to stool frequently. So around 4-6 weeks of age an infants stool can decrease. Some breast feed infants can go weeks without having a stool. This is because the majority of breast milk is used up inside the body and it is made out of 87% water.

The best way to know is make a doctors appt for her to get her weight checked. How often is she nursing and for how long. Nursing infant have to use a lot of mouth muscles to nurse compared to drinking from a nipple so it might take her a couple of days to increase the strength of her jaw so she can actively nurse for 20-30 minutes.

Yes breast feeding stools are watery - normal and will stay that way until some other kind of food is introduced into ther system.

Answer 6

"Some breastfed babies, after the first three to four weeks of life, may suddenly change their stool pattern from many each day, to one every three days or even less. Some babies have gone as long as 15 days or more without a bowel movement. As long as the baby is otherwise well, and the stool is the usual pasty or soft, yellow movement, this is not constipation and is of no concern. No treatment is necessary or desirable, because no treatment is necessary or desirable for something that is normal."

http://www.kellymom.com/newman/04enough_...

Answer 7

Breast milk is digested very well so as time goes by it will even be normal for her to not p**p some days. As long as she is having around 6 wet diapers a day and gaining weight she is fine. Dirty diapers that are wet as well count.

http://www.kellymom.com/newman/04enough_...

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/bf-...

Yes they should be watery until you start solid foods.