Breastfed baby goes for a poo after every feed, normal? Did baby rice help thicken it up?

Question

My 14 week old baby girl goes for a fairly explosive poo after every feed, even sometimes during a feed, is this normal?

She spends a lot of her time straining too, trying to get it out and comes on and off the nipple with all the effort of pushing

It drives me a bit nuts and is also painful, as half the time she is not hungry, just wants the comfort of the nipple while she tries to push the preceding contents through

I am hoping that when I start baby rice in another couple of months, that the poo will thicken up and she won't strain so much endlessly

Did anyone find baby rice thickened up the poo and baby strained less?

Thanks

Answer 1

This is very normal. And breast fed babies usually have frequent stools. That is actually the way we should be too. However, because of our poor diets, our stools become too hard and infequent. We are glad if we have them once a day. It is healthiest to have stools after every meal and your baby is showing you that she is totally healthy!

I don't think that having a stool is painful for her. You are more aware of her having a stool b/c you are holding her. Mine always got a red face and acted like they were straining too. She is probably going to be a great actress. :)  Is she causing you nipple pain? Just take her off the breast using your pinky finger to break the suction, if she starts to pull or hurt you. She will quickly learn that she shouldn't pull.

Breastfed babies love the breast for comfort. That is very natural and normal and there is nothing wrong with that. Enjoy cuddling your baby while she is young. Enjoy this special time you have together- just the two of you.

When you add foods, her stool will become smelly. While the breast feeding stool may be loose and runny, it is not stinky.

So don't rush into adding foods for that reason. She doesn't need anything but breastmilk. She will be healthier because of it too. Relax. Enjoy your baby girl.

She is now at a great age. She can breastfeed very quickly now. Things will be getting easier now. Congratulations! You have made it through the fourth trimester of pregnancy. Sounds like you are doing well. Keep it up!

Answer 2

So so so normal!!!!

My breastfeed 9 1/2 month old baby boy still does 3 or 4 poos a day.

Breastmilk is so natural that babies get their nutrients from it straight away and so the waster gets cleaned out very effeciently.

I would wait until your baby starts to show the usual hungry signs- like watching you eat etc before starting solids. Putting her on rice cereal now is only going to constipate her (all babies get constipated when they initially start solids).

As for the straining part- again so normal! Its only when the poos have no moisture in them- like they seem hard- that you have to worry about the straining. Its just your baby learning how to make her bowels work.

Answer 3

explosive poos are normal....my kids had that too.....soon as you introduce solid foods, the poo will change.

Answer 4

If the baby drinks a lot of milk.

Answer 5

It is normal for a nursing baby to p**p at all time including every feeding. Don't add cereal to early it can and may cause straining and food allergies. I waited til 4-6 months and don't add to the bottle. It only stretches their stomach and they will continue to eat at the same time just more often.

Answer 6

Your babe is still figuring her system out, so that probably explains her straining and so on. Breastfed poo is really runny and goes everywhere, but notice it smells almost GOOD! It smells like yoghurt!  

It could be she is sensitive to what you are eating. main culprits are beans, broccoli, cauliflower and onions and dairy. If you are worried you can try an elimination diet (see www.kellymom.com)

The straining and thickness are most likely unrelated.

Just so you know, the Workd Health Organisation recommends babies be EXCLUSIVELY breastfed for the first 6 months. You can damage a babies gut introducing solids before this time.

For more info see the above link to the amazing kellymom site.

Have you tried baby massage to help her poo? Use firm but gentle strokes in a clockwise motion and press her knees up to her chest and use a bicycle motion of her legs. But have a nappy on, it is VERY effective!

Answer 7

It's what they do, poo and feed. As her digestion tract matures it'll become less frequent and yes, when you start her on solids it'll thicken but a word to the wise. It sounds like she has a particularly under developed digestive tract and so i would hang on well past four months to give her solids. I'd hang on until she's around 5 or even 6 months. You could do her some serious damage if you try to feed her too early.  

Also i'd see your doctor to check that she isnt going too frequently and loosing nutrients.  

Answer 8

She's really young your little one, and breastfed baby's poo is usually quite soft and they do poo often. I know some women had to watch what they ate when they breastfed cause certain foods caused a lot of gas in their babies, and it sounds like your baby has quite a bit of gas.

Check what you're eating. While you do have to eat healthy, you may have to trial and error, lay off some fresh vegetables for a while and see if it helps. Certainly avoid gassy foods such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, beans and legumes in general,  greasy or very oily foods, and make sure you're drinking plenty of water.

There is also a natural fennel based tea made for infants, it's sweetened. It helps with gas, that is, if your baby will drink it.

Rice will only help bulk it up. If she is nursing well and does not have diarrhea, then why add rice? I guess you need to ask the pediatrician on your next wellness checkup.

Answer 9

Well, breastfeed p**p should be mustardy yellow with seeds in it and pretty liquid.  Once you start your daughter on solids at six months the p**p will change.  It will be a lot more smelly!! and it will be harder to wipe off and the texture will be more solid.

It is also normal that the baby has a bowl movement at every feed for a while, but as old as your child is it shouldn't be long before you'll see less dirty diapers every day.

I've read some articles about the whole straining thing and it seems like some babies just have a hard time getting the poo out because they still really can't control those mussels, so again, this should only be a faze.

On using your nipple for comfort, have you tried to introduce a pacifier?  Personally, I'm not really a big fan of them but I decided rather a pacifier than my boob or her thumb.  And now it's restricted to nap time.

Good luck!

Answer 10

I have never breastfed but I have heard that their nappies can be really bad