How long to wait before waking newborn for food? also seems to be constipated.?

Question

he was very colicky all night and hasn't had a p**p since about 5pm yesterday afternoon. he's almost 2 days old. he seems more interested in correcting his own gas/bowel movement issues than he is of eating. with being colicky all night, he is now very tired and has slept most of the morning...he has no interest in eating. exclusively breastfed... plz help?

Answer 1

Oh that is very young to be worrying but I had the same problem NO WORRIES!!!! Babies have to adjust to life outside the womb, and it could be another day or so before he poops. If you are really worried about it, all you need to do is a rectal temperture. Put alitte ky gelly and insert it into his rectal and you should feel him trying to push it out, if you dont, he doesnt have to go. If he is eating fine, then I wouldnt worry about the bowel movements.(I called my doctor with the same problem) and they said sometimes babies can go 5-10 days without pooping and everything is ok.

Newborns also sleep from 16-21 hours a day, dont worry about sleeping.

EDIT: almost forgot for breastfeed babies no longer then 4 hours, and for formula feed no more then 5 hours. After about 4-6 weeks old I would let them wake you up to eat instead of you waking them up, but this young you should. Good luck!

If he does go a whole day without eating call the doctor!

Answer 2

Has your milk come in yet?? If not, baby isn't getting much that he can p**p out.  My little girl only had 1-2 bowel movements a day until my milk came in, and then it was more like 6-8!!

I was told with breastfeeding to feed baby every 2-3 hours during the day, and dont' let them go more than 4 hours at night.  This is for the baby and for you.  The more often you offer your breast, the better your milk supply will be, which in turn means baby will get all the nutrition they need.

Don't worry, once your milk comes in baby, will give you lots of big yellow poops!

As for his non-interest.  My first born was the same way.  The health nurse told me to strip him down to his diaper and tickle his feet, or put cold washclothes on his feet to keep him awake. I had to do that for about 4 weeks before he stopped falling asleep at the breast every time.

Congrats on your new little one!

Answer 3

Call the labour ward you gave birth at. All of these are signs that baby is not transferring milk effectively, so you need to get his latch checked asap. Breastfed babies should not stool less frequently until 6 weeks. For now, wake him to feed 2 hourly in the day and 4 hourly at night. Has your milk come in? Is his poo still meconium? It may actually just be that he is tired after birth, but best to get him checked out. HTH!

Answer 4

I was always told to never wake a sleeping baby.  He will wake when he is hungry.  He WILL let you know, I promise.  He is tired because he was up all night crying.  Not having a poo since yesterday is totally normal.  He is only 2 days old, he will more than likely not have a bowel movement everyday, especially since he is breast fed.  Has he passed the black, tar like poo yet?  If not, that will come first.  It is normal for breast fed babies to not have bowel movement for up to a week sometimes.  It is because the babies body is absorbing all the breast milk because it is nothing but nutrients, no waste.  Also, my pediatrician told me that marble like poo is more a sign of constipation than not pooping at all for a couple days.  Is he grunting or straining when he goes?  If not, I am sure he is fine.  If he goes for a whole day without eating anything at all, I would call the doctor, you could then ask about the bowel movement too.  Good Luck, I'm sure everything is fine.

Answer 5

Breastfed babies are rarelly constipated since your milk produce the water to keep them hydrated.When i was in the hospital nurses made me feed him at least once every 4 hours.during the night baby was fed every 4 hours during the day every 2 when she was that age.and im pretty sure your baby will have a bowel movement soon if not call your doctor

Answer 6

Hunger Cues - When do I feed baby?

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/start/basics/...

"My newborn wants to sleep all the time! Should I wake him to nurse?"

Yes, if he doesn't wake on his own. Many newborns are very sleepy in the early days or weeks and may not exhibit hunger cues as often as they actually need to eat. Newborns should be nursed anytime they cue hunger, but at least every 2 hours during the day and at least once during the night. Once your baby has established a good weight gain pattern (at least 4 ounces per week, for babies under 4 months), you can stop waking baby to nurse and let him set his own pattern.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/enough...

IS BABY GETTING ENOUGH? -- QUICK REFERENCE CARD

~~~ BIRTH to 6 WEEKS ~~~

WEIGHT GAIN:

If baby is gaining well on mom’s milk alone, then baby is getting enough. A 5-7% weight loss during the first 3-4 days after birth is normal. Baby should regain birth weight by 2 weeks. Once mom’s milk comes in, average weight gain is 6 oz/week. If these goals are not met, call your lactation consultant. More on weight gain.

WET DIAPERS: 5 - 6+ sopping wet diapers per day (after 1st week).

Expect one wet diaper on day one, increasing to 5-6 by one week. To feel what a sufficiently wet diaper is like, pour 3 tablespoons (45 mL) of water into a clean diaper (if baby wets more often, then the amount of urine per diaper may be less). Urine should be pale and mild smelling.

DIRTY DIAPERS: 3 – 4+ dirty diapers per day (after day 4).

Stools should be yellow (no meconium) by day 5 and the size of a US quarter (2.5 cm) or larger. The normal stool of a breastfed baby is usually yellow and is loose (soft to watery, may be seedy or curdy). More on infant stooling.

OTHER POSITIVE SIGNS: After a feeding, mom’s breast feels softer and baby seems reasonably content. Baby is alert, active and meeting developmental milestones.

http://www.llli.org//llleaderweb/LV/LVDe...

In answer to the question, "Is baby getting enough?" a second question could be posed, "Enough of which?" In the early weeks wet diaper counts give only part of the answer. Because the nursing newborn takes in plenty of foremilk before receiving the richer hindmilk, it would be difficult for an infant to produce several bowel movements per day without being adequately hydrated.

However, the opposite can easily occur. Since feeding practices, ineffective sucking or other problems may diminish the mother's milk supply or prevent the baby from receiving an adequate portion of hindmilk, it is possible for a baby to be adequately hydrated yet have an inadequate calorie intake. Frequent urination remains one valid indicator of adequate newborn hydration from foremilk intake. Multiple daily stooling is an indicator of adequate newborn calorie intake from hindmilk. Both factors are needed to fully assess neonatal breastfeeding.

Since a lack of daily stooling may be associated with inadequate newborn calorie intake, it is also a predictor of poor infant weight gain. Early detection of this symptom can be crucial for the baby's health and the continuation of breastfeeding. In severe cases, an infant's low calorie intake may lead to weaker sucking, diminished milk supply and critical dehydration. While less serious conditions may be improved at various stages of breastfeeding, it is much more effective to establish a generous milk supply and hearty weight gain in the early weeks than to have to work to achieve them in later months.

Stooling Patterns

There are many benefits to discussing normal stool patterns with each new mother. When a fully breastfed newborn baby is having several yellow or tan, seedy stools each day, Leaders can emphasize this is a reassuring sign that breastfeeding is off to a good start. What a wonderfully observable proof allaying a new mother's fear of inadequate milk supply!

While new parents often have difficulty deciding if a baby's diaper/nappy is truly wet, there's little doubt when one is soiled. For the mother who is worried—even without saying so—that frequent stooling is diarrhea, hearing the expected frequency and significance of the normal newborn pattern is again a great relief and confidence builder. Beginning a call with this positive interaction sets a supportive tone as the conversation moves on to other topics of interest to the mother.

http://www.mother-2-mother.com/normal.ht...

There is absolutely no reason to intervene and try methods commonly used to "induce" a bowel movement (such as prune or other types of juices, water, glycerin suppositories, or using rectal stimulation). If artificial stimulation is done too often, the baby's system can become dependant upon this stimulation to "go", and no longer is able to have a normal bowel movement on their own.

In most cases, as long as baby is not acting ill (lethargic, crying in pain, etc.), the tummy is soft, not rigid or distended, skipping days between stools is not cause for alarm, however, mother should not hesitate to ask her health care provider to check her baby to be sure there is no physical problem.

Answer 7

at two days they really dont have too much of an appetite and your milk still probably hasnt come in...although i would be constantly trying....they really should be eating every 2-3hrs the first few weeks so if he is sleeping more than 3hrs wake him to feed. he just hasnt got the hang of this world yet mom things were alot easier in the womb. although if he is not pooping there is a little concern there...is he urinating? you dont want him to be dehydrated. do you have a pediatrician appt set up this week? babies systems should be what goes in must come out those first few days so try giving him a good feeding and see how it goes. good luck.also watch what you eat because there are TONS of foods out there that if you eat he will get gassy so try cutting back on dairy today and see if it gets better tonight