Newborn not pooping....

Hey ladies. My son is 5 days old and I have been exclusivly breastfeeding him since he got home from the hospital on monday. They had to keep him 2 extra nights under the billi lights. When he was in the nursery they I was pumping so they were giving him what i could pump and they were supplementing with formula. Since he has been home he has just had breastmilk. The thing is that he is peeing ok but he hasnt pooped since monday night. Is this normal in a breastfed baby or is he not getting enough milk. I feed him on demand.. sometimes he is feeding for a few hours straight... What should I do?

[ovaz129]

When I was nursing, my little girl would sometimes only go poo once a week or at one point she only went once in 9 days.  It is completely normal.  Breast milk is easier to digest than formula, therefore there will be less waste product.  Make sense?  So, don't worry.  Your doctor will most likely tell you the same thing :)

[sweetangel7]

I agree with ovaz...not to worry...unless she seems uncomfortable and is grunting as if trying to go.  

[Jenny100]

I JUST went through this---my baby is 4 weeks old today and the first two and a half weeks he was not pooping well at all. Only once every other day, and even that poop was thick and not the normal curdy-seedy-runny breast milk consistency. (he is breastfed)
I kept wondering where all the new milk was going if nothing was coming OUT!
But my pediatrician was not concerned and said just to give it more time. Like the above poster said--breastmilk is VERY digestable and so they could be using almost all of it and leaving none to make poop from. If your baby is peeing lots, thats a good sign he is getting enough fluid. He just isnt needing to make poop yet.

Now, at 4 weeks, he is pooping 5-7 times a day!!!!!! Now I am missing those days when he wasnt pooping!!! lol
I think your baby is fine--especially this young.He is only 5 days old. Just keep your dr advised of whats going on and I am betting you will see lots of poop soon! :)

[Ruth1348]

My son is three weeks old.  My story sound identical to yours.  Just wondering the outcome to see what I should do.  Did you baby loose a lot of weight too?

[zazou]

My daughter went around 2 weeks without passing stools. I was so scared! But it is very normal for exclusively breastfed babies. My midwife told me that baby absorbs all the goodness from breastmilk and what is not needed is removed from the body as waste.