3 Month Old Not Pooping Enough

It is totally normal for them not to poop everyday at 3 months. I had the same concerns, and of course it happened at the same time that I had just gave him a formula bottle instead of breast milk.
By the 2nd day at the latest he went on the 3rd day. I did a lot of reading at that time and everything I found was saying that at this age their bowel movements do change. I never went to using juice, because I felt it would work it's way to normal here soon and it did.
I believe this will work out just fine, my son is now 4 1/2 months and he is gotten VERY regular on his own. So, it's going to be fine, I would trust your doctor he does know what's going on. I know it's hard to believe since he had been going so regular before :)

I am a senior midwife student. It is completely normal for your baby not to poop every day.

Lisa

I have a 3 month, 3 week old son and am doing the same thing as you as far as breastfeeding and supplementing. My son went through the same thing a few weeks ago and is now pooping two to three times a day. Everyday and even at about the same times every day. So don't worry it will pass. I have never fed him anything other than breastmilk and formula. My pedi said the same thing as yours, he also said as long as he is pooping once a week not to worry. So don't worry! Things will soon change and you'll have plenty of poopy diapers to change!

Hi B H,

My son is 2 1/2 months and he poops once a day or every other day. I was quite concerned since he was pooping at every feeding. I did breastfeed but my supply dried up rather quickly since I have a 2 year old and my stress level was up. My son was on regular Enfamil and then all of sudden he started pooping this dark dark green and then his bowel movements changed. I have switched him to Similac Sensitive since that is what his big sister had to drink as well. I do give him just a little bit of warm water to help also. I think his bm's are starting to become more regular now. I know it's hard but your baby girl will work it out. :) Good Luck!

--R. :)

My daughter wouldn't poop everyday. I was lucky if it was every other even. She was completely formula fed but I did try to breast feed for awhile but never produce enough and finally my supply went away, But from day one, when she was on all breast milk, she wouldn't poop everyday. If she's not on a regular schedule like every other day, or even every three days it may be caused by changing her diet back and forth from breast to formula. But I wouldn't say it's strictly the formula that causing it.

If she's not uncomfortable then she's ok. Signs of discomfort are gurgling tummy noises (but not right after she eats. Don't mistake them for normal digestion noises). Spitting up more than usual. Kicking her feet up at her tummy the minute you lay her down (she might do this anyways if she's an energetic child like mine was but if she doesn't quit after a bit it might be a clue). And of course crying non stop.

When my daughter was little I payed so much attention to all her functions it was embarrassing. My husband and I still cheer when she poops sometimes. This is normal just remember babies are different than you and me. Liquid diets wether breast or bottle create different types of responses. And not all babies are the same. When mine when on solid foods she started pooping mostly everyday but she still skips a day now and then. I say listen to your doctor and don't worry about it. And stop giving her the juice unless her doctor tells you too. At three months her digestive system isn't ready to process fruit juices. She might not be constipated and this might just upset her natural nutritional balance. What you might be seeing as results of the juice, pooping, could be just the juice running through her at record pace because she can't digest it.

Good luck to you.

I'm with your doc. It's not abnormal for young babies to go a few days without pooping. I remember my daughter once went a week without pooping. Granted, that's pretty extreme, but I think five days is not. Put some lactobacillus (available at People's) in her bottle if you're worried. That should help with her digestion.

When my daughter was just on breast milk she pooped all the time, but as soon as I started supplementing with formula she began not having BMs but once every three days or so. I started giving her apple juice but it didn't really help. If it got to 4 days I would give her an infant suppository. When we started on rice it got worse, but when we switched to oatmeal everything worked itself out. Now she has one or two a day.

There is a period of time in a small baby's life that stooling may not happen daily. My pediatrician also warned me about that. With the breastfeeding, you have cut the possibility of constipation way down, even though you are supplementing. Things should go back to normal!

I used to give my son prune juice (pulp free) when he was a baby. Worked great. Start with a small amount and increase it until you find the right amount that works. Then I just gave it to him every so many days to keep things moving.

Good luck.

My baby is 9 months old now and she went through the same thing when she was about that age. She went for days with out pooping. The first time she went 5 days and the nurse had us give her a laxative. Then, she went almost 7 days and I kept calling the doctors office but they said if we continued to give her the laxative then she would not learn how to poop on her own. So, they said give her apple prune juice or pear juice. In the log run it was stressful for a while but she did work it all out. Babies have a lot of adjusting to do and it takes time.

Good luck,