3 Month Old Breastfed Baby Constipation

Water or fruit juice.

3 month old breastfed baby constipation.

However once a baby is between 3 and 6 weeks old they may only pass a large soft stool once a week and sometimes even less. Formula fed babies formula fed babies might be constipated if infant formula isn t made up correctly and doesn t have enough water in it. Evidence of constipation in this disease usually appears towards the end of the first month of life. The correct definition of constipation is when a baby experiences hard dry infrequent bowel movements that are difficult and painful to pass.

Constipation should never be a reason to stop breastfeeding. If your baby seems constipated consider simple dietary changes. Infant constipation often begins when a baby starts eating solid foods. Give them some extra water if they re older than 4 months.

However breastfed infants may go several days or even a week between bowel movements using every drop they eat to make more baby not poop. For babies between the ages of 6 to 12 months the centers for disease control recommends offering 4 to 6 ounces of water a day. If your breastfed baby seems constipated try feeding more often. As infants age breastfed and formula fed babies start to have about the same number of poops so from 3 to 6 months that means about two to four bowel movements a day and at 6 to 12 months both formula fed and breastfed babies will go down to 5 to 28 bowel movements a week or about 1 8 a day.

Offer your baby a small amount of water or a daily serving of 100 percent apple prune or pear juice in addition to usual feedings. If your baby is between 1 and 4 months old talk to your doctor before offering juice. For breastfed infants it depends on age. Some foods that may be constipating include.

Constipated breastfed babies might need more breastmilk. For the most part breastfed babies don t experience constipation until solid foods are introduced around the time they re 6 months old. During the first month of life stooling less than once a day might mean your newborn isn t eating enough. A baby who has delayed passage of meconium during their first few days of life and who has had problems passing bowel movements since they were born can be a cause for concern as infrequent stools could be a sign of hirschsprung s disease though this is uncommon affecting only 1 in 5 000 babies.

Add a little dark fruit juice like prune or pear to your baby s bottle. You can give your baby water once he begins eating solids. The amount and frequency of a breastfed baby s wet diapers and bowel movements can be valuable indicators of his well being.