BF momws please help!!!

Ok I took my baby girl bqck to doctor yesterday for a cough. It has been a little over 2 weeks since he last saw her and she had lost about 6 ounces since her last visit. She is 5 weeks old and I strictly breastfeed. The last 2 weeks she hasnt been having a bowel movement but every 4 to 5 days and she was going almost every diaper. She has been spitting up a lot top and acts like she strains trying to poop. The 1st 2 weeks after leaving hospital she gained 1 1/2 pounds. Why so good 1st 2 weeks and now this. Please help. Ready to give up. Feel like I am a bad mama and dont know what to do.

How often are you feeding her?

It sounds like she may be constipated since you said she's straining. What does her poop look like when she does go? It should be pretty watery. Its also normal for BF babies to go up to 15 days without pooping. Keep nursing her on demand and let her comfort nurse if she wants to. Are you eating well?

Do u think she may have reflux? What'd the dr say about it?

First you have to be sure it is the same scale, hasn't been recalibrated & she was naked both weigh ins. then - teh pooping - is totlaly normal. ther eis nothing wrong. At about 3-4 weeks in most moms see a rapid decrease in pooping. My 1st went to pooping twice a week & #2 did once a week from then on until solids started. Some continue to poop daily, it makes no difference. Output is only calculated by wet diapers & she needs 5-6 very wet disposables per day. If she slowed in weight gain it likely has more to do with the illness than anything else.

Make sure she nurses 8-12 times per day & keep an eye for anything less than 4 dipes. Then get another weigh in a week or so. Most times that requires no appointment. Make sure it's on the same scale.

I don't know what your nursing habits are so I can only say a few things. Make sure to nurse on demand, no schedules, it doesn't work to schedule if you're trying to build your milk supply. If you are not already, try to cosleep, either with LO in your bed or right next to your bed so that you can nurse all night if needed, this will help build your supply. It is not unusual for LO to lose a little weight if she has not been feeling well, but try to keep nursing as much as possible. Very few women have any issue with the ability to produce enough milk, it does happen though, keep an eye on her weight and if it continues to decline, you may have to supplement. A lactation specialist might help, a bad latch can contribute to whether LO is getting enough milk. I would hope that any pain you experience with latching has started to subside by now, if not, you might consider getting a little help, even a pediatrician can help with that at times, if you're comfortable with asking, otherwise a lactation specialist is a good way to go. If LO is having digestion issues, that could also contribute to weight loss, that would be worst case though.
Just try to keep nursing as much as possible, keep an eye on her weight, and if she continues to lose, your pediatrician can recommend options.

She is ready to eat when she wakes up which is every 3 hours. If she is awake at longer times then she will eat every 2 hrs or sooner. The dr. told me to get a supository for her to poop and said she should still be pooping a cple times a day. I eat fairly good. 3 meals a day.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Jen in Georgia:</b>" She is ready to eat when she wakes up which is every 3 hours. If she is awake at longer times then she ... [snip!] ... to get a supository for her to poop and said she should still be pooping a cple times a day. I eat fairly good. 3 meals a day."</blockquote>

I really don't think a suppository is necessary. She's going. Their poops Dwindle off as they age.

Quoting Jen in Georgia:" She is ready to eat when she wakes up which is every 3 hours. If she is awake at longer times then she ... [snip!] ... to get a supository for her to poop and said she should still be pooping a cple times a day. I eat fairly good. 3 meals a day."

drink more water. and avoid gassy foods. limit or avoid dairy. Burp burb burp the baby. my son is very hard to burp. Have they looked into reflux?
and I wouldn't put anything up her bum. it's normal for breastfed babies not to poop for up to 10 days.
My daughter sounded like a goat for the first 3 months. lol she would grunt to poop and grunt after. BF poop should be watery, yellow and seedy.
little ones are very sensitive in the beginning. their little system is still working out all the bugs. Sometimes babies get cranky when they have to fart or poop because they don't like how it feels. And well I know someitmes gas bubbles hurt. My son ( 8 weeks) is right in the middle of this stage.

Quoting Jen in Georgia:" She is ready to eat when she wakes up which is every 3 hours. If she is awake at longer times then she ... [snip!] ... to get a supository for her to poop and said she should still be pooping a cple times a day. I eat fairly good. 3 meals a day."

Your Dr is not a breastfeeding friendly Dr then & has no clue.
Read all of #2: http://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23:is-my-baby-getting-enough-milk&catid=5:information&Itemid=17
Dr Newman is far more reliable a source than your run of the milk Pediatrician who knows VERY little about the differences between breastfed & formula fed infants. I can promise you - your Dr is WRONG about the pooping.

i dont like your dr if he is already tellin you to use a suppository on a 5 week old breast fed baby... completely unnecessary... :/

Since I couldn't get the link to imbed in my post you will have to copy & paste it to link.

However, i decided I'd just post #2 here for you as well & highlight the part I mean...

Baby's bowel movements (stools, poops). For the first few days after birth, the baby passes meconium, a dark green, almost black, substance which has collected in his intestines during pregnancy. It is passed during the first few days, and by the third day, the bowel movements start becoming lighter, as the baby drinks more milk. Usually by the fourth day, the bowel movements have taken on the appearance of the normal breastmilk stool. The normal breastmilk stool is pasty to watery, mustard coloured, and usually has little odour. However, bowel movements may vary considerably from this description. They may be green or orange, may contain curds or mucus, or may resemble shaving cream in consistency (full of air bubbles). The variations in colour do not mean something is wrong. A baby who is getting only breastmilk, and is starting to have bowel movements that are becoming lighter by day 3 of life, is doing well.

Without becoming obsessive about it, monitoring the frequency and quantity of bowel movements is one of the best ways, next to observing the baby’s drinking (see above, and videos at nbci.ca to see if the baby is getting enough milk). After the first three to four days, the baby should have increasing bowel movements so that by the end of the first week he should be passing at least two to three substantial yellow stools each day. In addition, many infants have a stained diaper with almost each feeding. A baby who is still passing meconium on the fourth or fifth day of life should be seen at the clinic the same day. A baby who is passing only brown bowel movements is probably not getting enough, but this is not a very reliable sign.

Some breastfed babies, after the first three to four weeks of life, may suddenly change their stool pattern from many each day, to one every three days or even less. Some babies have gone as long as 20 days or more without a bowel movement. As long as the baby is otherwise well, and the stool is the usual pasty or soft, yellow movement, this is not constipation and is of no concern. No treatment is necessary or desirable, because no treatment is necessary or desirable for something that is normal.

Any baby between five and 21 days of age who does not pass at least one substantial bowel movement within a 24 hour period should be seen at the breastfeeding clinic the same day if possible, but certainly within a couple of days. If this same baby is soaking at least 6 heavy wet diapers (see #3, Urination), then baby is most likely fine and getting enough. Generally, and only as a general rule, small, infrequent bowel movements during this time period mean insufficient intake. There are definitely some exceptions and everything may be fine, but it is better to check.

Thanks everyone. Yeah I have read a lot on BF but was concerned that she does strain and nothing comes out. I am really worried about her losing weight. We weigh on same scale each time and nude. He did tell me to drink lots of water which I have not been doing. Do you all still take prenatl vitamins while BF? She may have reflux. He said burp more often so trying that.

Quoting Jen in Georgia:" Thanks everyone. Yeah I have read a lot on BF but was concerned that she does strain and nothing comes ... [snip!] ... not been doing. Do you all still take prenatl vitamins while BF? She may have reflux. He said burp more often so trying that."

Straining can just be gas. Lots of babies strain. It doesn't mean she is constipated. When she goes, is it hard? If not, it's not constipation. I take vitamins period, pregnant, breastfeeding or not. When she poops does it look typical - meaning mustard in color with curds in it like cottage cheese? If not, what does it look like?

try drinking more water or juice it will help if you drink enough of it