Diapers or Lack of Them

amother

Sun, Nov 02 2014, 4:25 pm

My 4 month old who is EBF makes on around 1 diaper a week. She is very, very gassy and passes gas loudly and often looks like she is in pain (crying, then passing gas, lifting her feet all the way in the air even when she's trying to sleep etc.) She has been doing this since she was a month old. Is this gas connected to the fact that she hardly ever goes to the bathroom? Is it normal for her to go MORE than a week w/o a dirty diaper (she just did that this week)? Any ideas of things that can help her?

amother

Sun, Nov 02 2014, 4:41 pm

For breastfed babies, it's normal to have 5 diapers a day or one every 5 days or something in between. Wet diapers and weight gain will tell you if your baby is getting enough. But if your baby is so gassy you might want to look into probiotics and/or an elimination diet.

Common culprits are

Dairy
Wheat
Soy
Eggs
Bovine protein (beef)
Tomatoes
Broccoli/cauliflower/cabbage
Beans
Chocolate or coffee
Raw onions/garlic

Also, what does that one diaper look like?
Mustard yellow is normal

Green and frothy means too much foremilk, which can cause gassiness and discomfort.

Yellow with small bits of green solids means the iron you're taking is passing in large amounts to baby, which can also cause constipation, gas and discomfort.

It's worth speaking with a lactation consultant who is also a nurse (not an alternative medicine provider) to geta better idea of what's bothering your baby and how to fix the problem.

amother

Sun, Nov 02 2014, 4:50 pm

It's honestly hard to remember. It's also hard for me to know b/c I am not always the one that changes that rare diaper.. I think this past one was yellow. It was huge and exploding (coming out of the top of the diaper)! since this was the first diaper since 2 Wednesday nights ago. I will keep my eye for the next diaper. I like the idea about the Nurse LC, in fact, I know someone who fits that description. Maybe I'll ask her.

OP

greenfire

Mon, Nov 03 2014, 12:57 pm

could be she has some sort of back-up ... it's not especially healthy

please discuss this with her doctor

http://www.webmd.com/parenting.....ation

mommyla

Mon, Nov 03 2014, 1:10 pm

Less than one per day for an EBF baby is perfectly normal (according to my ped, I think even up to once a week is normal IIRC but it's been a while), but what OP is describing is not normal. Almost 2 weeks since the last diaper? Discomfort and gas? That needs to be checked out ASAP. It's probably just (treatable) constipation so don't freak out, but it is abnormal.

My kids, when they were EBF, definitely went up to 5 days without dirty diapers (and when they did go, it was disastrous!) but they were not uncomfortable and my ped said it was fine. Definitely call your doctor.

smss

Mon, Nov 03 2014, 2:40 pm

you know, I think I did read in dr. sears' book that for an EBF baby of that age, once a week can be normal. but doesn't sound like she's very comfortable in general, so I think it makes sense to go to the doctor anyway.

Barbara

Mon, Nov 03 2014, 2:48 pm

2gether wrote:

less then 1 per day is not normal, get to doc. promptly.

I think that the OP intended to say that her DD has a bowel movement only once a week, not that she does not urinate regularly.

MaBelleVie

Mon, Nov 03 2014, 4:02 pm

One dirty diaper a week is totally normal. So is explosive, at that age. The gas might be as simple as burping better throughout and after each feeding.

amother

Mon, Nov 03 2014, 4:42 pm

I have heard that once a week can be normal. The nurse in Tipat Chalav said it was fine. I got worried because it was LESS than once a week (like a week and a half). I don't think the gas is regular. She s/t acts like she's in pain before passing the gas and she passes gas very often and it's very loud and it smells. I'm starting to think that the lack of diapers and gas thing are related b/c they both started at 1 month when she started making one diaper a week. Not sure if this is relevant, but she is HUGE. Last time she went to TC, she was in the 98% for height and 97% for weight. Maybe she's over-absorbing the milk??

OP

P.S.
The diet change comment looked interesting, but I am not sure I have the self-control (esp. while nursing, very hungry...)
Thanks greenfire for that search.

self-actualization

Mon, Nov 03 2014, 5:12 pm

My baby was very constipated as a newborn and also had that gassy thing going on. Then after a little while I started also noticing blood in his stool. The doctor said he had a milk allergy and we switched him to soy formula. Both the constipation and the blood went away. The doctor said that it is fairly common in small babies and most of the time it goes away within a year. At 7 months we started to feed him dairy yogurt and he didn't have the allergic reaction anymore.

mommy1108

Mon, Nov 03 2014, 5:21 pm

I had this with both kids. With one it solved itself (though we did give prune juice once a day, which helped in the interim). With the other, it ended up escalating into what seemed to appear as colic but it really was the baby's reaction to dairy. I was ebf and after 5 months of a very very upset baby, I went off dairy after seeing a few mucusy diapers and things really improved. She ultimately great out of the intolerance but still gets constipated once in a while.

Ask your dr, these things can really be from your milk sometimes

amother

Dodgerblue

Mon, Nov 03 2014, 5:30 pm

What should I try going off of first? I do eat a lot of dairy... Also, how long should I try it?

Last edited by amother on Sat, Mar 28 2015, 6:17 pm; edited 1 time in total

MaBelleVie

Mon, Nov 03 2014, 5:43 pm

Breast milk is designed to have very little waste. There's no such thing as over absorbing it. It's extremely normal for bowel habits to change- they are undergoing lots and lots of changes in the bodies over the first few months of life, and the digestive system is slowly starting to function better. You can definitely try simple things like cutting out dairy. Also like I said, making sure to burp very very well during and after each feeding. Does she seem to be swallowing lots of air when she nurses?

Lady Bug

Mon, Nov 03 2014, 6:38 pm

Some things for you to try:

The food list posted above (especially milk)
Make sure you are drinking enough water
Give the baby a few ounces of warm water/tea every day

faigyl

Mon, Nov 03 2014, 7:06 pm

My daughter had that. Shset had a dirty diaper once a week. She ended up being diagnosed with silent reflux, allergy to soy and milk and ftt.

amother

Mon, Nov 03 2014, 8:38 pm

First, go off dairy and wait a week .if you don't see improvement, try soy. Then wheat, etc.

Also talk to an LC about block feeding for foremilk/hindmilk imbalance.