Can a baby go up to 10 days without pooping?
- Bebê sem Fralda Brasil
- Jan 5
- 6 min read
[...] "Is it normal to go days without a bowel movement while exclusively breastfeeding?"
This is a subject that needs to be observed and discussed more closely. It's true that breast milk digestion is quite efficient, and the body makes excellent use of all its nutrients. The kidneys and intestines are not overloaded, explaining the watery appearance of the stools of an exclusively breastfed baby; the stools are yellowish, resembling a mustard and sesame cream, while urine is usually abundant and very light yellow. Knowing our children's stools and urine gives us a perfect understanding of their elimination patterns and health. Liquid bowel movements several times a day can lead the mother to believe that the baby has diarrhea, just as the fact that the infant goes days without a bowel movement can lead her to believe that he has constipation. When a baby exclusively breastfed goes up to 10 days without a bowel movement, it may be what we call "pseudoconstipation," which, although not pathological and not requiring treatment, may be "common," but it is not so "normal." On the contrary, it is a remote possibility, as it only affects 5 to 14% of babies, and this number is very small. Data from the literature show that these intervals can be 4 to 5 days, 6 to 7 days, and in some cases more than 10 days (ANDRADE et al., 2007 and FAIAL et al., 2006).
In pseudoconstipation, the baby is not bothered; they sleep, nurse, and interact normally without discomfort, and when bowel movements occur, they should have a normal appearance. However, we need to keep in mind that the body is designed to eat, rest, and defecate daily. Any situation that deviates from this routine leads to hormonal, behavioral, emotional, and physical changes.
Torture techniques, for example, consisted of leaving the prisoner without sleep and/or without urinating/defecating for days. In the case of sleep deprivation, the patient may present with anything from loss of concentration to heart disease or high blood pressure, for example. In the case of food deprivation, the individual's body consumes its own nutrients in search of energy to stay alive, resulting in progressive damage to muscles and organs. In the case of constipation, the individual presents with abdominal discomfort and pain, bloating, bad mood, depression, anxiety, hemorrhoids, anal fissures, excessive straining to retain and eliminate constipated feces, nervousness, agitation, aggressiveness, insomnia, and loss of appetite. That is, the person (and the baby, as a miniature human) who is not eliminating feces correctly, effectively, and daily exhibits the typical "grumpy" behavior and face, ultimately disrupting all other areas of life. A baby who doesn't have regular bowel movements, doesn't breastfeed well, and then doesn't gain weight, entering a desperate cycle of problems with bowel movements, breastfeeding, and weight gain. Therefore, it is crucial that the pediatrician is aware of this situation so they can clearly and objectively explain all the normal occurrences to the mother, thus ensuring that breastfeeding is not interrupted. Some pediatricians say it's normal for an exclusively breastfed baby to go up to 10 days without a bowel movement, and I found a mention of this in UNICEF's Breastfeeding Promotion manual:
"EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING: Offer only breast milk for the first six months of life. During this period, there is no need for water or tea, even when the weather is very hot, dry, or the baby has colic. Breast milk is important for the baby during this period because it prevents many diseases, especially when given exclusively. Furthermore, it contains all the necessary substances for the baby to grow healthy mentally and physically. Exclusive breastfeeding prevents many diseases, for example, diarrhea, pneumonia, ear infections, and many others. When the baby is exclusively breastfed, they usually have loose stools several times a day, or may go up to a week without a bowel movement . When the child is breastfed, they more easily accept family foods because breast milk has a taste and smell similar to the mother's diet. By exclusively breastfeeding until six months, babies are already adapting to family foods."
The manual says that the baby can poop several times a day or go a week without pooping, promoting contradiction and uncertainty. The truth is that the baby, like other human beings, needs to poop every day, and it is most expected that he will poop several times a day.
"A child's normal bowel habits can vary. The frequency of bowel movements differs from that of an adult; thus, in children older than one year and in adults, bowel movements can vary from 1 every 72 hours to 3 bowel movements in 24 hours. In infants, this frequency is high, and in those who are breastfed, it varies widely, reaching up to 10 or more bowel movements per day. Generally, in the first 14 days of life, a child has bowel movements between 2 and 7 times a day. By the fifth month, this frequency reduces to one to three times; and around the second year, this frequency stabilizes at once a day (WERAVER, 1988)[sic.]"
We must also consider that this information refers to the habit of using diapers. In the Natural Hygiene practice, this is not the case; the baby does not go days without defecating, nor does he/she have countless unpredictable eliminations throughout the day. There is a pattern, even a schedule and time of elimination, just like with hunger and sleep. That is, babies who practice Natural Hygiene religiously defecate every single day and most likely at the same time(s). In a short time, they only have two bowel movements a day, until they have only one, well before the age of two, respecting the physiology of their body, which needs at least 12 hours to complete the entire food cycle, from ingestion to elimination.
Therefore, the best and most efficient solution for constipation is undoubtedly the practice of natural hygiene, including removing diapers and introducing the correct position for elimination. This avoids premature weaning and reduces risks to exclusive breastfeeding because if a baby defecates well, they will breastfeed well and gain weight appropriately, creating a positive cycle of meeting their needs. It is up to caregivers to maintain babies in harmony with their physical and biological order, aligning breastfeeding with the practice of natural hygiene and the theory of extero-gestation. The first (and subsequent) months of a baby's life will make them much calmer individuals than one might imagine. There's also the issue of colic and diaper rash, which disappear with the practice of natural hygiene, but that's a topic for another post!
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Dedicate yourselves and believe! The results appear in the short, medium, and long term, just as with breastfeeding. Only when we persevere and believe do we reach 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding and continue smoothly, even in the face of so many crises, unsolicited advice, lack of encouragement, and difficulties, until at least 2 years of age, as recommended by the World Health Organization. By persevering in favor of Natural Hygiene, we will (in the future) achieve a gentle, respectful, and baby-led potty training process. -----------------------//--------------------------//---------------- WE JUST NEED TO HELP OUR BABIES POOP (and pee when possible)! I was already studying a lot about Natural Hygiene during my pregnancy. In the immediate postpartum period, my midwives encouraged me to practice it and gave me breastfeeding tips. During postpartum visits, one of my midwives, the obstetric nurse Larissa, who practiced with her daughter when she studied and lived in New Zealand, gave me some more tips on breastfeeding and bowel movements... I had no other references, there were no texts in Portuguese, which left me with many doubts. As I recount in my first book (click here) , it took me 54 days to gather the courage to finally take my daughter's diaper off the moment I knew she needed to poop. And from then on, it was all joy! Natural Hygiene is a path of no return! Effective potty training, guided by her, happened at 11 months. --------- Where to learn more? Natural Hygiene for Beginners | Natural Hygiene
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Want to talk about this? https://www.facebook.com/groups/111961652805486 References: Ministry of Health. CHILD HEALTH: Infant Nutrition, Breastfeeding and Complementary Feeding. Secretariat of Health Care. Department of Primary Care Series A. Technical Standards and Manuals. Primary Care Notebook, No. 23. Brasília – DF, 2009. UNICEF and MINISTRY OF HEALTH. Promoting Breastfeeding. 2nd revised edition. Brasília: 2007. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/brazil/pt/aleitamento.pdf WEAVER, LT Bowel habit from birth to old age. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 1988. AGUIRRE, ANC; VITOLO, MR; PUCCINI, RS; MORAIS, MB. Constipation in infants: influence of breastfeeding type and dietary fiber intake. Journal of Pediatrics, Rio de Janeiro, 2002. ANDRADE, JFA; AMORIM, CSC; SILVA, L.; FAIAL, L. Bowel habits of exclusively breastfed infants. 6th Brazilian Integrated Congress of Ambulatory Pediatrics, Maceió, 2007.
FAIAL, L.; AMORIM, CSC; SILVA, L.; REIS, KS; TEIXEIRA, JM; SILVA, LM. Intestinal pseudoconstipation in exclusively breastfed infants. 33rd Brazilian Congress of Pediatrics, Recife, 2006.
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