Having trouble pooping / in pain

[@llli*CA013]

Hi Ladies-
I used this website frequently at the beginning after I got mastitis and lost milk production in my right breast. I continued breastfeeding through it and was EBF until my little boy turned 2 months. At that point, he was screaming at night because he was hungry for more. When I pumped, my left breast would product 4 oz of milk and my right would produce 1/2 an ounce. He was eating 4 1/2 oz of breast milk and then I would give him 2 oz of formula. I hated that I gave him formula, but he seemed so much happier and we had less crying/fussiness.

My problem now is that he is having a hard time pooping. He's not constipated, because his poop isn't hard at all. I mostly breastfeed so he still has seedy poops, but he can go 2 days without pooping. He acts very uncomfortable and pushes and grunts. When he finally does poop, it's a lot and he is instantly happy.

Has anyone had experienced with this? I'm sure its the combination of breastmilk/formula but I'm trying my best to give him just breast milk (so please don't judge). I'm hoping for suggestions on how to make him more comfortable, this feels like a lose-lose situation

Thanks!

[@llli*CA013]

Also -- he is 3 months old

[@llli*andie613]

I think it's fairly normal to have a bf baby who skips a few days of pooping (I've seen people post that their LOs have gone a week!). When mine was about that age, he often skipped a day or too. Of course this also resulted in a really big poop, although he never seemed too uncomfortable. He has had problems with gas which causes some pain.

A couple of things to try: 1. nothing--most likely it is a phase and baby's digestive system is trying to regulate itself and develop. He may just be having a harder time b/c of the formula. 2. I know you are trying hard to EBF, so cutting back on formula if you can will definitely help, b/c it's known to be constipating. 3. I took an infant massage class at my local Parents-As-Teachers center. The instructor mentioned that massaging the tummy in the "I Love U" pattern will often help babies go poop. It's a 3 stroke pattern: first place hand at top left of baby's belly, massage down ("I"). Then place hand on top right of tummy, massage (a stroking motion) straight across to the left, then down ("L" for love). Lastly, place hand on lower right, massage up to top right, around to top left, then down to bottom left (making an upsidedown "U"). The instructor mentioned to always massage clockwise, and that something about that motion will help pooping. I never really had to try it out, but she swore by it. 4. You can also try probiotics to help digestion. I'd recommend the liquid drops because they are easier to give a small infant. I'm now using the powder form, Flora Baby, by mixing it with a little bit of bm that baby drinks. I think it has helped him be less gassy.

Sorry I can't be of more help; these are just some things to try.

[@llli*mammi]

i did a combination of bf and formula at that age, and similar to what you describe he was not constipated but he did have trouble pushing it out or looked constipated if you know what I mean but in fact produced very mushy stool. What helped was a pro biotic powder (omni biotic panda) it contains Lactococcus lactis, Bifidobakterium bifidum, Bifidobakterium infantis which i gave him when needed, and it almost always brought relief.

[@llli*mommal]

I'd blame the formula for the poop issues. That's not me being judgy- it's simply that formula tends to result in harder stools than breastmilk. I noticed it when my first was a newborn and we were doing a breastmilk/formula combo- the more formula she had, the more pasty/solid her poops were. So I think the more you can nurse, and the less formula you use, the better the poop situation to going to be.

FTR, 4.5 oz of breastmilk is a full feeding for almost all breastfed babies, who tend to take around 2-4 oz on average, with maybe an occasional 5 oz feed when mom is really full. So 4.5 oz from pumping is a lot of milk, especially when you consider that the baby typically extracts more milk than the pump does. If your supply is still roughly equivalent to what it was back when you introduced the formula supplements, you could probably phase out any remaining supplements fairly quickly!

[@llli*CA013]

Thanks so much for the responses ladies -- I researched the probiotics and I think we'll give that a go. EBF isn't really an option for me anymore as my SO and I split up and he spends a few nights with him...I can't pump enough to keep up with it and pump enough for him while I'm working. It's been a rough few months, that's for sure. But I appreciate the help and I will definitely try all of your suggestions, thanks again!