Breastfed Babies Don't Get Constipated

Our pediatrician says breastfed babies don't get constipated. Yes, they might not poop as often as babies on formula, but it's because their bodies use breastmilk more efficiently, so there isn't the same amount of waste produced.

This is what he told us when we called frantically two years ago when MetaBoy hadn't pooped in days. Maybe it was two days, but he'd gone from pooping several times a day to nothing. He put our minds at ease, though we were still careful and suspicious.

Later that day, MetaBoy pooped. Oh boy did he poop. He pooped so much it filled and leaked out of his diaper, and ruined his onesie.

What we learned: this is how MetaBoy deals with poop.

The other day, I was nursing MetaGirl. When she finished, she nodded off and I held her for a while. She can be so ridiculously cuddly.

Suddenly, she made a pooping noise. (Note: Newborns poop really loud for such small creatures.) She hadn't pooped for a couple of days, so we knew it was coming. I was wondering whether or not I should wait for some more action (inevitable that there would be more), when I noticed she felt squishier than usual. I could feel the new squishiness through the blanket she was wrapped in. Not good.

I move her a bit to inspect the damage, and suddenly...drip, drip. Yellow, mustard-like goo on me. On my pants. Do you have any idea how few pants I have that fit me right now? I'm in a strange stage where my tummy isn't as big as when I was heavily pregnant, but I can't stand even the mildest pressure on my tummy below my belly button. I have very few bottoms with very adjustable waistlines that are high enough to wear like grandpa pants.

So, MetaDaddy helped me up and we changed her. As expected, there was poop absolutely everywhere. We had to cut her out of her onesie. It was an ugly affair, let me tell you.

A wardrobe change for her and a wardrobe change for me later, we were walking back to the living room to sit for a few minutes to wind down before getting to bed. I started feeding her again because...well, she was suddenly quite hungry. After nursing, she nodded off. Then, her diaper leaked.

Ya, she peed on me.

These are not the fun days of nursing.