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Breastfeeding/nursing and bowel movements

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Expert: - 2/20/2009


Question
My 8 month old daughter is breastfed on demand.  To me, she seems to be a snacker as she wants to nurse frequently but nurses only briefly.  She nurses every 2-3 hours during the day.  She is taking minimal solids (her choice).  She generally wants to nurse before each nap and bedtime.  In the past, this has not been a problem.  For the past month, she has had a bowel movement at the beginning of almost every nap and usually will not go to sleep afterward.  She often has 3+ BMs per day.  We did wean her off her binky about a month ago as well.  I'm wondering if she is nursing so often to meet sucking needs and is getting extra milk which is making her have more BMs.  Or, is there something in my diet that is making her go so quickly after nursing?  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Dear Amy,

Dr. Marks was away for a few days and just got back to me. Her opinion (like mine) is that probably the reason that your baby is having so many bowel movements is because she is nursing so often and taking in so much of your good breast milk. Dr. Marks suggests giving her more solid foods and nursing less frequently. (She should still be getting enough milk.) Dr. Marks also raised the question of what you are eating -- if you're eating prunes or other foods, or any medications to counter constipation or make your own stool softer that these may be getting through your milk and affecting your baby.

I hope you can resolve your issue soon.

Best regards, Sally
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Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters. Now in revision for a fourth edition, with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D.  

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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