Whether a mom is caring for her first or fourth child, she is going to worry about his or her health, including his or her frequency of peeing and pooping. For moms who choose to give their babies formula, there is less worry because bowel movements often occur several times a day. Breastfeeding moms, on the other hand, commonly change one dirty diaper, if that.
For those who don't know that there is such a difference between breast and formula feeding, there may be some questions as to why.
Why Breast Fed Babies Poop Less
According to Dr. Alan Greene, a pediatrician who answers parents' questions on his site, DrGreene.com, it is perfectly normal for breastfed babies to poop less often than formula fed ones.
Marilyn Poston, a registered nurse and lactation consultant at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital on Fort Polk Army Base in Louisiana, teaches soldiers and military spouses that breast milk is much healthier for the baby to the point that one ounce of it has the nutrition equal to giving a baby thirty ounces of formula.
With these two experts' advice it can be concluded that breastfed babies poop less often in many cases because they are only being fed what their body needs, resulting in them absorbing the majority of what they are being fed and passing on less save for water.
If a parallel was to be drawn between feeding a baby and a toddler, one could argue that breastfeeding is like giving a two-year-old a drink that is 100% juice, and that formula feeding is similar to offering juice-like drinks that claim to be an "excellent source of Vitamin C," or made "with real fruit juice."
How Long is too Long When it Comes to a Baby not Pooping?
It is possible that breastfed babies can have a normal bowel movement cycle that occurs every three days. While this can be normal for breastfed babies, it is the threshold for concern for those who are formula fed. A baby can be considered to have constipation if he or she has not had a bowel movement in four days for formula fed babies and seven days for breastfed babies.
While all mothers do not have the opportunity or ability to breastfeed their children, those who do should consider it. A November 23, 2005 BBC News report entitled "Breastfeeding Good for Mothers" found that there is a correlation between breastfeeding and reducing one's risk for diabetes. Combine this with less poopy diapers, and it seems as though everyone wins.
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