Question
My child is almost 5 months old, and she has been having stools every 5-6 days since she was 3 months old, and her stools are also dry. I have been breastfeeding her exclusively. Is this situation normal? Additional question: And she keeps passing gas. Is that normal?
Answer
Newborns have not yet fully developed their defecation mechanism, so they cannot defecate on a schedule. Often, stool accumulates, and the rectal wall’s nerves sense swelling pressure, triggering a reflexive bowel movement. This is why some babies defecate only once every few days. Breastfed babies, due to more complete absorption of breast milk, have less stool volume, and some babies may defecate only every few days, not necessarily after each feeding. Therefore, a newborn not having a bowel movement for several days is not necessarily constipation. The method to determine if a newborn is constipated is to observe the stool characteristics; if they are normal, several days without a bowel movement is also considered normal.