I am a 165 days / 5 months 2 weeks 1 day old baby
I wonder what "bowel movement" is. Oftentimes I find the words but I don't know exactly the meaning. Only guessing.
By definition it stands for:
1. The discharge of waste matter from the large intestine; defecation.
2. The waste matter discharged from the large intestine; feces.[1]
In another word bowel movement stands for poop.
After knowing this, it gets me into another question: how much bowel movement one has everyday? Is it once a day or twice? Or is it normal to have a bowel movement once or twice a week? I experienced pooping once in ten or eleven days which made dad and mom panic.
Many people believe that the definition of a normal bowel movement is having 1 movement each day, but that is not true for everyone. There is no rule for frequency of bowel movements, but the general range is from 3 times a day to 3 times a week. Less than 3 movements a week may indicate constipation, and more than 3 watery stools a day could indicate diarrhea.[2]
Bowel Movement of a Baby
Another question is how about baby's bowel movement? Is it normal to have a bowel movement for a baby like me twice a week or once a week? Yes, it's still normal.
It is usually around the age of 5 to 6 weeks that a baby's bowel habits may begin to change. Prior to that time, we like to see a breastfed baby stooling at least twice a day. This is one factor that lets us know that he is getting the amount of milk he needs for good growth. After 5 or 6 weeksof age breastfed babies often transition to less frequent, but more abundant stooling. For this age group we like to see regular, substantial bowel movements. Healthy, and happy breastfed babies sometimes only have a bowel movement every 10 days or so.
If your daughter's baby is growing well (about 4 to 8 ounces per week)and does not have signs of constipation, such as dry and hard to pass stools and/or a distended (and uncomfortable) belly, I would not worry about his infrequent stooling pattern. It is also quite common for babies to be restless while sleeping.[3]
So, lacking of or infrequent bowel movement for a five month 2 weeks like me is not a big deal. It's still normal.
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Note:
[1] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language
[2] About.com
[3] parenting.ivillage.com
