bowel movement during almost every feeding?

3litttlebirds

My DS is 3 weeks old (but a preemie, so I'm posting something on the preemie board as well). During every feeding, he seems so uncomfortable by twisting all around, arching his back, pulling his legs to his stomach, grunting, & facial grimacing and turning red while bearing down. Almost every feeding he will pass gas and have a bowel movement. He doesn't cry, so I don't think it's painful, but just looks like he's very uncomfortable. His poops are never hard like he's constipated...they look like a normal newborn's poops.

Of course, I will also ask my pediatrician, but I'm wondering how normal/common this is to have gas or a bowel movement during almost every feeding. It doesn't take long into the feeding either before it starts to happen...maybe 5 minutes and usually lasts about 30 minutes after the feeding. He is fed breast milk via Dr. Brown's bottle with preemie nipple.

mandy522

It's totally normal to have a bowel movement every time the baby eats. Our LO has stopped doing this, but for at least the first 3 weeks he pooped every time he ate. Babies often look uncomfortable when they poop (the red face and grunting) but as long as the poop looks normal (mustardy yellow and seedy), he's doing fine.

lukesbtb

breastmilk is so easily digested that it is common to pass so quickly- my DD does as well. Ask ped about reflux tho as the arching after every meal is a symptom of that. 

MuddyInsignia

Yep, it is very normal. It is called the gastrocolic reflex. It is when the full stomach puts pressure on the colon and help clear out some space in his abdomen for fresh food. It is usually the previous meal being expelled. Newborns and especially preemies do not have highly developed digestive systems: they cannot push out formed poop very well, which is why breast milk is nice and loose for them. However, they do still need to push to get it out, so it may look like a lot of effort for loose stools, but it is just how the little baby digestive system copes. 

bigbootyjudi

Completely normal. DS pooped almost every single diaper until about two weeks ago (when he was 8 weeks old). Now, at 10 weeks, he poops about one or two times a day.

steffnstuff

I asked this question at LO's first appt. The pedi didn't understand my expression of the milk "running right through him." Thankfully, I was feeding the baby a bottle of expressed BM at the time and he pooped as I was feeding him. Then the pedi got it . Anyway, he said that this is very normal.