Is it okay to have a baby three days without poop?

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Nguyen Thi My Linh - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital. Specialist Doctor I Nguyen Thi My Linh has 12 years of experience in diagnosing and treating pediatric diseases.

Three days without pooping is a common problem in babies 2 weeks to 2 months old. The frequency of a baby's bowel movements depends on their age and diet, and most babies don't have a bowel movement for two or three days, most of the time it's not a serious problem and doesn't require treatment.

Newborns usually poop after each feed, about 6 times per day. During the first few weeks after birth, your baby's intestines are maturing and becoming more efficient at absorbing nutrients from breast milk or formula. As your baby's intestines get better at digesting food, the time between bowel movements will be longer.
Infants 8 weeks and older can go 4 or 5 days without poop which means they are constipated.
Breastfed babies almost never get constipated. Breast milk is a natural laxative. Poor suckling is also one of the reasons why babies have fewer bowel movements than usual.
Formula-fed babies and babies who have started solid foods are often constipated. Because the digestive system is not yet developed, the baby can be affected, by the ingredients in formula milk and products made from cow's milk. As a result, the child will have fewer bowel movements.

When an infant does not have a bowel movement for two or three days, the mother can take the following steps to make the baby more comfortable:
Continue breastfeeding, if using formula, consider changing the type of milk If the baby If your child feels uncomfortable, strained to have a bowel movement, or has hard, solid stools, the child may be constipated. Try massaging your baby's tummy, giving her a bath, or giving her an anal soak in warm water. Massage not only helps increase circulation in the body, stimulates intestinal peristalsis, helps children defecate easily and more often.

If the newborn has not pooped for three days, accompanied by signs such as: Abdominal pain, red-faced straining, hard round stools, mixed with blood. Children are often upset and cry every time they poop, so the mother should take the baby to see a doctor. Because maybe the baby has been constipated or has some diseases related to the digestive tract.