Jennifer wrote:
   
  "Actually, we do not all "know" that babies do not need to stool every
 day. Most LCs and others may believe it to be true, but there are those
 of us who "know" that it may well be common, but it is not normal.?
 Having been raised around many animals, from dogs and cats to horses and
 goats, I always knew that when an animal did not eat or did not have
 normal stooling patterns, he was not well. My father raised thoroughbreds
 and he was fanatical about their diets and their digestive health.
 There was no range of normal among healthy animals. (Of course, many
 domesticated animals today are no longer eating healthy diets and manifest
 the same diseases that their humans do). We worry about children not
 eating, but we don't seem to know we should also worry about children not
 stooling. As biological beings, I do not believe we have a range of
 normal either. One bowel movement per meal per human is normal. So, IMO,
 babies who eat 8-10 X per day should poop 6-8 X per day--adults 2-3X per
 day. So, a 7 month old who eats, say 6X per day, is missing 8-17 bms if
 she has a bm every third day. I personally think that is a big deal."

   
  I would argue that not ALL (not even most) adults have (or need to have) 2-3 BM's per day. It is true that the gastrocolic reflex is strongest after meals but by no means does eating a meal routinely result in a BM. Babies are no different. Typically a BF baby will stool after each feeding. However, if it doesn't happen, it doesn't mean that something is wrong (I'm not talking about a 3 day old). It is not uncommon for an infant to have a change in stooling patterns multiple times during the first year. This is especially common when solids are started.  
   
  Erica Milas, D.O., A.B.F.M
  Family Medicine
  Women's Health


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