Baby Chippers Not Pottying

[ChippersMommy]

Hello TSB Friends!! I Know this may not actually be life threatening but I didnt wanna take a chance! Chippers opened her left eye yesterday and part of her right eye- she was very active once it opened. She weighs 100 grams (took her weight last night & she was approx 98-99 grams and 45 min ago it was exactly 100grams) She has been eating between 5 & 7ccs each feeding. Last night I couldnt get her to poo. She had been going on her own for the last couple days however i still stimulate her to ensure she properly relieves herself fully. She peed normally(began on her own & finished with stimulation) last night but didnt poo after her last feeding before bed (usually between 11:30p-12a) I tried to stimulate her for 30 minutes and still nothing!!! The last poo that she had yesterday afternoon was completely normal & her pee is clear. i woke up at 3 am and tried to stimulate her again for 15 min and still nothing. Took a warm washcloth and wiped her clean but it produced no results. So this morning when we woke up- (get up each morning at 6:30a to get my daughter ready for school & hubby up for work) i tried to stimulate her until 7 am when i finally began her feeding. it is now almost 10 am and no potty yet!!!! I am extremely scared and worried! Other than the potty issue she is completely healthy and doing great..... what should i do? Am i doing something wrong? any input is greatly appreciated!!

[ChippersMommy]

UPDATE AS OF 10:13AM ---- immediately after first post i began stimulation again. as soon as i started she peed normally - stimulated for about 10 min and still no poo
:confused:

[ALittleNutty]

Exactly what are you feeding her? Does she appear bloated (tummy hard) and is her milk line disappearing in between feedings? Maybe a warm soak up to her chest with tummy massages will get things moving again. I use a stroking motion from top to bottom and out to in, stroking in the direction of the bum.

If you can post a pic of her belly that might help.

[ChippersMommy]

I am feeding her the esbilac with the probiotics (am currently awaiting the FV to arrive) I have been feeding her according to the 5-7% rule which she is 100grams but ive only been givin her around 6cc- she would def take 7 or more however i dont wanna over feed. Her belly seems bloated this morning. Im not sure what the milk line is- please explain. Also I am taking a picture to post now. Thanks

[ALittleNutty]

I am feeding her the esbilac with the probiotics (am currently awaiting the FV to arrive) I have been feeding her according to the 5-7% rule which she is 100grams but ive only been givin her around 6cc- she would def take 7 or more however i dont wanna over feed. Her belly seems bloated this morning. Im not sure what the milk line is- please explain. Also I am taking a picture to post now. Thanks

Are you adding heavy whipping cream to the Esbilac? What ratio of powder to formula are you using?

I will wait and see the picture and explain the milk line then.

[ChippersMommy]

For some reason she is being camera shy today lol- twice since this post shes had a little dribble of pee- ive stimulated her again to be sure she fully released herself and got nothing more- this happened twice since 9:57 am- could that be due to the fact that ive over stimulated her trying to get her to poo?? heres some pics- sorry they arent great views but shes not cooperating with the camera today lol


:)


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[ChippersMommy]

yes I am using the Heavy whipping Cream- (the kind in 1/2 pint carton) the formula i have is 1 part esbilac powder to 2 parts warm water & 1/4 part Heavy Whipping Cream- I have been using the same method since i got her and her potty time has been perfect up until last night :( im so confused as to what happened or where i went wrong? I guess thats the mama in me making me panick like this lol

[ALittleNutty]

She might be a little bloated and she could be very sensitive due to being overstimulated.
Usually 1-3 minutes is all I will do. You can use a drop of infant Gas X to try and help her.

This is not my photo and it was made to show the difference in sexes but you can see a faint milk line in the squirrel on the left and a full milk line on the right which is what it should like after feeding. Chippers is older so it may be harder to see due to belly fur.

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[ALittleNutty]

yes I am using the Heavy whipping Cream- (the kind in 1/2 pint carton) the formula i have is 1 part esbilac powder to 2 parts warm water & 1/4 part Heavy Whipping Cream- I have been using the same method since i got her and her potty time has been perfect up until last night :( im so confused as to what happened or where i went wrong? I guess thats the mama in me making me panick like this lol

It sounds like there is too much cream. How much water are you using to make up a day's worth of formula? I'll do the math and get back to you.

[ChippersMommy]

This is the exact formula
I make fresh each morning- I end up with approx 2 oz of prepared formula that i store in a baby bottle- i only make 2 oz so that minimal is thrown out/ wasted each day (2 oz prepared gives me approximately 45cc which breaks down to 5-8 feedings per bottle per day depending on the amount of cc fed each feeding) - she usually eats between 5-6cc each feeding she would def eat more but im afraid to over feed- i feed her approx every 4 hrs

1 part powder to 2 parts water & 1/4 part Heavy Whipping Cream

Daily Measurements

2 tablespoons Esbilac powder
4 tablespoons Warm Water
1/2 teaspoon Heavy Whipping Cream

[ALittleNutty]

Okay, that looks pretty good, not too much cream. You might want to add another teaspoon or two of water just until she gets back to going good again. 6 cc's is good so stick with that for right now and adjust when she gains.

I would try to warm water soaks while massaging. I would soak for about 5 minutes and try this every thirty minutes or at least once an hour. Sometimes just that will get them pooping or even pass the gas. Just be sure to dry her off really well afterward and right back on the heat.

[ChippersMommy]

Ok I will try that- thanks so much for the tips. However I do have a few questions about the warm water bath-

1. Should it be in a shallow casserole dish, a tupperware bowl, the kitchen sink, a plastic clear Steralite 6 qt 'shoebox' tote (unused of course), bathtub, etc;??? --i def dont wanna do the wrong thing lol

2. Should it be warm like a newborn baby warm or warm like childs warm?

3. Do i actually wash her during this time like with soap or something or do i just massage?

4.Should epsom salt be put in with the water?

I do not have any infants gas drops- my 4 year old has had 'bathroom problems' since birth and at age2 her pediatrician placed her on occaisional doses of miralax powder mixed in with drinks(etc) so we always have that on hand along with softgel stool softners- if needed i can go buy some infant gas drops once my husband gets home from work at 6 pm since my car wouldnt start this morning :(

I know im just being a lil over protective and panicky-im sure im over reacting but Chippers is like one of my children so i will go above and beyond to ensure she is properly cared for and comfortable at all times. As crazy as it may sound she stole my heart from day 1 and I love Chippers as if id given her life lol- guess thats the mama in me!

[ALittleNutty]

Ok I will try that- thanks so much for the tips. However I do have a few questions about the warm water bath-

1. Should it be in a shallow casserole dish, a tupperware bowl, the kitchen sink, a plastic clear Steralite 6 qt 'shoebox' tote (unused of course), bathtub, etc;??? --i def dont wanna do the wrong thing lol

2. Should it be warm like a newborn baby warm or warm like childs warm?

3. Do i actually wash her during this time like with soap or something or do i just massage?

4.Should epsom salt be put in with the water?

I do not have any infants gas drops- my 4 year old has had 'bathroom problems' since birth and at age2 her pediatrician placed her on occaisional doses of miralax powder mixed in with drinks(etc) so we always have that on hand along with softgel stool softners- if needed i can go buy some infant gas drops once my husband gets home from work at 6 pm since my car wouldnt start this morning :(

I know im just being a lil over protective and panicky-im sure im over reacting but Chippers is like one of my children so i will go above and beyond to ensure she is properly cared for and comfortable at all times. As crazy as it may sound she stole my heart from day 1 and I love Chippers as if id given her life lol- guess thats the mama in me!

Sorry it's taken me so long to respond. Just got through with feeding and a trip to the Post Office.

You can use something like an old cool whip bowl or such. Just whatever is on hand that you can get the squirrel chest deep into and have room for your hands to hold her and massage her belly. You don't need to add anything but if her fur is a little messy this would be a good time to use just a couple of drops of Dawn dish washing liquid (or whatever you use as long as it's not the kind with bleaching agents) and go ahead and bathe her. Be sure to rinse well. You want the water very warm but not hot. Don't pour water over her head but just gently wipe her head and face with your wet hand. You don't need to lather her up either. Have another bowl of warm rinse water handy. If you soak her again later skip the soap and use just plain water.

You can hold her with your finger and thumb around her chest just up under her arms, just ease her slowly into the water and talk softly. She may struggle a bit but some actually end up enjoying it, especially if they poop or pass gas. They feel so much better.

I would try this several times before getting the gas drops.

Squirrels are excellent at stealing our hearts in mere seconds. :)

[ChippersMommy]

Hello all my TSB friends- Great News!! Chippers is all better now!! Ive had an exciting day between Chippers not pottying and both of our cars tearing up at the same time (luckily i was able to fix one and begin fixing the other before it got dark)

So heres the update: Out of fear that i may had accidently added an extra bit of Heavy Whipping Cream to the batch of formula that i prepared since her symptoms began after first feeding from that batch- i threw that batch out and made a fresh back being extra careful to make sure my measurements were exact. I gave her the warm water soak as suggested - dried her off and got her back warm then tried to stimulate her- still nothing..... It was a lil past time for her next feeding and i still hadnt got her to potty so i took the chance and fed her from the fresh batch- after eating 6 cc's she peed & pooed with ease!! I was sooo relieved. and the rest of the evening has been normal as well.
So i came to the conclusion that i must have accidentally added a lil extra cream than normal without noticing that i did.

So Chippers is back to her normal active self- the bloat is gone and she is pottying normally. Both eyes are fully opened today and she has begun picking up her chew stick (popsicle/craft stick) and holding it. She is climbing and playing and staying awake more often and is doing great!! I am soo glad to have my SB friends to help me thru this amazing journey. :)

[DarkLies212]

I think I remember reading somewhere that Popsicle/craft sticks aren't very good because they splinter so much.
Might just be some more bad info I read somewhere, though I"m not positive...

[ALittleNutty]

Glad to hear Chippers is feeling much better. For future reference though you could have just added a bit of water to the first batch of formula to thin it down just a bit. That stuff is soooo expensive I try not to waste a drop if I can avoid it.