I’m a doctor – here’s how the rule of 7s will reveal if your baby is pooing enough

IT’S something all parents will spend a lot of time obsessing about – how much their baby poos.

The issue is a topic that will come up a lot, especially for first time parents.

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What is normal and what is a worry is a constant theme for mums and dads.

But an expert is here to save the day, and stop a lot of fretting.

Dr Carole Keim, dubbed ‘doctor at your door’, gives parents advice and tips on TikTok.

A worried mum had asked “is it normal for a seven week old baby to not have a bowel movement for five plus days?”.

Dr Keim told her to not be concerned and to go by the rule of sevens.

She explained: “The rule of sevens is that anything from once in seven days or once in a week or up to seven days times a day is considered normal when babies are on a full formula or breastfeeding diet.”

The NHS says babies do an average of four poos a day in their first week of life, but this tends to drop to around two a day by the time they are one-year-old.

Newborn babies who are breastfed may fill their nappy at each feed in the earlier weeks, but after about six weeks may not at all for several days.

Babies fed on formula might poo up to five times a day initially, but then go down to around once a day in a few months.

It’s also worth remembering even if a baby hasn’t had a poo for a few days, they don’t count as constipated as long as it is soft.

Last year we told how a baby guru revealed an easy massage to relieve babies with constipation.

Elina Furmanm, who is a mum and certified massage instructor, shared a video onTikTokshowing her useful parenting tip.

For children who are constipated, Elina, who is the CEO of Kahlmi which specialises in baby massage, explains that pressing a few pressure points on the soles of their feet is all you need to help your little one out.

While demonstrating her movements, she said in the video: “First with reflexology just rub across the small intestine and the large intestine, then make small circles in the middle of the foot.”