Constipation

i bf and suppliment with formula. A few days ago one started straining really hard to go potty and then it became an all the time thing. He didnt want to eat or sleep, just strain to go. Yesterday i felt so bad for him i assisted with the thermometer, but within just a minute or two there was traces of blood and i stopped, even though i was as gentle as possible. Now they are both straining to go poop all the time. Is there something i can give them to help them? i have heard maybe flaxseed oil or a tiny bit of prune juice, but i dont know if this is accurate or how much. Thanks.


Kenneth and Ian are 3 weeks old today

 

I found this website to be helpful when we struggled with constipation:
http://www.babycareadvice.com/babycare/mic...ipation.old.htm
When our twosome were that little, we did the tsp of karo syrup with cooled boiled water solution and that always seemed to get the works going. Also check with your pediatrician for some tips too. Good luck!

 

mine had the same problem too. I used karyo syrup and also tried prune juice. They both worked for us.

 

Karo syrup in their bottles, or some flaxseed oil, or prune juice have all worked for me. The prune juice stains bad when it's spit back up so I try to avoid that if I can.

 

I would call your Ped and see what they suggest. We were told to do a half ounce of pear juice to a half ounce of water. Usually did the trick.

 

Mine have trouble with constipation and the pedi told me to do a tbs of karo in their bottle twice/day or 2 oz of straight prune juice twice/day BUT - I don't know with them only being 3 weeks old. Obviously, they couldn't do 2 oz of prune juice at a time (at least mine would not have bee able to.). Mine actually have prune juice twice/day everyday because of constipation. It's so pitiful when they are constipated. They also told me to do childrens glycerin suppositories if it was really bad (cut them long ways).
Again, I would just recommend calling the pedi.

 

Our pedi told us to give prune juice. I think the ratio was 15 cc's of water to 15 cc's of prune juice. You might want to call your doc though and see what he/she recommends.

 

My DS has had constipation problems on and off since about 4 weeks, he is almost 6 months now, our pediatrician had us do 1 tbs karo syrup in 2 oz of formula or water. DS got to the point where he would only take formula with syrup in it so we had to wean him off of it. Our pediatrician then suggested we use pure maple syrup (the real stuff) 1tbs syrup to 1 tbs water, that usually helps pretty quickly. Good luck!

 

Just asked the ped about this yesterday. She said 1 oz of prune juice in the morning and if that still didn't make the poo soft/make them go better than give them an additional 1 oz before bedtime. Also she said an 1 oz of water would work and I think I'm going to go that route because prune juice has a lot of sugar in it.

 

At first i was told to massage their little bum hole. If not take temp in their little bums. That may stimulate them. The next thing I was told by my ped. if that doesn't work is 1oz of h2o and 1 oz of apple juice. All they need to drink is a half oz that should do the trick

 

A few ideas...First, is it just that they are straining or is the poop hard an pellet like. At they age it is perfectly normal for a baby to go days without pooping, but if the poop comes out hard that's a problem. My boys got mostly breastmilk, and a lot of breastfed babies go days without pooping. For the first 3-4 months, they only pooped every 2-3 days.

Second, the may be having a reaction to the formula. You may try to cut the amount down and up the breastmilk or change formulas, if this becomes a long term problem.

At that age, I'd be leery of giving them anything besides breastmilk or formula. Here are a few non-feeding related solutions. You can massage their tummy in a clockwise motion, which can help them go or you can take their little legs and press them up to their tummy and do a bicycling motion, which has worked wonders with my son Mark. For whatever reason that position loosens up the bowels.

 

Ugh, the last few days Sam has been very constipated and unhappy. I've tried everything - thermometer in the rear, glycerin suppositories, prune juice (1 oz to 3 oz water, maybe I should do undiluted), Karo syrup, miles and miles of baby bicycle. I don't know if there's anything I haven't tried!!

 

QUOTE(Rebekah J @ May 18 2009, 12:39 AM) [snapback]1317647[/snapback]
Ugh, the last few days Sam has been very constipated and unhappy. I've tried everything - thermometer in the rear, glycerin suppositories, prune juice (1 oz to 3 oz water, maybe I should do undiluted), Karo syrup, miles and miles of baby bicycle. I don't know if there's anything I haven't tried!!

You did your parital nursing marathon...it may have upped the breastmilk, which could make the baby poop less often. Was the poop pellet like or did the baby just not poop?

 

QUOTE(sullivanre @ May 17 2009, 09:46 PM) [snapback]1317658[/snapback]
You did your parital nursing marathon...it may have upped the breastmilk, which could make the baby poop less often. Was the poop pellet like or did the baby just not poop?


He hasn't pooped and he's constantly crying and straining and thrashing around.

 

QUOTE(Rebekah J @ May 18 2009, 06:23 AM) [snapback]1317718[/snapback]
He hasn't pooped and he's constantly crying and straining and thrashing around.

Hum, could be gas too. Did you try gas drops? In the meantime, I'd keep bicycling him. How long has it been since he pooped.

 

I would use as minimal treatment as possible because then they may start to rely on the treatment and not be able to poop without it. Breastmilk is great. I would call your ped and see what they recommend.

 

QUOTE(sullivanre @ May 18 2009, 09:11 AM) [snapback]1318076[/snapback]
Hum, could be gas too. Did you try gas drops? In the meantime, I'd keep bicycling him. How long has it been since he pooped.


I've tried gas drops too, no difference. I was checking my feeding log and it's been almore a week since he pooped! I've got a call into my Pedi.

 

My dr specifically told me that using the suppositories at this age doesn't make them reliant on them, and to use "as needed" for my dd.

Also just because it's not hard doesn't mean it's not constipation, my dd's poop is very very thick and she just can't get it out, she screams for hours on end and throws herself around, inconsolable. As soon as I use a suppository and she goes, she's fine. It's not pellety but it's still constipation.

And the oral remedies (like karo syrup, and prune/pear/apple juice), won't make them dependent on them because all it does is stimulate their digestive systems to go, actually helps them realize the feeling of needing to go poop.

This is all per my dr

Have you tried the liquid glycerin supp's?? They seem to work better for my kids than the hard glycerin ones, and much faster as the liquid doesn't have to melt!

 

QUOTE(Rebekah J @ May 18 2009, 02:10 PM) [snapback]1318280[/snapback]
I've tried gas drops too, no difference. I was checking my feeding log and it's been almore a week since he pooped! I've got a call into my Pedi.

Hmm!! I know one of my boys went 5 days without pooping. I'd go ahead and check it out with your doctor.

 

I'm not trying to be contrary here. I promise I don't know about any dependency issues for any of this stuff, but I do know that it is extremely rare for a breastfed baby to be constipated whether it's either the pellet variety poop or the thick and pasty kind. I'm not sure what % of the babies diet(s) is breastmilk and what is formula, but it would be strange if it was mostly breastmilk. That's why I personally would be a little hesitant at a very young age (less than 3 months) to give and juices or anything like that.

I think a lot of us expect our young babies to have bowel movements at a similar rate as adults, but it's not uncommon or problematic for a young breastfed infant to go days without pooping. More than 5 days is pushing it, but 3 or 4 days is no big deal as long as the poop is soupy and not thick and pasty or hard pellets. I know that it is different if babies are getting formula. However, breastfed babies are all over the place: from pooping at every feeding to pooping once or twice a week. I can't tell you how happy I was in the 2-4 months period when Eli was pooping every 2 days, and Mark was pooping every three days; granted when they pooped it was like a poop-splosion. However, as they started getting solids--the constipation and poop frequency changed a lot.

 

The doctor's guess is that Sam is dehydrated. :fool: I'm to feed him more ... He's on about 50/50 BM/F at the moment since my supply went down due to sore nipples. He's usually on about a 2/3rds BM to F diet. Since it's always a trial to get Sam to eat, and especially now when he's uncomfortable, it's gonna be interesting! She said if he hadn't pooped by Wednesday, then she wants to see him.

 

Rachel I know what you are saying I just wanted to throw out there that the standard symbol of constipation "hard pellets", isn't the only indication too! And if the baby is screaming/thrashing around that generally means something isn't moving in there, be it poop or gas The glycerin supps have helped move gas too if need be

I hope you can get Sam straightened out, I know it's no fun having a miserable babe! :hug:

 

Yay, he pooped! :woohoo: He's obviously got more to go but what a relief for all of us! It was either all of things we'd been trying (including Daddy bicycling him for 45 minutes last night) finally working or the threat to go to the doc!

They're still super gassy and uncomfortable and I'm just :drown: waiting until they grow out of it.

 

QUOTE(Danibell @ May 18 2009, 04:16 PM) [snapback]1318515[/snapback]
Rachel I know what you are saying I just wanted to throw out there that the standard symbol of constipation "hard pellets", isn't the only indication too! And if the baby is screaming/thrashing around that generally means something isn't moving in there, be it poop or gas The glycerin supps have helped move gas too if need be

:good: Gotcha!

QUOTE(Rebekah J @ May 18 2009, 07:23 PM) [snapback]1318719[/snapback]
Yay, he pooped! :woohoo: He's obviously got more to go but what a relief for all of us! It was either all of things we'd been trying (including Daddy bicycling him for 45 minutes last night) finally working or the threat to go to the doc!

They're still super gassy and uncomfortable and I'm just :drown: waiting until they grow out of it.

Yay for poop!!

Indisbelief how are you LOs doing? Any better?