S.D. asks from South Rockwood, MI on August 27, 2007
10 Week Old Son Not Pooping
I have a 10 week old son and he is a bottle fed baby. He will go 6-7 days at a time without pooping. I have been giving him a little prune juice as well as some Apple juice. Neither seems to really work. I got him to go today by giving him an anal temp, but it had been 6 days since his last bowel movement. This has been a problem since birth. Has anyone else experienced this, and is it normal for a baby to go that long with no bowel movement? His pediatrician seems to think he should be going every day or every other day. I have even changed his formula a few different times, and nothing seems to work. Any suggestions??
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A.S. answers from Detroit on September 12, 2007
I had this problem when my daughter was little. I got a gel enema for babies from Rite-Aid. I cut it in half and held it in her butt for about 1-2 minutes. I didn't let the whole thing dissolve either, cause that's too much for someone so little. It would work within a day.
R.W. answers from Jackson on September 04, 2007
if he is on an iron fortified Formula, make the switch to a low iron. Iron fortified formulas can/will make some babies constipated. You may need to switch him from a Cow Milk formula to Soy (or vice versa) He may also need a bit of extra water in his bottle as well.
Try not to switch his formula TOO often. It takes a MINIMUM of 2 weeks and often a MONTH for the body to get used to new formula.
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C.P. answers from Kalamazoo on August 27, 2007
Hi, I'm a mom of two. my first got constipated quite often too and she was on the nestle goodstart formula. The Ped said that the iron in the formula can be constipating to alot of babies. I think they still make one or two formulas that dont have the extra iron in them I just can't think of the name. If you aks your Ped or WIC they might know of one or two without iron that you could try. For the constipation I would try the dark Karo syrup, it always worked for my daughter. I just put a little in a warm 2 to 4 ounce bottle and she was pooping by the end of the day. Good luck. I hope this helps.
C.
M. answers from Detroit on August 28, 2007
I just wanted to let you know that mt 5 week old daughter is also going through the same thing and that the only way I got her to go was also anal temp. My peditrition told is prune juice as well and we are still waiting. He told me however it can take a while for their dijestive tract to become normal and not to become to concerned as long as she is drinking normally and peeing normal. but please let me know if you find anything that works. I still haven't changed formula but that could be next. Good luck if I hear of anything i will let you know sincerely, M. b
L.H. answers from Detroit on August 28, 2007
Call your pediatrician about putting Caro dark corn syrup in his bottles. GOOD LUCK!!!
H.W. answers from Grand Rapids on August 29, 2007
Has your pediatrician looked into why your son has this problem? It seems like you would need to know this to find a solution. It is not normal to go that long without pooping. It is probably not serious but I believe constipation can be a sign of other problems or it can just be dehydration or something he's eating.
L.N. answers from Benton Harbor on August 27, 2007
Hi S.~
I have a 3 year old who has been a problem pooper since birth. He would get so constipated he would bleed when he could finally go. Dr. said he could go a day or so without, but if he went into the third day, we should give him a glycerine suppository. I doubted the Karo b/c I was concerned about it making him fat...lol. Dr. said the sugar stays in their gut so not to worry. I used a Tbsp or so (dark Karo) in every bottle and it worked. However, three years and two impactions later he is now on Miralax every day with great results. Trust me, I have tried every remedy you can think of to no avail. Now, Im def. NOT saying you should put your baby on Miralax, just letting you know that it may be a prob that you battle forever. Just keep your doc in the loop and stay mindful of the days between....and try the Karo, it worked wonders for us. It does spoil them a little, though...my son wouldn't take plain formula after he tasted the sweet Karo...lol!
Good luck!
~L.
K.S. answers from Lansing on August 31, 2007
My girls did the same thing the Karo syrup only works for so long. We are now on Miralax. It's a non addictive laxative. My dr's office sent them both to A GI doctor to make sure there was not blockage or structural abnormalities. Theres only one in the are so it takes a while to get in. Another thing Is I would definatly try soy.
A.W. answers from Grand Rapids on August 28, 2007
When he poops, is it normal, soft consistency, or is it hard? Both my kids, although they were breastfed at the time, would only go once a week when they were that age. My son even went TEN DAYS without pooping when he was about a month old. When they finally went, it was soft (and sometimes a BIG mess!). My doctor explained that their bodies were simply using most of the food they were taking in, which is why they didn't need to poop more than once a week. He told me not to worry and not to do anything about it. As they got older, they began to go more frequently. I have noticed that different doctors have different opinions, that's for sure!
If he's constipated and his poops are coming out hard when he finally goes, then we're talking about a different situation. I would definitely check with your doctor's office before trying anything on your own with a 10 week old.
Hope this helps.
-A.
A.S. answers from Detroit on September 12, 2007
I had this problem when my daughter was little. I got a gel enema for babies from Rite-Aid. I cut it in half and held it in her butt for about 1-2 minutes. I didn't let the whole thing dissolve either, cause that's too much for someone so little. It would work within a day.
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