3 Month Old Son

i would not give him sugar water or karo syrup, that isn't recommended by most professionals for another couple of months (usually around 4-5 months). Continue nursing or formula, but don't add in any of those extras, though a little bit of water may help.

If you are nursing, be sure you have lots of healthy fiber in your diet. If you are formula feeding, perhaps you can change formulas? Is he on iron drops? That can sometimes cause constipation. What does your pediatrician say? he/she can probably recommend something.

"You may also want to apply a small amount of water-based lubricant to your baby's anus to ease the passage of hard stools. Don't use mineral oil, laxatives or enemas to treat infant constipation. "

from here:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/infant-constipation/AN01089

lots of great advice here:
http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKe...

2 moms found this helpful

When our son was 3 months old and was constipated like that the dr advised us to give him a baby medicine dropper full of apple juice or predialight. It cleared him up right away. Sure it was a little runny but after a few hours he was pooping ok. Yes it is normal for them to go a day or two with out going but if he's bringing himself to tears he really needs to go. try that. Good luck

1 mom found this helpful

Hi A.,

Prunes work great. I still rely on prune juice for my 6 and 4 year old. The bicycle movements and rubbing of tummy will also help. Now that my kids are older I just take them swimming and that usually relieves their constipation. I hope the little guy is regular soon.

Resh

Is he formula fed? That causes constipation in babies alot. Dark Karo syrup in a bottle with water is what my Ped. reccomended for my kids when they were infants. Or juice, not just prune but any juice. Call your Ped. and ask if there is anything you can give him to help.

try massaging his lower belly, always in a clockwise direction, and moving his legs like walking/running

How about some prunes (baby food). Check with your doctor first. If you
are not satisfied with how things are going, consider a pediatric G.I. doc.
Sugar water and karo syrup are the standards, so if that is not working
you need to see doc.

You have to keep trying with the water. Slowly, this is what i did for my daughter when she was just weeks old. Eventually the water will kick in, and help him go.

my daughter was a older than your son i wanna say 4-5 months but no joke she wouldn't go for 2 weeks at a time...it was scary especially when she finally went...you can only imagine. is he formula fed or breastfed? and when he does go is it normal? if he passes gas and such i wouldn't worry too much. maybe a walk outside or warm bath would settle him down i'm sure he's tired after the ordeal. i know its sad to see the little ones struggle but trust me its the first hurdle you will overcome together. their little systems are so new and the muscles are still getting stronger and stronger that takes a lot of effort to pass bowels ya know? not trying to be gross or take it too lightly just keep your doctor up to date with the issues rub his back and do all your loving mommy tricks and you guys will be fine.

there is a techique of pressing your thumbs on either side of the buttocks and that helps stimulate them "to go" you could ask the professionals about that since i cannot describe how to.

The ped is right that it's normal for babies to go a while without a BM. Constipation refers to the consistency of the poop (hard), not to the amount of time between BMs. However, if he's straining hard to poop and it's hard when he goes, then he's constipated, and that's not normal.

I'm guessing he is formula fed? (I've never heard of an exclusively breastfed baby getting constipated like that) You may want to try changing his formula. As for treating the constipation, there are different things you could try, but I would talk to the pediatrician first because he's still so little. I would avoid karo syrup, though -- it can contain botulism, which is the same reason we avoid honey until 1 year.

If you are giving him anything beyond formula/breastmilk (like rice in his bottle), stop. That will be constipating. If you're giving him iron supplements, stop that for now too. Glycerin suppositories are very effective in treating constipation, but given his age, I would NOT use them without speaking to the pediatrician first. Good luck!