Is it normal for a 3 month old on formula to go 3-5 days without a bowel movement? He usually goes every 3 days but this time didn't go for almost 5 days and it was more solid than usual.
So far 1/2 oz of watered down apple juice is working for him.
I have an almost 3 months old who recently began having the same problem after starting formula. Her doc recommends 1 tsp of dark brown sugar instead of Karo syrup. I have tried this 2 times after 5 days with no BM and it has worked quickly both times. Hope that helps.
It is normal unless he is showing some discomfort. If he starts to show signs of being in pain or trying to go but isn't then I would get some glycerin sticks from the store (walmart, walgreens, cvs) and us those. We had to do that a few times with my oldest and once or twice with my youngest. It helped and they went just fine afterwards. Sometimes they just get stopped up. In fact, my mom used them on my great nephew a few weeks ago when he'd not gone for 5 days and was feeling discomfort. They are easy to use, just have a diaper underneith ready to catch whatever may come out after you've inserted the stick. Good luck and God Bless.
Check with your doctor...1st mine recommended prune juice (1oz a day) or karo syrup (1tsp per bottle). However, thru trial and error...lots of errors...it was the TYPE of formula that was causing the constipation. In my daughter's cause Enfamil products gave her SEVERE abdominal discomfort and constipation all the time. We switched to Similac advanced with early shield and she became a whole new baby. She poops regularly and has a lot less gas and discomfort. However...check with yoru doctor first. Some babies act the opposite way...similac constipates some and enfamil makes for looser stool. Just my expereince with same thing...my baby is 11 weeks and we went through 8 formulas before we switched and found tummy happiness. Godo luck.
If i were you I would change this baby to a soy based formula. Call his DR and see if it is okay. My operception is that babies should not be constipated. If soy doesn't work then a DR visit is probably needed.
Hi J.! I have an almost 5 year old daughter that use to do that. I mean ALL THE TIME!! She finally got diagnose with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). It unfortunately runs in the family. One of the main things that helped her at this young age was either a tablespoon of brown sugar or dark Karo syrup. Believe it or not those are natural laxatives. I would only start with a tbsp for a couple of days. Do it with each bottle. Then if that starts helping you can eventually cut back to only a few or a couple of bottles a day. If for some reason that doesn't help then add another tablespoon until your little guy bust loose. Another thing you can do is buy some baby suppositories. They sell them over the counter. Just talk to the pharmicist and they can help you out. Good luck and I hope this helps you in some way.
~S.
*mother of three (7, 5, and 2)
No, that does not sound normal. Sounds like your baby is constipated. It could be the formula. It could be he's not getting enough water. It could be that he's lactose intolerant. It could be a number of things. I suggest talking to your pediatrician first about your concerns before trying anything suggested by this forum. (I'm a nurse by the way.)
My five yr old was constipated for 3 days when she was three months and I had just switched her to formula when it happened.I had to put vasiline on a thermometer and as much as I hated it I had to insert it in her rectum about once a day to help her get it out.I think you should ask his doctor about alternatives to help him release it easier.Karo or Kyro syrup I forget how to spell it is suppose to help them pass it along also.Hope this helps:)
No it's not normal. It should go out as often as it goes in.
I would ask my doctor just to make sure. 2 of mine had that issue when they were babies and i had to change formulas.
I went through this with my kids I was very concerned but was told not to let it go longer than a week.You can help baby take warm baths massage tummy and stimulate the legs in an upwards bicycle motion to get the bowels a moving.It helps if baby is straing take diaper off and lay baby down with it under neith and dod the strokes on the tummy.
my daughter would sometimes go 5-7 days and the doctor said that as long as she didnt seem to be in pain trying to poop, then she was probably fine.
I agree with Sarah. You can also get infant glycerin suppositories from walmart (or any pharmacy) and that helps to soften the stool if there is any in there and won't hurt him at all. Babies can go a week w/o a bm. I have breastfed all of mine, and a few times it would be 10 days with no b/m. If your son is not cranky or hurting then I really wouldn't worry about it too much at this point. He is just using all of the food he is taking in.
~A.~ (mom of 6, #7 due any day)
My boy has this problem from time to time. We put a little Karo syrup in each of his bottles and it does the trick. I thought my mother in law was crazy when she said to do it, but it does work. When in doubt though I would call my pedi.
no no no .. please call your dr. Baby is probably cramping alot since unable to poop. Alternate formula w/ bottle of just water. Or some cammomile tea... non caffinated! Just simmer and drain.. its how my kids were raised, give it to him kind of warm.. like a warm bottle.. Also the formula you are using may be the cause... Call your dr. constipation is no fun.. and babies cant talk he cant tell you to help him. Please call your dr. now.. and ask for formula recommendation.. and give baby some water. Good luck and let me know if he goes, soon...
That is NOT normal. You need to call your Pediatrician asap! See if your Pediatrician recommends a different brand of formula. I know Enfamil is very constipating!!
