Constipated?

I've always heard that babies who are formula fed have fewer BMs than BF babies....actually up to once every 3 days. I always got worried when my kiddos switched from breast to bottle because of the cycle change. But our dr told us the same thing every time.....unless baby seems to be in pain then their should be no worries. As long as baby is happy, then dont' worry about it. Good luck and congrats on your new little princess!!
A. K

My daughter did the same thing, but had to be switched to Nutramigen because she had a milk protein allergy and couldn't break down the formula by herself. But when she was constipated, I hated using the suppositories, too. A friend of mine suggested MiraLAX and it worked wonderfully. My pediatrician even suggested it when he returned my call. It is an over-the-counter powder that you mix with water, milk, juice or even food. There isn't a dosage for babies, but I started with a 1/2 teaspoon in her bottles and waited a day or so then increased by 1/2 teaspoons. She was about 4 months old at the time and 1 1/2 teaspoon got her going and just to keep her regular, I would used about 1/2 teaspoon every day in her morning bottle. It is non-addictive, so there's no worry that she'll HAVE to have it in order to go and that's what I liked about it. Also, if you want to give her juice, you can use Gerber Prune Juice, but dilute it 1/4 juice and 3/4 water. I'd prefer the MiraLAX in her regular bottle, myself. Hope this helps!!

I had the same problem with my daughter. I ended up switching her formula to Enfamil Gentleease. I would also make a 4 ounce bottle of half apple juice (I used the Gerber juice for babies) and half water. I would give her that throughout the day along with her formula. As long as she had that she seemed to stay regulated. She would only go once a day maybe twice. Before I got her on the right formula I would give her half a suppository when she hadn't gone in more than 3 days. Her doctors weren't much help they just said that she was learning how to use those muscles and would work itself out. So I pretty much had to figure it out on my own and they didn't like the fact that I was giving her extra juice and water before she was 6 months but I had to do what was right for her and it wasn't hurting her any because she still ate her formula like she should. She just turned a year in September and to this day I have to make sure she gets enough fruit and veggies and watch her intake on milk and cheese products so she doesn't get constipated. Anyway I hope this helps.

Hey E.!

My son was formula-fed. Babies on formula do not have as many BM's as breastmilk babies. There is generally nothing wrong. Sometimes, my son would go 5-6 days without a BM. The first time I took him to the doctor, but she wasn't concerned at all and said to only bring him if he acted like he was in pain about it or extremely fussy. He was like that until he was a little older like 3-4 months.

I wouldn't suggest giving her juice. Her little system is too young for the natural sugars in the fruit. It could cause allergies too. I also would not suggest a suppository. Once again, she is probably too young.

If you are concerned, give your doctor a call. For things like that, they sometimes will just answer your questions over the phone.

Hopefully this helps!

L.

I remember with both my girls that at around 1 month their BM's changed. One of my friends (who had 4 kids and had seen it plenty) called it "getting her system adjusted". After she told me that I looked it up and found it in the baby book. I wouldn't use the apple juice or the suppositories, she is too young for such harsh measures. Try just giving her a bottle of just water, just getting more liquids will help her some too. I seem to remember them going as much as a week between, and boy when they went it was a blowout! You will get into a routine with it and be able to say, "o today is a poo day, let's stay close to home", or put her in clothes that can get stained. Good luck, you are being a good mom to worry! A.

I would definitly say call your doctor, thats what they are there for. And if you're not comfortable calling them about these things I say find another doctor. Good Luck.

hello E..

i have a question. why did you switch from breast to formula while your baby girl is still so young? she is sooo young to go through such an abrupt change in diet. and as for the apple juice, i disagree on that as an option. Her digestive system is too new to handle juices at this time. The suppositories for infants will help if she is constipated. i had to use them for my 2nd child who also had difficulty with formulas. They saved his life, I'm sure and caused no ill effects later down the road!

If possible, I would go back to breast feeding her even if it means you have to pump the milk and feed her at times with a bottle. Her system is in shock from the change. And NO i'm not fussing at you or accusing you of screwing up. Not at all, so please don't be offended by my words. I'm only wanting to be clear in my communication based on my experience and knowledge after having raised 3 who are now full grown and healthy as horses!

God bless you and your little one! good luck. and write again if you feel the need.

D.

Hey E.. We went through the same thing with my daugther, who is 11 weeks old now. Everytime she gets irregular like that I mix an ounce of apple juice and an ounce of prune juice in a bottle and feed it to her. It could be in the middle of feedings or when she eats. My daughter eats 5 ounces of milk now so I'll give her the 2 ounces of apple/prune juice mix and 3 ounces of milk. She'll normally have a BM within 24 hours. It may be a darker color than normal. I have also given her white grape juice and this has also helped. I was also told a teaspoon of KARO in a milk bottle helps. I've tried it and it didn't do anything. All babies are different though. Hope this helps!

Hi E.. My daughter had horrible constipation problems...so bad that when she did finally have a BM it would be bloody. It turned out she was lactose and soy intolerant so we had to switch her formula to Nutramigen. It was smooth sailing after that. In the meantime, the Karo syrup which many people have suggested on here does in fact work for the constipation, however, the high concentration of sugar is bad for the teeth and caused extreme hyperness in my daughter. Apple juice also works but is very hard on the tiny tummy. My pediatrician suggested pear juice and it worked the best for us. It's easier on the tummy because it doesn't produce as much excess gas and works great as a laxative. I gave it to her 1/2 juice 1/2 water in between milk bottles. If you continue to have constipation problems you might need a different formula.

Hi

If she is having runny stools then she is not constipated, the do not have to have a bm everyday it is fine. You will know when she is constipated it will be hard and not very much, when my son was that age he was really bad, and my pediatrician told me to use glycerin suppositories and Karo syrup at each bottle feeding, and after a month old to put it in plain water because water is a natural laxative, but of course I would contact your own ped. and see what they say. Also I was out of state one weekend and he was really bad constipated and I went to a health food store and bought some natural drops for infant constipation and I gave it to him a few times and he has had no problems since then.

But definetly NO JUIcE her body can not handle it at that age, my opinion and most ped. will say the same.

Hope this helps.

M. H

Glycerin suppositories won't hurt her - they're baically just compacted oil. Inserting them stimulates teh bowel to contract, and it melts quickly, providing lubrication to make the process of passing hardened feces easier.
Soy formula often does cause constipation. If you give fruit juice, dilute it 50-50 with water. Give straight fruit juice that young, and you'll have diarrhea instead of constipation.

Whoever suggested the juice was not paying attention to the age of your baby. Yes, she is constipated - their little bodies cant "push" at the age and the change in diet is causing the problem. It will take her some time to adjust. I had the same situation with mine whan I switched her to solids at 6 months. I used the pediatric suppositories - just the tip of one worked. You insert the very end for a minute or two and will be soon rewarded. You might want to wear gloves. I also used "bed pads", avialable where adult incontinence items are sold, to change my girls on. They travel well (great for use at public changers), and are disposable in the event of any messes. I hope this helps :}

unfortunately, it is normal for babies to have a hard time transitioning from breast to formula. My son went through the same thing. His pediatrician told me to use glycerine suppositories to get him to poop. I would not give a 5 week old baby apple juice. Their bodies are not ready to digest anything like that yet.

My daughter was constipated around 8 weeks. I called my docter he said to use 1/4 teaspoon karo (the light) for a four oz bottle twice daily. Also use a suppository, you can find them for babies, PediLax. I had a hard time finding the baby ones so the pharmasist told me I could use the childrens suppository but cut it length wise in half. I did cut it length wise but I also cut a little off the bottom too. Any ways my doctor told me to use suppositories as needed. I did this for a couple of days and it was corrected. Make sure when she does poop that you find some consistancy in the poop. You don't want it completely watery. You need it mushy. Why I say this is because if it is just really watery, it means it is compacted in her. So make sure there is some mushy poop not just watery. I know this sounds gross but this is what my doctor told me. You should not have a problem if you use the suppositories. Good luck.

Please call your doctor. Could you start brestfeeding again? There is no constipation with breastfed babies. 4 and half weeks is so young to give anything but from the doctor or your breast. God bless,
N.

Well, I know that a week of no BMs is considered constipated for a breastfed baby; I don't know about formula fed. If my son went seven days without a BM, then I gave him an ounce or two of prune juice and that really cleared him out. He only went through a brief phase of constipation at around four months, but got past that just fine. Also, a suppository isn't always necessary - sometimes just inserting a rectal thermometer is enough to stimulate the bowels. I learned that in "Baby 411" by Denise Fields and Ari Brown, one of my primary infant references. I don't know about the poop color, though I know formula poops are different consistency and smell from breast milk. I also don't know when an infant can safely begin drinking juice, though I only ever gave prune juice as a laxative, and no other juices before a year of age.

And while I'm sure you know that breastmilk is best, please don't beat yourself up for switching to formula - sometimes things just work out better for mother and infant to change methods. I started supplementing with formula when I returned to school (my son was 6 months when my freezer stockpile was used up); I found I could either maintain the milk supply for the sitters to use, or I could get uninterrupted sleep at night, but I couldn't manage both. And I decided an alert and happier mother was more important than having an exclusively breast-fed baby. And besides, I was only fed formula as an infant and I still came out all right. :D So do what works best for your situation; it will all come out right.

Hi E.
I must admit both of my daughters had alot of trouble with this issue. With my first daughter I was told to use the apple juice and suppositories. HOWEVER, when I took my youngest to the Dr. she recommended using a teaspoon of Karo syrup in her milk. The dark works the best. So I did and WOW!!!! Yes it worked wonders and was not harsh on her little tummy! I did continue to use it ANY time she went several days without using the bathroom! AND one more thing.... for them not to have a BM for several days is normal! Let her continue without anything as long as she is eating and not fussy. When she becomes that way, then use something to help her! GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!

I went through that with my son at about the same age and our Dr said NO juice but to use Dark Karo syrup. To be on the safe side you should call your dr.

And what does your pediatrician say??

You can try a little dilluted juice (1/4 juice, 3/4 water). With my daughter, a small dribble of white Caro syrup in her drink works every time. It usually takes several hours to get all the way through, but always has good results.
J.

I have had my share of constipated days with my daughter. She is 20 months now, and we are still dealing with it. If your daughter is having runny BMs I don't know if I would say she was constipated. My daughter got to where it would be days at a time before she would have one at all, and even then it would be really hard. It was a struggle for her to get it out. My doctor told me to give her pear juice at 3 weeks. It's not supposed to be as harsh for their bellies. You could also try karo syrup in her bottles. It worked for mine for a while. My daughter was just put on Miralax yesterday, but I think yours is far too young for that. My doctor wouldn't allow me to give my daughter Miralax until she was over 1. I hope this helps. Good luck to you!

The change from breat milk to formula can cause all of this. When I switched my kids, it happened to them. Instead of apple juice (which her stomach may not be ready for) or a suppository, try slightly lubricating your rectal thermometer and taking her temperature, so to speak. If you use the thermometer, inserting not much further than if you were taking her temperature, and VERY slightly rotate it in her rectum, it will often cause a BM. This is what my pediatrician recommended and it worked great. Be sure to have a diaper under her or there may be a big mess! Also, I wouldn't worry about this too much if she if not fussing with a belly ache or if she doesn't go more than 3 days without a BM.

Also - once you begin supplementing cereal in her bottles, you can add about a teaspoon to a tablesppon (depending on how much she eats) of dark Karo syrup into her bottle. That will help as well.

Hope this helps!

hey E.,

i would definitely ask the pediatrician. i remember some of those days and like you i preferred to not use a suppository. My pediatrician suggesten taking a q-tip with some vaseline on the end and gently inserting it in her rectum about half the length of the cotton end on the q-tip and no more.... just to stimulate a bowel movement. There are also other things but i would ask your doctor for the best advice in their opinion. oh and you do not need a doctor's appt. just call in and lv a message with the nurse and let her know you want several options. the doc or most likely the nurse will call you back.
oh and your back can become so constipated that they vomit. just in case you see this... but again if this happens call the doctor.
best wishes,
-mb

Hi,
Just dropping a note I hope you can use. You know some people don't know that babies need water even when nursing or just on formula. They get dehydrated just like big people. I suggest a little water. There is also a little cure for constipation I know: you use a tsp of cornsyrup in the baby's bottle of water. Never substitute with honey. A child under one year of age should never have whole milk or honey.

No no no apple juice!! Nothing except breastmilk or formula till at the VERY least 4 months of age (better yet, 5-6 months, if you ask me).

No suppositories or anything else without your baby's dr.'s go-ahead, either.

A runny stool is not constipation. Constipation is signaled by hard, difficult-to-pass stools. Not runny at all.

Absolutely call your baby's doctor. Just to find out what his or her opinion is. You should always feel comfortable calling your baby's doctor about any question about your baby's health. S/he might want you to come in, or might be able to answer your question over the phone (or have the nurse call you and do the same).

L.

My doctor told me to put my son in a warm bath and massage his stomach, Just be prepared to get them out fast cause it does make a mess. He also told me to insert a rectal thermater for a few seconds. Do not use a suppository. Watered down apple juice is better. Hope this helps...

Hello E.,
My daughter was having a similar problem. I use dark karo syrup in the morning bottle. I put 1 teaspoon in a 4oz bottle and 2 teaspoons in a 8oz bottle. I wouldn't give your baby apple juice yet, just because of the acid and her age. I hope this helps. Good luck.
R.