Is My 3 Month Old Constipated?

Does she usually sleep on her tummy? My pediatrician advised not letting my little one sleep on her tummy due to increased SIDS risk, quoting the BACK to sleep method.
My infant grunted for a few weeks around the age you are speaking of. We tried mylicon drops for constipation but it didnt help. It eventually passed on its own. The baby is ever growing and developing and this is just a part of it. It will pass soon!

If it helps ease your mind, Dr. Jack Newman (leader in the breastfeeding world) says in his book (Ultimate Book of Answers) that the longest he's seen a breastfeeding baby go without pooping is 30 days!

That being said, gas can be just as painful as constipation, and as long as her BMs are soft, not hard, then it's probably safe to say that it's gas. Sleeping peacefully is probably an indicator that it's more comfortable for her to be in a more upright position right now.

Just keep doing what you're doing, use Gripe water and other suggestions from the moms here, and don't assume that it's something that YOU ate. Babies have a very immature digestive system that's still closing and learning to digest food, and this isn't going to change until around 6 months. Then, you'll have another change in the digestive system when you introduce solids. It's just never-ending :)

Although it's possible that she may have gas I doubt that she's constipated. Exclusively breastfed babies are hardly constipated (an advantage of breast milk) and it's normal for them to skip BMs even up to 7 days. My daughter, exclusively breastfed now for 6 months skips a poop or two from time to time. Also, breastfed babies have a very loose BMs as opposed to formula-fed babies.

I think you should look into growth spurts which puts your little one right around that time. They get fussy, inconsolable, needy, and wanting to feed very often. Sometimes babies just want to be held and be close to their Mamas and find comfort in their warmth.

I hope your little one feels much better soon! Good Luck!

I would try gripe water... It sounds more like gas than constipation to me. If she was constipated, her BMs should have been hard, not soft. Also, since you are nursing her, she should be able to go 3-5 days without a BM before she's considered 'constipated. My DD was very regular when she was very young, and once she turned around the same age as your DD her BM 'schedule' changed, and she started having very irregular BMs. After a while they got regular again. The things that usually trigger gas pains in my DD are excess milk (more than usual amount) broccoli, asparagus, really spicy food, stuff like that. You might also try an abdominal massage. After a nice, warm bath, lay her on top of her diaper, use a little lotion, and stroke hand-over-hand from her belly button down for a little while. Then, using the heel of your hand, (starting from her right side and working to her left) rub small clockwise circles in the area under her belly button. You could also do the 'I Love You' stroke; trace the shape of an 'I' on her right side, 'L' in the center, and 'U' on her left. I usually end with the hand-over-hand thing. This usually calms my DD right down when she's having gas issues, or gets things moving when she's constipated. Use the same amount of pressure on her as would be comfortable on your eye, so you don't rub too hard. Good luck! :)

The best infant constipation trick that I know is: mix a spoonful of Karo syrup with an ounce of warm water and give it to her in a bottle. It will work like GANGBUSTERS, so be prepared for a blowout! But I'm wondering if she's just got some gas... in which case the football hold, or holding her on her tummy across your knees, is a good way to relieve her discomfort. Unless your doctor has told you otherwise, I'm wondering why you're putting your baby to sleep on her tummy at all? All babies that small should be sleeping on their backs still. I hope she's feeling better by now and good luck.

I agree it could be gas. My son is exclusively breastfed too and he only poops every few days. My doc said not to worry unless it goes over a week between poops. He strains when he goes too, making little grunting noises, his face turning bright red. I figure it's normal, they're still learning how to do everything, including poop!

She may just have gas and I know you can use mylicon for that...if her bm's were harder I would say constipation...for constipation at a young age, my doc said DARK karo syrup mixed with milk and it worked like a champ!! I just did a few drops at first since it was new and put in a bit more until he had a bm

Hi -- assuming that her discomfort is because of gas, and not constipation...my pediatrician said that babies between 3 and 4 months rarely poop. And it was true for my son -- he was born in March 2007, and in July of that year he pooped a total of three times (I remember it precisely even now because I thought it was so weird and I had never heard of it before!).

Good luck,
B.

Call her doctor-I'm sure she's fine, but you will want to get his/her opinion. Back in the old days our babies slept on their tummies-I'm curious-do you always put your baby on her tummy? The standard is to put them on their back-I just thought this was interesting!

That sounds exactly like what happened to my son when he was 4 months old. I went back to work, and was so happy to be able to frequent my favorite cafe for a mocha. Well, low and behold, my poor son was constipated for days! He would strain, turn all red, and I didn't know what to do. I also found that if I ate onions and garlic, that did it to him too. So, I had to be off chocolate, caffeine, onions and garlic for the 8 months that I nursed him. The doctor suggested giving him watered down apple juice to help him with his BMs and that finally worked. Good luck!

Have you tried a warm towel on her tummy?