Newborn Bowel Movements

My firstborn spent her first 4 months in the neonatal intensive care unit where the nurses monitored everything including bowel movements and how often she would have them. If the babies didn't have a bowel movement after a certain period of time (I don't remember what it was) they would give the babies a glycerin suppository or liquid glycerin. It worked great for my daughter and sometimes she would have a bowel movement almost instantly.
You could ask your pediatrician about it and here is also a link with more info.
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T081100.asp

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Sorry you're going through this and so early! I didn't go through it with DD until she started rice cereal. My ped's office suggested the karo syrup too, and I didn't want to try it because my daughter already had allergy problems to milk and wheat. I ended up trying it though because she was in so much pain (I think she went something like 17 days without pooping and the ped's office just said, don't worry...the record is four weeks). The karo didn't work but she had an allergic reaction to it, and now three, is still allergic to corn...and corn is a huge problem because it's in everything (I will never know if giving her the karo syrup is what caused her allergy). It sounds as if your daughter is having a reaction to the corn syrup? I wouldn't want to give her anymore but I understand your problem. I agree that if she's on formula, try a different one....milk is a very common allergen and if she's reacting to the corn syrup, she may have allergic tendencies. Please try to avoid soy though...it can affect hormones etc plus lots of people who are allergic to milk are also allergic to soy.
But read this...it says formula intolerance will cause diahrea (can't ever spell that) not the opposite:
http://www.drjen4kids.com/SickKids/constipation.htm#2
And maybe you can try GoodStart formula...some moms have had success with that:
http://www.mamasource.com/article/enfamil-gentlease-vs-go...
There's a section on this page for infants under a year:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/t081100.asp
Lots of moms also have luck with infant massage...look up infant massage constipation.
Good luck. C. D

2 moms found this helpful

If you have your baby on formula. I would try a different kind. It may be the formula. That is if your baby is on formula.

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C., I'm wondering how much Karo you are using. My oldest had this problem, I gave him one Karo bottle a day with about 1/2 to 3/4 tsp Karo for a 6 oz bottle. That was enough to keep him going regularly without blowouts. I also did leg excerces on the floor with him. Laid him on his back and pumped his legs like he was doing the bicycle or squats, this usually helped at least move gas.

Good Luck, M.

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it maybe that she is gettting to much iron in her diet , i can't take vitamins with iron , is her milk the kind with iron , my greatgrandson had that problem also his mother was not feeding him any thing but milk at age one yr, when my daughter would get him he would be stopped up ,, she gave him real food and he would be fine in a day ,, he is not with his mother any more she did not take good care of him.but any way see if that may be the problelm ok

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I agree with the advice of the other two Moms. My first thought would be that she might be allergic to something in her formula and you might try switching it to something else to see if it makes a difference. I would also use the glycerin suppositories but use them just as needed because you don't want her system to become dependent upon them in order to function properly.
R. Ann

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hi C.
this is probably old fashion, but when my son was 1-2 months old our doctor told us to made little soap suppositories, take a bar of bath soap and soften it in water, and cut off small pieces and in the softened stage, form them in to little balls (marble size) and they worked almost immediately. I don't care what some doctors say a baby needs to have a bowel movement at least every other day. Hope you find what works for you and soon.

Try just dipping a pacifier in prune juice and giving that to her. Just a few drops has always helped mine. If that isn't enough give her a bottle with 1/2 ounce water and 1/2 ounce prune juice. My son would never drink all of it, maybe a swallow, and he would almost always go soon after.

We switched between prune juice and karo syrup. Sounds like your little girl had an allergic reaction to it (which she may grow out of)...but, I do have some experience with this. Our little one was hard to get here in the first place (fertility) and then premature, and under developed digestive system. So, been there...it takes 2 (or so) months for them to adjust to breastmilk/formula. You might consider either switching formula (we switched to Similac Sensitive for fussiness and gas) or taking dairy out of your diet...taking lactose out of her food sources. This could be the culprit. We found this with Chloe...and she's a happy, pooping, farting, burping, 8 month old! (besides the biting, which I think I have under control now : ))
** despite a successful career, I decided not to go back to work. However, I did seek out and was awarded grants to do work from home...so, look at your finances and talk to your partner about this. I didn't want someone else raising Chloe...we found a way to work around that. I write at night, and during her naps...I make a bit (not what I was making before), so I'm still contributing to the household. Just evaluate your finances and make a decision. With the recession, don't expect to go back for a few years though--it's sounding like the baby boomers are returning to work from retirement to make up for lost income in the stock market (ie, my mom) and taking jobs Generation X & Y would have had... I'm staying home until Chloe goes to preschool, then back to the workforce!

C.-

Is your baby breastfed? If so, I know those stools are very loose/seedy and a different color/texture than breastfed babies. If he/she is formula fed, I would not worry if he/she is not regulated by the time. Also, I am not sure what you mean by 'regulated'? Do you mean you expect your baby to go a certain number of times per day? You expect it to be a certain consistency? If she's only a month old, her body is still adapting and changing. If the karo syrup is giving her problems, I would call the doctor and explain this and ask for another solution.

have her iron checked and if it's high then switch to low iron formula or if you are b/f taking iron tablets don't take them anymore. Some babies get constipated with the high iron content they are getting, other babies need the extra iron but that may be the cause of it.

I'd talk to the Dr. again. My pediatrician said to NEVER use Karo syrup. He said it can help with constipation but it does something bad as well. (I'm sorry I can't remember why, but he was very clear not to use it.) I think it dehydrates the baby so the results can be temporary but makes it worse in the long run?

Anyway, call your Dr. & explain exactly what is going on & that you have been giving him the Karo syrup for quite a while & still having problems.

I hope you find a good solution so your little one can have some relief (& you too!).

J.

C., I can not remember what it was called but my daughter had a lot of problems passing stool, they would become hard and compacted and then when she did pass them she would end up with fissures, they put her on a liquid medication but the way it was described to me that it was a simple sugar that the body didn't break down and it just passed through and softned the stool. It was non habit forming, it didn't cause her to have any cramping and it was such a small amount that I could put it in something or give it to her straight with no fuss...I think I would ask your pediatrician for this instead of the karo syrup. Lots of luck...
B.

Is she breastfeed if not formula feed babies tend to have issues with bowel movements.Also did your dr. approve the use of Karo syrup?Mine nolonger recommends it.Don't exactly remember the reason why.

Hi C.,

Normally the hospital send you home with a case of the water (sugar) to give them to help with bowel movements, because it takes a little while for their system to start working correctly. If you've ran out of that, you can make your own. Take 4 to 5 ozs of water that you've boiled for her milk or the baby water you bought from the store and add 1 tsp and a half of sugar. Give that to her throughout the day and she should have a nice soft bowel movement later that evening...

I don't know the answer but I think your pediatrician should be more proactive about solving this problem. In my experience, a lot of doctors won't do a thing for you unless you're bleeding out your eyeballs. Are you SURE the doc knows how serious this is? How painful it is for her? How long it's gone on? Maybe you need to "demand" more attention and a real treatment for her.

Especially with new parents, doctors tend to assume that you are overreacting and they basically blow off your concerns. Sometimes we really have to advocate for our kids because they obviously can't do it themselves. If this doctor won't treat your baby, find a new one. Good luck!

Good Morning C., the other mama's gave you some awesome advice. I didn't have the problem until our oldest was maybe 4-5 months old and we went on our first trip to see gr parents (Ks. to Ok.). I stayed up all night with him across my knees on his tummy patting and rocking. Next morning hubby's gr father was taking us fishing, Gr ma Ella wanted to keep the baby.
When I got back there was a stack of yucky diapers in the corner he was constipated and she had given him a baby oil enema. WOW it worked really well. 7 diapers full.

He wasn't on formula, and he wouldn't nurse or I was a to nervous mama to keep trying to nurse him. Dr. told me to just give him Vit D milk.
So I would go with the other mama's suggestions and try a lower iron formula, for a week or so. The more water they drink the more hydrated they are and their BM's should be easier. I think i would delete the syrup though, a little brown sugar (few grains only) will sweeten it enough to taste better.

Hope every thing works out very well for you and your little Princess
God Bless
K. Nana of 5

Try prune juice. Worked for my daughter. My ped. Told us to avoid the karo.

my doctor said never do karo syrup. she was on about ounce of prune juice every day

C.,
I would try the opinion of another pediatrician just to cover your bases, and in the interim I would try a product called Baby's Bliss Gripe Water. It is a natural, over-the-counter product made with fennel and ginger and I've used it with 3 babies now for intestinal/gas and teething issues. It works like a charm settling the stomach (not sure if it will expedite a bowel movement, though). Perhaps it will help ease some discomfort while you seek help for the pooping issue. I hope that buys both you and her some comfort...
oh, yeah, Walgreens or HyVee should carry the product (if not you can definitely find it online).
K.

Hi C., I had the same problem with my oldest daughter, she'll be 8 this month and she still has problems (just had her at the docotor last week). When she was a baby we did the caro syrup thing, but we also did juice in her formula. You said that you gave her bottles, but didn't say if it was formula or breast milk. If it's formula this is what we would do with pear or prune juice (stick with things that begin with a "P"). Whem mixing the bottle replace one or 2 ounces of the water with the juice then mix as usual, we would do this with a couple of bottles per day. You may have to experament a little to see how much juice and how often. We never gave her straigt juice from the bottle, she only got just juice when she could drink from a cup. This seamed to help our daughter a lot. Plus it would make a couple of her bottles taste diffrent from the rest. Doctor said this could help with eating later because they are already use to diffrent flavors. He said that breast milk dosen't taste the same each time a baby nurses and this may be one reason that breast fed babies will often eat solid foods better.

And you may have to watch you little girl even when she's older. My 8 year old still gets constipated and she eats a lot of veggies. She's a great eater. But right now we have to give her Bene Fiber 3 times per day to help her out. Doctor said she just needs more fiber and water than other kids. She is now carring around her own water bottle that we mix fiber in that we know how many of servings of water are in it and has her fiber. And I thought that my days of worring about my kid's poop were over when they got in school! HA!

Good luck!!

If breastfeeding, give 1 or 2 bottle per day with 1 oz prune juice and 1 oz boiled water .
If bottle feeding, substitute 1 oz water for prune juice in 1 or 2 of her bottles. Also do not fully fill the measuring spoon with powder (leave about 1/8” bellow top) or add an extra ¼ - ½ 0z of water to each bottle. The extra water will help to prevent constipation. Make sure you put the liquid first and the powder second.
You can find R.W. KNUDSEN organic Prune Juice at the health food store or health food section at Price Cutter. It is 100% juice, no sugar added. Is a 1 qt bottle, last for a while but keeps in the fridge just fine.
I did this with my DS and worked great. Hope this helps your little one.

I had this problem with my first two boys. The first one it was too much iron so the doctor put him on low iron formula. With the second, his doctor didn't like the idea of low iron formula so he put him one Soy formula. Just remember when you switch formulas it takes a day or two to see a difference.

Okay this same thing happened to my daughter. She was not a month old though. She was about 8 months old and up to this point she had been breastfeed. I started drying up so I started formula and she was just starting some foods. My peds also had my give her Karo and I was not happy with that cause every I stopped giving it to her she would get constipated again. One day she got so bad that she cried for 45 mins trying to push out the biggest hardest poop I had ever seen. I called the doctor and she said to not stop given her the Karo and I said I was told to give her a little bit of water cause she may not be getting enough liquids. I was given her the correct amount of formula but must not have been enough cause when I stared given her a sippy cup of water a day it stopped. My peds got so mad at me and told me that I was absolutely not allowed to give her water till she was a year old... she was to only get milk. Well I told her that I was the mother and I made the decisions and if a little water helped my daughter poop without pain that is what I would do and I changed Peds. So I'm not sure how much formula/breast milk your daughter is getting but if you don't want to rely on the karo I would try and give her a bottle or so of water a day. Don't replace her feedings just give her a little bit of water in between feeding and see if that helps. Your body need water so if its not getting enough the stool hardens. If that doesn't work you may need to change the kind of formula.

My youngest daughter had the same issues. Of course my pediatrician said that it was normal and to do the karo, etc. I had read up on chiropractics and acupuncture and decided that option for my baby. I started taking her and it was AMAZING! She would have a bm within hours of seeing the chiro/acupuncturist and it was not straining her at all. She still seems to have troubles once in awhile and I just drop by the dr. for a little 10 min. therapy and she is back to normal.