Newborn Constipation

Every human has a different 'timing' about their bowel movements. Some newborns go as long as 2 or 3 weeks and that's 'normal' for them. True constipation involves hard, dry stool. If it ain't broke, don't 'fix' it.

I breastfed my daughter exclusively and sometimes she wouldn't have any bowel movement for up to 12 days, which was totally fine, as long as the baby's passing gas you know that they're fine, with breastfeeding they just don't seem to poop as much ;)

Hi M.,

My son had the same problem right around that same age. The nurse at our pediatrician's office suggested giving him a teaspoon of prune juice at each feeding or every other feeding. We started giving him a teaspoon after every other feeding and eventually cut it down to every other day and he did great. We continued with the prune juice for a couple of months until we were sure he was regulated. By the way, he loved it! He is now 6 months and has no trouble.

Good luck!
-K.

My son had this problem when he was first born and the doctor said to give him 1 ounce of water or formula mixed with 1 tablespoon of dark karo syrup. It really worked and my son liked it because it was sweet tasting. the dark karo syrup acts like a natural laxitive and is easy on their little tummies. Hope this helps.

with him being so young, i would ask the doctor. she has to take him in soon anyway.
my son was like that. i tried different things, but a teaspoon of karo syrup in a bottle... worked like a charm! it was better than the suppositories my doctor said i could use!

I would call the Dr. At 3 months my son's Dr advised apple juice but at 3.5 weeks.........I would call the Dr before I gave anything.

If she is using formula, make sure their is NO iron in it as that can be constipating.

I have not used the constipation product,but have used products from this line: Little Remedies (sold at Walmart, Target, etc. in med. dept.) These are all natural and do not have anything harmful in them. She should also ask a Dr. before use to make sure it is okay. The apple juice response I have heard works too. Good Luck! :)

Hi M.
Why does your friend think her baby is constipated? Are the poops hard? Has the baby not had a BM over a length of time? It's probably not a good idea to dig in the rectum without knowing what's going on. Does the baby have a fever? Is the baby acting fussy? There are a lot of questions to ask first about a brand new born before trying to self diagnose. She can call her pedi's office and talk to a nurse just to get some guidance and then go from there. Good luck to your friend.
PJ

My daughter had some of the same issues. The doctor told us to dip the tip of our pikny finger in vasaline and put it into their bottom. Just a little bit to coat it and make it easier for them to get it out. This should not be very deep just a little bit. If it makes you to uncomfortable ask your doctor to show you how.

Glycerin suppositories

My brother's twins put Karo syrup in their bottle and it helps. you may want to try that.

My daughter had a lot of that when I had to stop breast feeding and she was on soy milk. They told me to help execise her by gently holding her feet when she was lying down and make bicycle riding movements. It did not work very well and it seems like they then said to give her some dilute apple juice-don't remember dilution, amt. or frequency though. It stopped once she became mobile but I also switched to Similac I think.

Hi, I'm not sure if she can do this since he's so young, but when my daughter was a few months old she got constipated and we gave her a bottle with a tablespoon of corn syrup and then filled it with water and shook it up. It worked really well. You can't put it in with formula or anything because it counteracts the effects of the syrup. She might want to ask her doctor about it though since he is so young. I'm pretty sure my daughter was about 3 months old when her doctor told me to do that. Good luck to her.

ask her if his stools are hard. if not its not constipation. babies dont always go poop every day. talk to the doc if his poop is hard

I never used anything that wasn't as natural as possible. If she is feeding cereal, she can always mix some water with Karo corn syrup instead of formula with it. My babies were over 9 lbs, so they were always hungry seemed, so I fed cereal sometimes. They just weren't satisfied with breast milk, and my doctor actually encouraged it, but always check with Pediatrician first.

I would give a small bottle of room temp water with Karo syrup in it to get things moving. It softens the stool and makes it easier for the baby. It never hurt my kids, and they are grown. :) Personally, I never understood why they took giving water away from babies.

Did you mean she was supplementing with formula or is she giving him cereal for you to say to breastfeed exclusively? If she is giving him cereal she needs to stop. That is why he is constipated. His digestive system isnt developed enough. To help him go use a q-tip with vaseline and stimulate and/or she can also try warm baths to get him to relax. I also know that there are otc things to help but i dont know about any of them. hope this helps!

At 3.5 'weeks' this baby is practically a newborn. Tiny babies can go downhill very quickly; if there's a question in her mind at all about it she needs to have him seen by his pediatrician as soon as possible. She also must be clear and open with the doctor about what she's feeding him and how often he feeds.
Hope the little guy is okay. Please keep us posted.

Karo Syrup. I did the clear kind, the nurse didn't specify. It worked everytime. I liked this remedy because it didn't require a prescription or shoving anything up my childs butt.

Good luck !

What makes her think baby is constipated? Not pooping much? COMPLETELY NORMAL for a newborn breastfed baby. They can go days, even weeks, without a poop and still be normal. There is so little (almost none) waste in breastfed babies that there is just nothing to poop out. Your advice to continue to breastfeed exclusively is the best advice!
Do not give water or juice! That's not good for an older baby, much less a 3.5 week old.
And stay away from KARO SYRUP!!!!!!!!!!!
That is outdated and dangerous advice and I continue to be shocked by how many moms suggest it (even some doctors suggest it!) Karo syrup can contain botulism spores that adult humans can handle but can be dangerous or even fatal for infants. Google this. You'll see lots of warnings. Go to Karo's website. They have a disclaimer there. Sure, they've changed their process recently so the chance is smaller, but still, there's the chance.

Here's some links on poop. How many times have I said that word already?!

What's Normal
http://www.mother-2-mother.com/normal.htm#NormalStools

Infant Stool Patterns
http://www.umc-cares.org/health_info/article.asp?Category...

Poop
http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/pediatricks/poop.asp

Another option is to take the child to a chiropractor. Childrens spines go through so much durring child birth that sometimes the bones can be miss aligned and cause problems like this. With children chiropractors are verry gentel and can help the body correct a multitude od problems in a very short time frame. I can give you some reffrence of some good chiropractors if you want, just let me know. Hope This helps.

My son had the same problem. My pedia suggested soaking him in a warm bath (stimulate rectal area), and give him two ounces of water w/one ounce baby pear juice. Worked every time(but give it a day or two)!

karo syrup is what my doctor recommended. but for a 3 1/2 week old i would always say ask your doctor. if the baby is not taking enough in than not much is going to come out. breastfeed babies have soft stools but if mom does not have enough milk because of supplementing then a doctor would be best to determine that.