Son Is Constipated

Y.,
Hi, how long has he been like this? My daughter is 16mo now and when she was smaller she used to go through fazes where she wouldnt go for days at a time, the doc told me to do a plain warm water enema just to soften it up. I was scared I would hurt her so my mom did it for me but she said all you do is use the lil ble nose sucker thing and put it about a 1/2 inch in there lil behinde and squeeze slowly. Before going there or supositories try yougurt, they make baby yougurt thats not as strong, I mixed it with her milk, like 1/2 a jar of the baby yougurt with a 8oz bottle. I hope some of this helps, I know I was a wreck when mine couldnt go, and she wasnt very happy either. Good luck and God bless

Katey

Y.,
You can put about a tsp of karo syrup in his bottle. That will help soften his stool and he will be able to have a BM. That always works, plus makes the milk kinda sweet. Also dont give him to much juice can cause diarrhea especially with apple juice, then you have a whole other issue on your hands. I work for a family practice clinic if ya have any other ?'s just ask.
L.

My daughter has been struggling with constipation as well. We too tried all the juices and even tried adding Benefiber to her bottles. Nothing worked. Our doctor finally gave us Miralax (also available as a generic). It is a non-stimulant, non-addictive "laxative" for lack of a better word. It's a powder you put in one bottle a day until they get regular and then you can back off to every 2-3 days and then to once a week or so. It has made a world of difference.

Also, having to use a glycerin suppository occasionally is fine. It won't hurt him at all.

Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck.

Hi Y.. I had this same issue with my son...he could go days without having a bowel movement and that concerned me. I was told to try the following

1. Give him some flat Sprite to drink. There is something about the sugar in the soda that stimulates the bowels

2. Take a rectal thermometer and stimulate the anal opening very carefully....sometimes this starts the process

To tell you the truth, these didn't work for me personally and I did use infant suppositories. They were quite effective (they work immediately) and I only used them if he hadn't had a bowel movement in three days.

Good luck,

K.

Hi Y.,
I would go back to his doctor BEFORE using the suppositories. If that is the course she wants to take then she will recommend the correct age appropriate brand to use. My son also had this problem, and nothing seemed to work. She prescribed this powder to add to water or juice which would not cause cramping. It worked, but my son could only go with the help of that drink, which it is not recommended for long term. Turns out my son had developed a allergy to his milk formula which was affecting his lower colon, thus preventing his colon to relax and allow a BM. Once we got him totally off of milk products, the problem went away. I give all of this detail just to say that it might be something else causing the constipation so check with your doctor b/4 using suppositories.

Good Luck...

Karo syrup is what I have tried and worked before. Just put a little in his bottle with formula...it worked for mine.

You can use a massage technique to help but this would need to be approved by the doctor because if done wrong or if there is a medical reason it can do more harm than good. If the doctor has approved it ask about infant massage in your area.

Hi Y.,
My 8 month old gets constipated also. The dark karo syrup mixture worked, it's 1 teaspoon syrup to 3 oz water. My doc said to give in a bottle but my daughter wouldn't take it that way so I put the mixture in a sippy cup. She didn't drink all 3 ozs at once but she drank enough in a few hour time frame that it worked. The constipation started when we began solid foods, starting with the veggies. Now that she is eating fruits also she hasn't had too many issues. When she is showing signs of struggling with bm I feed her prunes and that always works.

Good morning, Y.! When all else fails, do not fear the glycerin suppository. I was hesitant to use them at first too but my mom, who was a nurse for many years, got us some at the drug store and said they'd work so we tried it. Sure 'nuff! Problem solved! And quite quickly, too.

At his age they don't mind them so much; my daughter never seemed to know what was going on at the time of insertion. And the item itself is quite skinny and slippery; I don't think they have any drugs in them, it's just that the glycerin melts and makes everything move along easier. We've had to use them maybe three times and my daughter is 17 months now. Usually apple juice takes care of everything but when it doesn't, I don't hesitate to use the suppository. I hate for her to be so uncomfortable.

Hope this helps!
J.

My daughter went through a phase of constipation/holding it when she was almost 12 mo. The doctor had us add a small amount of mineral oil to her juice. The two things don't mix well (oil and water don't mix) but if you shake it it's not too bad. It worked for her!

Have you tried calling the doctor and talking to the nurse.
What have you done differently?

Yazmin...did you try warming the prune juice? Also, my daughter likes to eat pitted prunes--they helped her. If you can get him to eat apples (with skin on) that might get some movement. Feed him all that stufff then give him a nice warm bath and massage his tummy. Let me know how it goes. Once, while we were out of town, my daughter did not go for 4 days. I had to give her a suppository...and it worked in 10 minutes!

Hi Yazmin,
Not all babies have a BM every day, some can go up to a week w/o a stool and that would be considered normal for them.
Also, some babies have yet to figure out which muscles to use to puch out a stool so they sound constipated.
If the baby is very fussy and straining try rectal stimulation, just a little Vasoline on a q-tip inserted into his rectum and moved a round a bit to stimulate the muscle.
You can give the baby flat Sprit or 7up and water on a 1:1 ratio in between feedings.
Hope this helps
D.
(Mom of 4 and Pedi RN)

Hello!
Is he breastfed? It is perfectly normal for a breastfed baby to go several days between bowel movements.
Just thought I would mention that:)
K.

My son also was very constipated, I tried everything.. The only thing you can do is go back to your doctor and put him on Maralax, it works great! Good luck.

Y.,
Hi! My daughter had problems with pooping but one day I gave her Gerbers creamed spinach for lunch and right after naptime she felt better. It also worked with Stoneyfield Farm Organic yo baby yogurt. I hope this works for you.

Hi Y.,

Have you tried Miralax? You will need to consult your doctor first, but it will help with the issue and then you can stop once your son becomes regular.

Good Luck! A.

I had a problem with this with my twins. My Pediatrician told me to mix a tablespoon of Karo syrup in their formula or juice. And it really worked.

supposedly apple juice is a constipating fruit. my son was constipated when we switched from breast milk to formula. once he started eating veggies things began flowing better. and i would give him pears, which really seemed to help - either alone or I would mix with some gerber infant oatmeal. all that worked for my little one. he is 15 months now and all systems seem to be working.

Hi Y., My daughter, who is 6 now, was often constipated as an infant. The Nurse Practitioner in our Pediatrician's office had us put dark Karo syrup in her warmed bottle and that worked very well. I think it was 1 teaspoon of Karo for every 4 ounces of formula, but I'm not sure about that (it's been a long time). Please call your doctor's office and ask his/her nurse. They will probably know about that "home remedy" and can tell you the exact amount to use. Good luck! I hope your son finds some relief soon! :-)

You should try something with an electrolyte such as Pedialyte. Avoid juices they usually make things worse. If not, suppositories do work if nothing else does.

Hi Y.,

Another thing you can do is make sure you're not feeding him constipating foods. If he's eating rice cereal, switch to oatmeal...it's less binding. No bananas or applesauce as well. Try that along with the prune juice and see if it gets any better.

Good luck!
:-) H.