Tips for Constipated Infant?

It's perfectly normal for breastfed babies to go a week without pooping! It's most likely something you are eating that is causing the gas and discomfort start by removing dairy from your diet. I could never trust a doctor that is a hypocrit if he tells you it's normal he should be directing you to use a rectal thermometer, corn syrup, etc

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it is normal for breastfed infants to go 2-3days even up to a week without pooping because more of the milk is broken down and used. if he goes more than a week without pooping that's the time to worry.

as for the gas, do bicycle legs and put him tummy down on your legs and pat his back. also mylicon drops work really well too.

good luck.

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It is normal for breastfed babies to go days, sometimes a week without bowel movements. Please visit www.kellymom.org and DO NOT do anymore of those things to your baby. They are NOT necessary. Find a new pediatrician, because yours does not sound educated on breastfeeding. Breastmilk is absorbed differently. Your baby is fine, I promise. Do a search on here for that topic and you will see just how normal your baby is. I promise. Good luck! :) And congratulations on your baby and for breastfeeding. I breastfed 3 babies. I promise your baby does not need any help. As for the gassy, Mylicon drops work great! But, unless your baby seems to be hurting from the gas, that is not necessary either. You can do bicycle legs to help work gas bubbles out naturally.

Added-
It is probably just the gas, and not constipation. I recommend finding out if something in your diet is making him have gas also. I could not eat corn with my last son. Never. Try finding out what is giving him the gas. I promise he is not constipated though, and at this age he surely does not need any prunes or any sugar from juices. That will only make his tummy more upset. Breastmilk does not cause constipation.

Also, most doctors are not educated on breastfeeding. That's why I found a pediatrician who actually breastfed her own children.

Another add-
He might just have colic. My second daughter did. NOTHING made her happy unless she was in the swing that went side to side. So, she stayed in that unless she was sleeping. She didn't like being held, only used me for eating! Guess what? She's still high maintenance at 6 years old. :/

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C.,

My breastfeeding friendly pediatrician told me that going 5 days without a BM is okay at that age. At first a breastfed baby may poop each time he/she eats. Later it will become 1-2xs per week as the breastmilk is so nutrient rich that there is very little waste produced. There is even less if your baby spits up also:) My pediatrician said that if we got to day 5 with no BM then on day 5 give two oz of pear juice mixed with 2 oz of water in a bottle daily until a BM is achieved. My 6 month old was exclusively breastfed until he recently started solids. I only did that twice - each time a BM occured within 12 hours of the bottle. It was around 6-8 weeks of age. This stage doesn't last long. Don't worry too much about what you are eating, focus more on continuing to nurse and making sure you have a good latch.

For relief, pear juice mixture above. Also, a warm bath with a warm washcloth on the belly or rocking with his belly cuddled into your belly. Also, use a blanket to swaddle him so that his belly stays warm and helps to relieve the gas. You could also use a rice sock that is warm but not too hot to apply some heat or heat a towel in the microwave.

Don't abandon breastfeeding - formula won't change the situation.

Yeah, I agree that the pooping is normal for a BF baby. He's probably not constipated. For the gas, an old sock filled with rice, heated in the microwave for 30 seconds worked really well for my son. I would just heat it up and put it on his belly. (Of course, make sure it's not too hot!) The heat and pressure relieves the gas/cramps.

What are you eating? Go to the health food store, and get probiotics- bifidus would be best, and take 10x what they suggest- this is friendly bacteria so no harm to you- and see if that does the trick.
Find a Webster chiropractor, and get your little one adjusted. I have moms bring extra diapers when they come to get adjusted because this can be so effective.
best, k

Hi C.,

My last child suffered constipation and someone suggested i try brown sugar in his bottle once a day and yes i have to say worked like a miracle
just a teaspoon hope this helps

I had to use those little glycerine suppositories. Rectal therm didn't work, prune juice all the recommended stuff didn't work. The glycerine rectal suppositories did the trick. My son was constantly constipated for the first 3 months of his life.

Sounds just like my son(now 3). I would give him about 1 ounce of pear or apple/prune juice a day. (w/ equal water) This helped him poop maybe once every other day as opposed to once a week.

Hey C...
I apologize if this is redundant, my daughter was kinda gassy as well as a newborn/infant. She was on Enfamil Gentlease formula but I did breastfed for a month prior. I used pear, apple, prune juice & moved her legs to get her active. I'm sure your doing this already, but I would watch the amount of vegetables (like broccoli, grn peppers, beans) you are eating, same with any spices and chocolate. I guess if I were you, I'd start keeping a food journal to notice any trends.

Yes, I agree with probiotics for infants. My daughter is now 1yr & 9mos and still has gassy issues every now and then and I give her them. I fed her Greek yogurt since she started solids and its always helped regulate her even now.

I wouldn't do corn syrup, your son might not be able to metabolize this yet and sounds like it's not working.

Good luck ;)

He may not be constipated at all.

This IS normal for breastfed babies.

His discomfort, is from being gassy.
So use Mylicon infant gas drops.

I would not, say that he is constipated.
But he is, gassy.
THAT is why, he has pain.
Gas causes pain internally.
So use the Mylicon Infant Gas drops.

My daughter was like that too.
The Mylicon helped her.
She rarely even farted or burped.
She had a bad gas problem.
And pain.
She was NOT constipated.
I breastfed too.

Are you positive that its gas and he isn't just going through a very fussy phase? Most babies start to "wake up" around 5 or 6 weeks and become extremely fussy (this is usually when colic starts too) and it has to do with being overwhelmed with the big noisy world. If you've already eliminated so many things from YOUR diet and just kept him on breastmilk, i have a hard time believing it's its his tummy bothering him since you're being so careful.

Hi C.,

Prune juice should do the trick. It is perfectly safe and good healthy fiber. A four ounce bottle daily can be given. Corn Syrup is actually dangerous for an infant like honey. Honey can contain botulism spores that an infant can't digest until they are one or two years old. The same goes for corn syrup. I would dodge that completely.

God bless,

M.

BMs are terribly important.

A little of his story first. He is breastfed and has had terrible smelling gas....and I mean gagging bad for a baby. He has had it for a month now, everything the pediatrician said to try....doesn't work either. She did suggest for me to eat more veggies and that would help him. I had stayed away from broccoli because fear of hurting his tummy. Anyhow, later that day after eating quite a big stem of broccoli.....he had a bowel movement for the first time in a week, then the next day another good one. I cant prove it, but it just seemed like magic for me.

Water, give the little one some water in a bottle, if he is really bad give him an enema to get him moving. I learned the hard way with my third we ended up bringing her into ER for an enema, she was LOADED no joke poor thing. We had to give her a few since then but not many if she gets plugged we just give her a childrens one at home...sorry she has to go through this.

Anyway water helps things to move, so a half an ounce or so before feedings will help a lot. Not every feeding but a few a day.

Two ideas...1) take all dairy out of your diet this includes soy products,
2) there is a massage technique called abdominal circles where you go round 7 times counter clockwise with your fingertips (starting in the lower left quadrant of the abdomen) and then go clockwise 3 times then reverse and go CCW again 7 times and then slough off the "contents" so the colon can release it from the body. Works like a charm. If you don't understand the directions, e-mail me and I can clear it up for you. Stay under the belly button and under the ribs in an oval pattern.

I just read your answer that you have eliminated dairy/gluten. The other thing to consider is to try to eliminate other things one by one to see what the culprit is. For my friend it was almonds and oatmeal. After she removed those he was perfect! She was "living" on those because she had eliminated so much else but then she found out it was just those two things.

PLEASE STOP doing what you are doing!!!

Breastfed babies need ONLY YOUR BREAST MILK!!! NO corn syrup!!!!!!!!

It is IMPOSSIBLE for exclusively breastfed babies to be constipated, as breast milk has a natural laxitive effect. That's why the poop is usually soft and squishy.

Have you tried doing bicycle moves? Lay him on his back and move his legs in circles like he is riding a bike, or lift his knees (gently, of course) toward his chest. Make it a game. I used to do it and sing "The Wheels on the Bus" when I did it to distract my son until he let one rip!!

When my son was just about that age, he went FIVE DAYS!!! without having a BM!! I was completely freaking out! I took him to the doc and she felt around on his tummy (nothing 'hard' felt like it was stuck in there) and checked him out, asked me if he acted like he was in PAIN (no), then said it was FINE and not to worry. Breast milk is easier to digest than anything (it is what babies are supposed to have) and by now his system is learning how to better metabolize it and USE it instead of PASSING it. This is a GOOD thing!! ENJOY the days you don't have to change the stinky ones.....you won't have many of those days for long!!!

STOP STRESSING AND ENJOY YOUR LITTLE BLESSING!!!!

You need to really evaluate what you eat. What you are eating must be making him gassy. I had to watch what I ate when breastfeeding. Hope this helps!

With my daughter I used to mix prune or (cranberry?, I think it was) juice in with her bottle, It was 1 part prune and 3 parts formula so only 1/4 was prune, a lot of times not even that much. It worked REALLY good :P

My daughter was a formula baby so if that is normal for breastfed babies then okay. I understand your concern though, that would make me nervous and worried cuz lil one is in discomfort

Try a little bit of prun juice mixed with some water. 1 part juice to 4 parts water.

My son had the same problem...try babylax, a probiotic for infants from any natural food store. Magnesium citrate will also help..1/4 tsp a day for as long as it takes. We are still giving my 4 year old a probiotic and magnesium (different doses now) and he is regular. Try it...it works.

I tend to agree with mommy L... One thing I found when my DD was very young was that she had gas pains because she was reacting to the milk in MY diet. I cut out most dairy, and she had no more gas pains. The reason the stuff you are doing isn't working is most likely because there is no poop to come out! lol. Especially since you say he calms down after passing gas... At this age, she is growing so fast that there really isn't much waste, especially with breast milk. If she's exclusively breastfed, she shouldn't have constipation issues until she starts solids. Experiment with your diet a bit... Dairy is usually the biggest culprit for gas pains in babies, but it could be spicy food, certain veggies (broccoli, cabbage, etc.) or any number of things. I would try cutting out one thing for a week, then if that doesn't help move on to something else. You could also try an abdominal massage. (rub small clockwise circles in the area under her belly button, working from her right to left) Usually that helps my DD. If it was REALLY bad, a little bit of Gripe Water worked wonders. Good luck! :)

Hi C.- my son had the same problems. I took a nipple from his bottle and filled it with plum smart or you can use prune juice, he sucked it down an d not much longer he cleared out!! Good Luck, i hpe this works for you. L.

Gripe water really helps. It worked better than the gas drops. Talk to a lactation consultant. Maybe the baby is taking in too much air when breast feeding. Try lifting a boob a bit so he gets a better seal.
Or it could be something in your diet that gives him gas. My breastfeeding mom friends say start with cuting out dairy products or drinking the lactaid milk. Milk allergies are becoming more popular.

My oldest had the gas problem too. Thought i go mad til i got the gas drops(next kid tried the Gripe water and worked way better). Later on found out it was a combo of bottle and formula that was adding to the gas. After a few days of being on playtex ventair and lactaid formula she was a happy baby. After turning 1, she could tolerate milk products. So dont worry, babies grow out more than just clothes.

I will take a few days for full affects to show.

ok didnt see your update til affect i typed previous. Try going to formula. It make me everyone a bit happier. I suggest the ones that are more broken down and easier to digest. Just remember dont switch formulas or from powder to liquid frequently as it constipates baby. Try a can for 2-4wks for full resolutes. Sometimes it takes a few tries. For as bottles if you dont want to have to take the bottles apart practically everytime go with playtex drop ins, Dr. browns, but never the cheap cuties ones or it will REALLY constipate baby. GOOD LUCK! ps Singing helped me from losing my mind anmd 5yrs later she still has to hear my short madeup lullabye to comfort her.

my son was super gassy when I ate really gassy foods. After giving birth I was trying to lose weight so ate alot of veggies and high fiber foods and that made him have belly problems! My sons dr also told me that it was normal for breastfed babies to poop like that and around this age is when it can start to change and while its changing his body is adjusting and can be uncomftorable. You could also try a little water, diluted apple or prune juice too. His dr also recomendded this to me to help nature along. Good luck!