My daughter turned 2 months old on the 16th of this month. From the time she was born she has had a hard time going #2. She is formula fed, on a lactose free formula due to lactose intolerance. we've tried soy and it just constipated her worse. She has a very hard time passing stool. Very hard stool yellow in color, that usually only comes out all the way with aid from the thermometer. I dont want to keep using the thermometer on her to help her go, because i dont want to weaken that muscle. Ive tried added water, juice, and really nothing seems to help? Ive brought it up to her doctor, but she hasnt advised me in anyway other than to give her juice. Today when I was changing her there were a couple spots of bright red blood at the tip of her stool. She also has little baby fissures. what should i do?
I would switch doctors.........a baby shouldn't be having that rough of a time....and it's got to be painful for her...........find you a good doctor that will listen and try to help......juice isn't good for her that small I wouldn't think....
Good Luck and take care.
Trish, I know you have already had this advice, but I think the best thing is to get a new pediatrician! Your little one should be OK with formula only (or formula and breast milk), and not need juice or other things to get her going. Hard stools mean not enough moisture, so you might ask about watering down the formula more or supplementing with water. Hopefully the blood is just from the fissures, but you should get a second opinion on what to do and have an exam of her anus and rectum to see that all is ok and she's not bleeding inside. My baby girl had a heck of a time pooping, too, but it was never hard and she didn't bleed. What helped her was tummy massage. And now she sees a chiropractor- which I wish I had started a LOT earlier! Be careful with the home remedies without the advice of a doctor/nurse- especially with her history of Soy problems. Poor little one, and poor mommy! You must be so worried :( I hope you get some good professional advice and relief soon.
M.
I'd take her to another doc. Yellow poop and hard enough to make her bleed definitely means something. She's not digesting/absorbing normally.
I wouldnt want a thermometer in my butt to help me get my poop out and I'm sure she isnt liking it either. The thermometer might also be part of the problem. Put a dab of vaseline on you pinkie and insert it just a tiny ways in her anus to help lubricate and heal it in the meantime.
Yellow stool is an indicator of a bacterial infection in the intestines.
My daughter also had a really hard time passing her stools when she was that age. Has your daughter been checked for anal stenosis? (Basically just a narrowing or curve in the lower intestine that makes it hard for the stools to get through.) We put my daughter on a series of dilators, which isn't a lot of fun, but once you're through it, you're through it! My daughter is now 3.5 years, and has been pooping like a champ ever since we finished the treatment at a few months old. We were told it was a common problem, especially with girls, and that a lot of people who are chronically constipated never know they have it (and it's a relatively straightforward fix). It was good to get it over with while she's young, and hopefully save her a lot of years of headache. It might be worth seeing your pediatrician (or another one if this one isn't responsive) and asking. Good luck!
Hi,
One of my twin boys was very constipated at about the same age. He was breastfed and we supplemented about one bottle a day with formula. I took him to a chiropractor and added probiotics to one bottle a day. In the beginning to get him going, we did have to use a Q-tip a few times. But then after his back was straightened out and the probiotics kicked in, we didn't have to use the Q-tip any more. I would highly recommend consulting a chiropractor who is experienced in treating babies and children. Here is a probiotic you can use: http://www.naturessunshine.com/us/product/probiotic-eleve.... Now, all three of my kids and myself take the same probiotics every day. It really helps.
Next, soy formula is not so good for the babies, so I would avoid that. Here is some more info on that: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/1...
Good luck!
Here is my opinion: a 2 month old should only need formula. The color yellow is normal for formula feed infants. First, try a different pediatrician. Second, find a pediatric GI specialist. Your daughters stool is too hard for her to pass and it is damaging her body. Also she is learning that it is painful to poop and she will start holding it in. This will make it worse and you do not want to have to deal with changing this behavior. Our peds GI specialist had us give both our twin daughters low doses of MiraLAX. It is safe as the body does not absorb it and it does not cross the blood/brain barrier. It stays in the colon and helps pull water into the stool to make it softer. Please do not try "home remedies" but I recommend taking your daughter to a new pediatrician who will help you. I am happy to make recommendations for the Sacramento/Roseville area. Good luck.
.
I'm not sure what kind of juice the doctor recommended. We used prune juice with both our daughters and it worked great. It does seem odd to give a young baby juice but it was only maybe a teaspoon with each bottle or even less. It definitely worked great and there were no negative long term consequences. If you're already trying prune juice versus apple or something and it's still a problem, I'd definitely see another doctor.
Give her some mineral oil. Just put an ounce or so in a small bottle of juice and give it to her. It will coat the stool in the bowel and make it softer to help it come out easier.
Hi there,
Great question. Two helpful solutions. The most important one is that the cause of constipation and hard stool is a lack of magnesium. Many people suffer from lack of Magnesium. There is a brand of mag especially for babies called Baby Calm by Dr. Peter Gillham. You can google and order it online or find it at a local health food store. This is priceless.
I do a lot of work with helping women with hormone balance and most of the time they are low in magnesium. And my own baby burns mag like crazy and requires is daily. According to the doc he needed laxatives and suppositories the rest of his life. He gets a little mag in his food every day and there are no more problems and no more drugs.
The second idea is that Hemp milk may be something you want to try. You can find it at health food stores, Whole Foods and Trader Joes. This is made from a seed kind of like flax. It's much easier to digest.
Let me know if you have any questions. I'm sure with these that this nightmare will be history. It has been for us and many other families we've passed this on to as well.
Take care,
C.
Wow I am shocked the doctor was not much more help. Both my girls had the same problem and I ended up having to get a prescription but they were older ..... Have you tried Mylicon ? Its for gas but it might actually help her out since she is still so little. At 2 months she really shouldnt be given juice yet. With my 2nd daughter I ended up just swiching her formula to a different brand. She was started out on Similac and I switched her to Enfamil..... it wont hurt her to do Mylicon, or switching her formula. Sometimes their little tummies get upset by formula and it can mess with their stools ...... my suggestion would be like I said Mylicon 1st if that didnt work after a couple days then I would swich formula, if that doesnt work go back to the doctor. Good Luck !
You should be able to use a stool softener....the dr. should be able to prescribe you one. I think yellow poop is normal for a 2 month old so I wouldn't worry about the color - but it shouldn't be hard! I would definately look for another Dr. if you Dr. is not willing to do something about this. Be the squeaky wheel, your daughter can't speak for herself.....
I would ask the Dr. again... explaining fully your concerns. If the Dr. still isn't more helpful, I'd ask to get a second opinion or see a specialist. You deserve a better answer than you've been given by the current Dr in my opinion.
