Constipation - Monroe,MI

Also remember that just because they don;t go does not mean that they are constipated. I thought my son was constipated a few times, he didn't go in like a week and a half and i did every thing i heard and knew of and the doctor informed me tht sometimes their (the babies) body just absorbs everything. Because my son was in no discomfort nor was his stomach enlarged and i listened with my stethoscope and could hear his bowels moving. just a thoguht

I have three kids, two had problems with consitpation. Back then on the first one my doctor said use Karo syrup in his bottles, it worked. When the second one came along reports had come out that Karo syrup wasn't good, prabaly because some other product came out to help solve the problem. I used it anyway and it worked. now that they are older occasionally we had problems with the same two and I use MOM (Milk of Magneism), but for a awhile after we get them cleaned out we used Miralex and that worked good to regulate them. But now a new product came out and they say that not good for them, they say use Benfiber instead. Using fiber tablets worked for a while too. Keep track, getting compacted and having to use enemas can be traumatic.

Hi M.---Is she strictly formula fed or do you breastfeed also? Your diet will have a huge impact on how your baby's digestive system works.

I know of a fruit and vegetable food concentrate (17 different juiced, dehydrated) that you could put in her formula. The first thing most people report when they start this whole food supplement is an improvement in regularity. I'd be happy to share info about this and other tips, if you'd like.

You might also want to look into a predigested formula. A pediatrician I work with says that babies who have intestinal issues (reflux, constipation) do much better with that predigested food. I hear it is a bit more expensive, but in my humble opinion, isn't the health of your baby worth anything?

As I said, I'm happy to help in any way that I can. Give me a call. In health, D. ###-###-####

I had the same issue with my son when he was an infant. We tried sugar water, karo syrup, apple pear and prune juices, and none of them seemed to help. We ended up giving him a medication called lactulose that our pediatrician prescribed. I did a lot of research before I gave it to him, it is basically just a sugar syrup made with a different kind of sugar. no side effects to speak of. It worked wonders and I never noticed any problems from it. Good luck

Many parents jump the gun here as I have seen so many freak out if their baby is not eliminating. Depending on what formula she is on or if you are breast-feeding, it can be diet related for you (many foods cross into the breast-milk and can affect the baby.).

I love knowing what I know in these cases as I help my son when he is actually blocked up (he's now five.).

Make sure she's getting enough fluids - breast milk or formula (she could be having an issue with what she is on, such as an allergy - may not be digesting it properly.)

Otherwise - after you have tried the above and if she is not on a different 'pooping' schedule, email me privately and I will share with you the correct way to massage her little tummy so you do not back her up further. Even some techniques posted on the internet may not be suited or safe. (I am a CMT and I have had my son eliminate within minutes of a tummy massage. It doesn't cause side effects and is perfectly natural. Even my clients with little ones have had really good luck with this as I share this technique with them!)

If you are bottle feeding with a formula that has iron in it, stop using it or use one with less or alternate with a formula without it. Unless you have had a bloodtest and found your baby to be anemic,she really doesn't need all that iron. If you are breastfeeding, it could be something you are eating. Does she have plenty of WET diapers through the day? 6-8? If not she might not be getting enough fluid in her diet. You didn't say how old she is. Some very new babies just aren't physically "done" enough to poop right away. You could try taking her temperature with a rectal thermometer.

M.-
I would definitely try the probiotics route. Most of us don't have the proper flora in our bowels, due to many factors, including the widespread and erroneous use of antibacterial products. Shaklee makes a great infant vitamin powder that has a digestive aid in it. You could mix this into a bit of water or if she is eating, mix in with apple sauce or food. This will really help her. Let me knowif you need help to find this. M.

A little light kero syrup in her bottle should work wonders!

Our son always used to have issues, and still does sometimes. What has tended to work best with him is to ensure he has a little apple juice each day (when he was younger), and now that he's older having an apple a day.

Good luck,
H.

My daughter had that for a bit. Changing her diet canhelp and pumping there legs like they are runninghelps. Talk to you doctor before giving any type of laxative cause it coudl become deadly for an infant. There is that caro syrup stuff also but definitely speak to your doctor first. Your doctor is your best friend right now and do not feel like you are over reacting by taking the baby in a lot. There is also a great website called babycenter.com which has tons of information on these and other types of items.

I'm sure everyone has suggested this, but, when my son was a newborn, he had constipation issues. We took him off of regular forumla and put him on Similac Sensitive, which was easier to digest. Then, we would give him 2-4 ounces of pear juice every other day. That seemed to work for him. Once he got older and started eating more fruit and other foods, it seemed to take care of itself.

How old is she? Definitely check with your doctor before doing this, but my daughter (shes 1.5) takes Miralax every couple of days to get things moving. It's an OTC powder and we give her half the recommended dose every couple of days. My doctor prescribed this about months ago to help relieve her constipation. You put the powder in her drink and it had no taste.

Don't know if you're breastfeeding or not, but their poop is usually smaller & softer but more frequent.

Here's a tummy massage designed to get things moving.

http://www.corganic.com/abdominalmassage.html

Couple of questions...1. Are you breastfeeding? If so, I am sure you know what you are eating, she is getting. Drink water (accurate formula is half your weight in ounces), raw fruits and veggies.

2. If you are using formula, it may be the iron. I know doctors say children need the iron, but my kids had a horrible reaction to the iron formula. They were bound up from the iron. So I made the best decision for my children and gave them the formula w/o iron and then they were regular. They are now 15 and 12 and A/B students. So it didn't affect their brain development.

Pear juice worked well for us, but well meant one bowel movement every 4 days. (and she was on soy formula from the moment we had to supplement) I'd do a glycerin suppository first to clear out whatever is there, then do an oz or so a day of pear juice.

Once she's on solids at 6 months she'll be fine.

Some doctors will prescribe miralax for infants, but not sure what the dosage would be.

Try adding about 2oz of apple juice to her bottle or a teaspoon of brown sugar. Otherwise they can take milk of magnesia but for that you need to consult your doctor on dose.

When my daughter was constipated the first time, I was told 2 different things by my pediatrician. I was told that since she was around 4 month to do, the walk, then run movements with the legs. She said to keep switching between walk and run, and do for a few minutes. and do it several times a day. Since they aren't walking and able to help th bowel movement move, you are helping to stimulate it. Plus the babies LOVE this.

THe other things i was told ,was to take a q tip and put it by the rectal opening, but not inside, and massage that area with the q-tip, but have a diaper under them, and be ready.

I have noticed as well lately with my daughter if she gets into area, where she is feeling stressed at all, she won't have her movements normal at all. She has been waking herseflf up in the middle of the night having them, and she has slept through the night for a long time.

So I still do these things, though my daughter walks now. I figure it help out, so I will do it .

Hi M.,
This is a common issue with infants and can be helped with massage of the colon to stimulate peristalsis. The descending colon(exit) is located on the lower left side of baby's tummy. You want to start to gently massage with your fingertips in alternating movements toward her groin as you move upward toward her ribs. After you've done that a couple of times, you lift your fingers and start closer to the ribcage, continue the massage in a downward motion toward her groin. Then make the "turn" and begin to work her transverse colon which is located across the bottom of her ribcage. Finish each fingertip massage at the bottom of the descending colon in the groin region and then do a gentle "sweep" motion over the area that you just did. You are going to continue under the right side of her ribcage and move toward the right side of her groin all the while massaging in the direction of her ribcage, this part stimulates the ascending colon. Essentially, you will be moving the stool in a direction that resembles an upside-down "U" if you are at her feet and looking down at her. You can somtimes feel the areas where the stool is stuck and in that case, be especially gentle if she shows signs of tenderness. There are also reflexology techniques that you can use on her feet that can also help, but are a little difficult to explain without a diagram.
Feel free to call me at 866-384-1734 if you have any questions about these massage techniques and I will be happy to talk you through it.
Hope it works and your daughter can feel better soon.
E. B.
(certified infant massage instructor)

I've heard of success with using probiotics. There are infant/children ones too. Also, eliminating dairy products might help. If you're breastfeeding, you also might want to take the probiotics and eliminate the dairy. Hope this helps. Prunes work really well too -the old standby.