Painful Bowel Movement and Gas

My daughter was breastfed for the first year but started getting constipated maybe around 6 or 7 months old. After 5 days without a poop her pediatrician recommended the Gerber apple/prune juice. I got to where I could regulate her with that and would only give it to her if she hadn't gone the day before. Now she's almost two and is regular without prune juice! Good luck!

A baby, especially a breastfed baby, should have a bowel movement daily. Something is wrong. Get a second opinion!!!

If it's not hard, he is not constipated and does NOT need a suppository! It is totally normal for BF babies to go this long (or longer) between poos, after the first few weeks, of course. Breastmilk is so well-digested that there is little waste.

Are his poos super hard? THat's the sign that he is constipated. If they are more firm than before, that's only because of the solids. Adding solids might be why he's going so long, too.

For gas, do you "bicycle" his legs? That will go far in helping to relieve gas. You'll probably even hear some little toots when you do this!

Many people use gripe water and it is very safe. I've never used it, so I can't give testimony, but many people report how well it works. Others use baby gas drops (mylicon) which are supposed to be safe as well. Again, I haven't used them so I don't know how effective they are.

Oh, and that "gassy foods make breastfed babies gassy" business is not true, according to kellymom.com . things like milk, which are enzymes, can actually affect baby, but mom eating broccoli or beans is not really going to affect most babies. http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/gassybaby.html

Now dairy is quite often a problem with BF babies. After all, they're not baby cows and were not meant to drink milk made for baby cows from the beginning. Dairy in mama's diet is often a big cause for problems. You can try eliminating all dairy, see if that's the case, then slowly add it back into your diet to see. http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/food-sensitivity.html Again, though, the idea that other foods as triggers for gas is not well founded in research. but if YOU find something that triggers your baby, avoid it and see if it helps.

Good luck. I would really encourage you not to give your baby a suppository, nor try karo syrup like some people may tell you nor try to stick a thermometer in there to help stimulate things (I say these last two, because well-meaning people very often suggest it). You don't want to have to depend on those things to make him go. Once he starts eating apple sauce, things may change anyway. But don't feed him apple or prune juice just to make him go. Again, you don't want his body to have to depend on those things to go.

L.,

My daughter was the same way for many months and the peditrician said that it was normal for the gas and normal for her not to go for several days since I was breastfeeding. For months I would try to comfort her while she went and would treat her for gas using mylicon.

The BM became increasingly painful for her and I finally mentioned it to a friend of mine who's a pediatric surgeon and she said my little girl had a fissure probably inside her anus that wasn't able to heal since it reopened every time she went. She also said that my daughter was preventing herself from going since it hurt her until she absolutely had to go and of course it was even more painful. My friend then showed me what she was talking about and sure enough there was a tear. She then prescribed an ointment for the tear that would help heal and allow my daughter to have regular BM without all that pain.

Since you don't have the resources I have, I would suggest that you ask your MD specifically to look for a fissure. Also, my friend says that it's a very common condition that most MDs don't diagnose unless you ask.

To think that my little girl was holding her BM for almost a full week just because she instinctively held it because it was painful for her to go just kills me especially when the MD told me it's normal.

It is not abnormal for breastfeeding babies to up to 8 days without pooping. My daughter would do the same and had gas, I would suggest you give her Mylacom for the gas. It worked for my daughter. If you are giving him soft baby food I would suggest prunes to help him go atleast once a day. Careful with the suppository those could be bad, speak with your pediatrician.
Good Luck!

This might be simple but worked well for my son, diluted apple, prune, or pear juice. He had bad constipation, and would poop as he was drinking almost everytime. He was bf too.

Hi L., If you are concerned then by all means get a second oppinion if for nothing else to put your own mind at ease. My youngest son had problems with bowel movements from it seems day one. He is 12 now will be 13 in 9 days. He is now on Miralax probably for the rest of his life because of bowel problems. He was not a breast fed baby so I don't know if that is responsible or not. My son goes to a pediatric gastroenterologist for his problems because too many people including the pediatrian told me it was nothing to worry about. I almost lost him last year. Don't let it go too long just have it checked. Good luck.

L.,

I must agree with all those who posted in regards to being caution on what you are eating. Along with removing the dairy as an elimination trial from your diet. Just make sure to replenish the calcium nutrient to your diet hopefully with some form of a non-dairy supplement.
I would also suggest like adding flax oil to your dietary needs. Preferably like, a Lignan, cold pressed fresh daily, 100% organic, there is a Barleans brand at the refrigerator section at some of HEB's or Health food stores.
Ask the sales person in the department. Bet they have confronted lots of customers in similar shoes of what you are experiencing. Having a poop on a daily basis is a good way for some comfort relief and toxic does not build in the GI tract or autoimmune system which one will not suffer from.

Contact for further information example with a certified clinical nutritionist if this could be worked around your budget.

Quality is key
* Need fewer calories, so eat real food not junk.
* Protein-avoid processed meat; choose chicken, fish (safe sources), beans & whole grains
* Fat-Avoid Trans fat or hydrogenated fat; choose olive oil, etc.
*Carbohydrate- Avoid white sugar, white flour, processed foods; Choose whole grains, vegtables, fruits, meat, and grains when possible
* Organic vegetables, fruits, meat, and grains when possible
* Clean water (use a purifier if possible)
*No additives- food coloring, preservatives, etc.

Basic Supplementation (consult with medical professional)
* Quality Food Based multi-vitamin
* Cod Liver Oil- Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin A & D (brain nutrient)
* Vitamin C - needed in diet; helps immune system

I wouldn't wait 7 days to give him a suppository. Wouldn't it be less painful if you waited less time to give it to him? Something tells me there's something in your diet that he's allergic to that's coming out in your breast milk. I know you're probably not wanting to do this but why don't you try a few days just giving him formula and see how he reacts? If he does a lot better, wouldn't you'd rather him have formula and be pain-free than on breast milk and always be suffering? Just a thought.

When BF you have to watch every little thing you eat!!!! I gave all 3 of mine milk of magnesia for this problem. It is very normal for BF babies to not go for 4-5days. I know what your going through, and I wish you were not! Ask your Dr. how much milk of magnesia the baby should take though. I had to give 1/4tsp until they really startesd going then ease off days. I would skip days and stop giving it for a few weeks. You can't give it to them for long periods.

S.

My son had a similar problem. He is 8 months now and I have had no dairy for about 7 months. He has been fine ever since I elimated the dairy. It is a really hard diet since so much has dairy in it. If you stick with the non dairy diet let me know. I would be happy to share what I have learned with you and recipes. Good Luck!

P.S. Stick with the elimation diet two weeks to know if that is the problem. Dairy stays in your system a long time.

J. Smith
www.JennysWineShop.com

I would absolutely have your baby checked for fissures. Also, a good friend of mine bf her baby and had similar problems. She would give her baby a bottle of half water, half pear juice. You can find pear juice in the baby aisles of most grocery stores. Just don't give it too cold as that can increase gas problems.

Good luck. Poor little guy!

3/30/09

Greetings!

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**M.

my daughter has an anal fissure (sp*) now cause of that and it can cause a lot of problems i don't know why your pedi thinks that it is OK that's crazy he needs more fiber and a laxative of some kind ask the Dr about if you might have to change Dr's well i hope everything goes well have a great day oh and don't give him suppository's that only makes i worse we have a great Dr and thetas what she told us that it will mess up more than fix

hello sorry to hear that maybe it is something your eating but if not have you tried any Optiflora is helps with your intestines. It places good and bad bacteria where it needs to be. I can tell you of a all natural one if you like more info. you might want to check that out

Maybe he needs more water. For my daughter I would set out a sippy cup for her with water to drink all day. It was easy for me to forget that she needed water too because I always considered a bottle/breast as a drink. Anyway, if that doesn't help I would consider another opinion. Maybe seeing another Dr. will help with some more ideas to try. Seven days without going #2 is not normal.

I know many doctors don't always agree with herbal remedies but I was raised with chamomille tea for gas and prevent constipation and I still give it to my daughter who is close to 2 years. It helps her move her bowels and my grandmother recommended me given it to her. Just try one ounce or half three times a day inbetween breast feeding and see if it works. It's natural and health for your baby!.
-G.

Hi L.,

Please go to Whole Foods and get some baby PROBIOTICS, a good baby Calcium, and baby Mineral supplement. That should help with this condition.

www.creeksideherbhouse.com

That is my free teaching website, the theory page is where to start. Babies are only treated with these supplements and diet. My contact information is on the website

Hope this helps

Blessings
J. M

I didn't breastfeed but I used a lot of mylecon and if I felt she was constipated I would put a little vaseline on a qtip and stimulate her rectum just a little and she would go without any medicine or anything. It seemed to work like a charm.

My exclusively bf niece had this same problem. Turns out that she has a reaction to milk. Not mama's milk, but dairy that mama was eating. Do you eat a lot of dairy in your diet?

I hate that poor painful gassy, need to poop hurt - it's one of the worst for babies! You could try cutting back on the dairy or even cutting it out and then see what that does for your son. Just make sure you're getting adequate vitamin d, calcium, and good fat through other sources.

FYI, now that my niece is a year old, she does drink milk-based, lactose free formula and has been weened. If you plan on bf longer, just ask your pedi what is healthy for you and baby. If you keep a food journal, cutting out/back on one thing at a time you should be able to pinpoint what the problem is. It's also great documentation for the pedi to see when you're back in there to get a better diagnosis. No, it's not normal to rely on suppositories. It's not even normal for an 8 month old to consistently experience painful gas.

my grandchild was suffering from constipation and the Dr. had my daughter inlaw give the child more fresh veggies n fruit prureed. and it helped.

Seeing as he's almost 8 months old I would try giving baby/childrens yogurt. It's differnt than milk and doesn't digest the same. But there are naturally occuring cultures in yogurt that aid in makeing the bowels regular.

My ds had painful gas too pretty much from the day of his birth. I fiddled with my diet and found that certain foods really set him off (garlic, tomato sauce). If I stayed away from the foods that bothered him, he was fine, but on nights when I accidentally ate an offending food, we had to give him Mylecon drops every 2 hours for any of us to get any sleep.

We've also frequently had the blowout problem (more now that he's 2 and eats tons than when he was 8-months-old). I sometimes wonder if the gas and the blowouts are both related to an underlying food sensitivity. He's not allergic to anything, but his tummy does seem to react strongly to some foods.

Good luck!

I would see another pedi for a second opinion.

Ask you dr. if you can give your son some deluted apple juice and water to drink it helped my grandson quite a bit. You might also what you eat anything that caused you gas can also cause him gas. Anything with iron in it can cause the same problem.

My dd is nearly 9 months and bf, but had alot of issues with gas and bm through the first probably 6 months. Our pedi put her on prescrip colic/gas drops (Levsin drops). We used these all the time. She also began having bm problems. For awhile we used suppositories every few days. (He also gave us a recipe of karo syrup mixed with 1 oz milk or water in a bottle to help.) After she was old enough, the pedi finally let her try a prescrip powdered laxative. I think she only used 4 or 5 doses of this and things finally became regular. I have noticed that her juice (diluted half and half with water) seems to help her too.
Fissures may very well be a problem. I hope you can find a solution soon!

If I were you, I'd look at the things you're eating.
Your post sounded just like my daughter! Turns out she had a problem with the dairy I was consuming. (Another poster mentioned this too.) I eliminated cows milk and soft cheeses from my diet completely. After a while I added back in hard cheeses and yogurt (White Mountain brand).

She's almost four now and we've slowly introduced dairy into her diet, starting with yogurt, then cheese, then milk. She does great now.

Btw, this was something I figured out on my own, from reading books and poking around on the internet. My pediatrician, who is wonderful in many ways, wasn't particularly helpful.

Hi L.,
I have twin 9 month old boys and have had the same problems with them. Here is what I was told by my pediatrician: He recommended giving them more fiber by using the oatmeal cereal instead of the rice cereal, or by giving them either white grape or apple juice dilluted half juice, half water. He said that fiber was a natural, safe way to help regulate the digestive system. It will soften hard stool, and harden loose stool. It is great for both extremes. There may be other things to look into as well, because there is something causing the issue. This will help naturally soften the stool, though, and make it easier to go. My pedi recommended not giving Pedialax because eventually they would develop a tolerance for it and you would have to keep increasing the dosage for it to stay effective. He recommended that we give them a suppository at the end of the day if they hadn't gone that day. He also said that as we began to eat more baby foods/solid and become more active, these problems would naturally get better. I also tried going off dairy while I was pumping and giving them breastmilk. I think it helped but it did not cure us. It has gotten tons better for us. My boys are not dependant on the suppositories. They go all the time without them, but it sure makes a difference when we do need them in that it softens it up and makes it easier for them to go. I hope this helps and good luck finding what works for you and your little one!
A.
www.InvestingInMyKids.com

Try chiroptactic! No meds, and great results. Dr. Mahan with Discover Chiropractic is awesome with babies! He sees ALOT of kiddos with potty problems. ###-###-#### He is excellent with my whole family! Good Luck. I am so sorry, a baby with gas is NOT a happy baby.