Hi Mommies!
Has anyone's child become constipated after taking the vitamin suppl Poly-Vi-Sol? My daughter who is about 5 months and has NEVER had any problems in the pooping area went her first day yesterday without having a bowel movement, and still hasn't gone yet today. My pediatrician rec. the suupl because of lack of vitamin D, but not sure if I want to continue with it if it causes constipation...
It could be that she's too young for this supplement. Yet at the same time she needs her Vitamin D. I would discontinue and call the doctor about this. Normally, I would give my children apple/prune juice by Gerber when they experienced a bit of constipation but your baby is only 5 months old. I don't remember giving juice that early.
Calling your doctor is the best advice I can offer.
Michelle
"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the staircase." ~Dr. Martin L. King
It can definitely cause constipation. I am assuming you're breastfeeding (if you are formula feeding I would definitely not give this supplement). I wouuld recommend researching whether you think this supplement is necessary. Breastmilk has lower vitamin D than formula but it is better absorbed so less is needed. I would not give this supplement personally. Good luck with whatever you decide.
If your baby is getting only breastmilk and no formula or solids yet, it is very unlikely that she is constipated. Breast-fed babies can go a few days without having a bowel movement and then could have many BMs in one day. If you are breastfeeding exclusively, the way to tell if your baby is constipated is if she is having stools that look like small, hard pebbles rather than how often she goes or how many days she skips before a BM. If you are supplementing with formula or if she is eating solids, then she could possibly be constipated but I would talk to her pediatrician about it before stopping the Poly-Vi-Sol.
Alison:
Courtney's response is right on.. we all need sunlight.. it is important to get outside every day.
Patricia, RLC, IBCLC
Breastfeeding and Parenting Solutions
Never had this problem with my children, but then we didn't start giving poly-vi-sol until they started drinking milk - at one year old.
I believe that you can get it with or without iron. It is the iron that causes constipation so if you have the one with iron, buy the other.
ChildLife Liquid Multi is easier on the system, you can purchase it online at www.vitacost.com If you are worried about the vitamin d, Carlson's makes an infant vitamin d3 drops at 400iu per drop which can be purchased at Whole Foods, but am sure you'll be able to find it online if you google it.
Jasmine W. MPH
Wellness Educator/Lifestyle and Wellness Coach
If you are breastfeeding, it is most likely a result of her body better absorbing the breast milk. My son is on it and he is breastfed and we sometimes go several days without a bowel movement. He seems to have no problems. I would only worry if you see her agonizing before a movement. You can always call the peditrician too.
That happened to my daughter too. I talked to my ped and he said, tri-vi-sol would do and wouldn't cause the constipation. It has vitamins A,C and D and you can get with or without iron as well.
We never had any problems and my son was on this vitamin from 3 weeks old through 1 year.
Hi, We never had the issue, we were on Vi- Sol for quite long. Talk to your ped.
Vibha
We have never had an issue with this. My son's been on this for a year and a half.
I'm not totally sure but I seem to think my son actually got stomach upset and diarreah from it. I keep forgetting to give it to him again to see if that really was the culprit.
My doctor originally prescribed Tri-vo-sol (spelling?), but my husband saw on the internet that there were reports of stomach upset so he didn't buy it for me. I didn't know this and bought the Poly-vi-sol over-the-counter. I think I will give it to him again today and see what happens.
My "kids" are now 18 and 21 and I remember this same problem.
Margaret in EGV
hi i am pretty sure that the iron in the supplements can cause constipation. polyvisol comes without the iron too. good luck
This is absolutely common -- iron constipated everyone. Just give her some squirts or prune or apple juice (if it's alright with dr.). And give her lots of tummy time (playing on floor on tummy or crawling) as inactivity at any age only makes this problem worse. Good luck.
I'm just repeating what some others have told you: iron causes constipation! and it makes poop really dark and thick! There is a poly-vi-sol without iron available. Target has a store brand of it that is less expensive but exactly the same thing!
We love Shaklee's Vita Lea Infant Mix vitamins for our son. They are the best. A dietician recently told us she really liked them, and they are natural vitamins, no propylene glycol, etc. They can be mixed into milk, or given in a sippy. My son gets it in his sippy every morning and likes them. He's never had an issue with constipation from them.
Check them out here- http://www.shaklee.net/tammybristol/product/20073.
Tammy
www.ReadandGrow.com
My son was put on poly vi sol w/ iron from about 2 or 3 visit and yes he would cry and scream anytime he tried to have a bowl movement. I stopped giving it too him and talked to my dr and she said that Iron didn't cause constipation. So I gave him another 2 days and it again cause him issues. I finally just changed to poly vi sol w/o Iron and that did the trick with the constipation.