New Parents need advice – Baby Constipated

[Kermit]

I agree that you should call your pediatrician before you give her anything. Taking her temp is fine, but anything else needs a doctor's approval. As someone else mentioned, Karo syrup does have a botulism risk, so that isn't recommended any longer. My baby got impacted (sort of like constipated, but not exactly) when he was about 4 months old. My doctor had me give him an enema. He wrote a script for a laxative that's basically just sugar water, but I never had to use it. I breastfeed, and I was able to keep him healthy as long as I ate prunes every day. The things we do for our kids!

 

[Hillbeans]

Our son is 4 weeks old, and we were using the regular Enfamil Lipil, and our son had terrible gas from it.

We're now using the Enfamil Gentlease which has partially broken down proteins and it's much gentler on his digestive system.

I've also heard of warm baths and prune juice (I always heard it's never good to give a baby an enema, but I know it works for some) however run anything you want to do by your baby's doctor first. It's always better to get their blessing before trying all sorts of things on your own.

 

[Planogirl]

Our pediatrician recommended a little watered-down prune juice. It worked wonders.

 

[FonFon]

We just recently went through this with our (now) 4-month old. If your baby isn't very fussy, it may be fine.

Ours went 7 days without a dirty diaper, then following that, went 8 days until another dirty diaper. Happy, happy baby, just no dirty diapers. We called the after-hours nurse line, where the nurse said we could either take her temperature or give her a glycerine suppository, or just wait it out to see the doctor, and as long as the baby wasn't incredibly fussy or running a fever, she wouldn't recommend anything else.

We took her in to the doc at that point, where she was as smiley and content as she had been, and after examining her, the doc said we could give her watered down juice if we wanted to, but as long as she isn't fussy, she was fine.

I would go ahead and call your doctor and have your baby checked out, because it may be that your baby just doesn't feel like pooping!

 

[ryan840]

I went found that the times I gave my son formula, he would get constipated because of the amount of iron in it. We switched to the store brand (which has to be nurtitionally complete by law, so don't feel you're jipping your kid there) and it helped out tremendously! It has the RDA for iron in it, but not the over abundance that the brand names have. Ask your ped about making the switch if you are uncomfortable just doing it on your own. HTH!

 

[Lil_Tink]

I don't recommend you do this but it is a funny story.

My DD's first daycare provider was a family friend. She was right off the boat from Italy and had raised six of her own children. DD was about 12 weeks old and she was constipated. I had let her daycare provider know about this. Apparently she was doing some "straining" and was uncomfortable while over there. When I got home to pick DD up, the daycare provider told me all about it and told me that she had inserted some butter up you-know-where. I was astonished and quite taken aback, but I didn't say anything. Anyway, it worked like a charm and we had no more problems after that.

Seriously though, does your babies formula contain iron? Sometimes this causes a problem.

 

[cristbaby]

I have done childcare for 20 years and have had conversations with many different pediatricians over the years. I have found the #1 recommended remedy for constipation is the glycerin suppositories for infants. #2 was watered down prune juice. Always check with your pediatrician first because there are so many different opinions between Drs. Good Luck!

 

[the kabuki]

So, I guess the butter wasn't all that weird then?

Nope, butter or vaseline works like a charm. Learned it from my straight off the boat from Sicily mother in law!!!

Ped also gave us some numbing type cream I'd guess you'd call it. I'd put a bit on the end of a q-tip ,insert and voila, things were moving again.

 

[the kabuki]

Please talk to your pediatrician. Corn syrup can harbor botchulism (sp?) spores (like honey does). Not all does, but better to be safe than sorry. Also be careful with the vaseline. You can use it outside the rectum safely. It can help to prevent painful fisures. You just don't want to put it in the rectum. It's not water soluble and can cause problems with infections.

Check with your doctor about giving your baby 1 or 2 ounces of warm water in a bottle. Some other things to try:

Massage babies lower back and tummy
Move babies legs in a bicycle motion
Give your baby a warm bath (can do bicycle motion at the same time)

Good luck. DS had major problems with constipation. Some of the problem ended up being a developmental muscular delay. Things are much better now.

Oh, and one of the reasons (many reasons) that my MIL no longer babysits the twins is that she told someone else in my presence that she had solved DS's contipation by putting vaseline in his rectum. Problem is, she didn't tell me that she'd done it (it had happened a couple of months prior to me finding out), and we had had a conversation before this happened and I had made it quite clear that DS wouldn't have anything put in him that the pediatrician didn't prescribe/approve of.

Wow, didn't know about the Karo syrup and botulism. that was another tip from Sicilian MIL that worked good when the kids were little. Guess I won't be passing on that tip to anyone

 

[tiff211]

Funny, I just took my 7 week old to the pedi for that on Friday. He said she wasn't constipated if her stools were hard and they are not, she just hasn't pooped in 7 days. He felt her belly and he said as long as it was soft and she is not vomiting, there are no worries. He did say she was a bit young for suppositories and to give her an oz. of prune juice everyday until she does regularly and if that doesn't help up it to an oz. and 1/2. I am breastfeeding about 70% of the time so I know it is not the formula. Her pedi said some babies just happened to absorb just about all that goes in. He did stick his pinky in her bum and a little poop came out then. That was Friday morning and she still hasn't gone. I told DH "the baby's is full of you-know-what!"

 

[nwdisgal]

My pediatrician had "the list" that he gave us. It listed foods and liquids to give them when it's running too much and another list when they are all stopped up. Maybe your pediatrician has something similar?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

We used mineral oil per our childs doctor. Check with your pediatrician though.

 

[swilphil]

Karo syrup (and honey) can cause botulism in infants. Definitely talk to your ped. I'd also ask about another formula if this is a constant problem.

 

[cheerbop]

DD (she'll die if she reads this LOL) was always constipated as a baby! Ugh, if that kid wasn't grunting, she was crying LOL.

Anyway, I would put a little vaseline on a themometer and take her temp. In a few minutes, she would do some poopies.

This is something that a nurse friend of mine recommended to me.

We also do the bicycle with the legs and also, RUB the tummy, when looking at the baby, in a clockwise mothion...that is the way the intestines work. These things always worked.