Gassy infant

Lisa - posted on 01/16/2010

I just went to Doctor office 2 days ago and my 9 week old is constipated only going every 2-3 days and struggles. Doctor said use pear or prune juice 3oz. a day. I also asked if I needed to mix 1/2 and 1/2 with water and he said no as long as it was baby juice. Tried yesterday and already working stools not as hard.

Jennett - posted on 01/16/2010

my pediatrician told me after i make his bottle to put a teaspoon of water in it to water it down a little bit you can change formula but only if your baby really needs it. the water helps with constipation. but doctors do not consider your baby constipated unless he hasn't went for 5 days wierd 'yes' but thats what they say,lol.

Larisa - posted on 01/16/2010

little of apple juice with water works, try a warm (not hot bath) helps get things moving but ask you doctor. You can get advice over the phone from a nurse if you call :)

Cassie - posted on 01/15/2010

my daughter gets gassy a lot, i did start cutting way down on dairy. i can't cut it out totally, but i did drastically reduce how much i ate. we used the gripe water and it really did help, better than the mylicon. but you can also use apple juice. just a little bit will help.

Mylene - posted on 01/15/2010

You also want to look at what you are eating. Onions can make baby gassy too. I can't touch onions as my baby will be so gassy she gets cramps. Cabbage will make baby gassy too and there are other foods too. As for the gripe water, if you do use it, follow the instructions carefully. If it does not work for your baby, ask your doctor to recommend something else. My baby reacts fine to gripe water, but I only use it as a last resort. I will start by pumping her legs like bicycling or massage her belly in a clockwise motion under a warm blanket. This usually helps my baby pass gass easier.

Rebecca - posted on 01/15/2010

Just re-reading my post, and just wanting to be clear so as not to upest anyone - when I say "the best substitute formulas are synthetic" I mean they are the best for children with milk protein intolerance. I make no claims at all about which formulas are best in general.

And just a hint as to how careful you can have to be with dairy sometimes - with my 2nd I couldn't even eat a milk arrowroot biscuit without her reacting, because even the "milk solids" ingredient was enough.

The up-side - going dairy-free made me lose 10kg!

Rebecca - posted on 01/15/2010

I agree with the suggestion about cutting dairy - but recommend doing it for longer, and not substituting soy. Milk protein intolerance is really common, and often mistaken for lactose intolerance (even by some drs). Milk protein can take 10-14 days to comletely leave your system, and can then take the same time to leave your baby's, so stopping all dairy for a month is recommended (though if it is the issue you probably will see some change in the first few days). I have 3 who have had this problem, and saw improvement within 4 days but the full improvement by 2-3 weeks.

And I recommend against substituting with soy, hard though it is, as lot of babies who are milk protein intolerant are also soy intolerant, so substituting one with the other doesn't help.

If your bub is bottle fed, formula is based on cow's milk so milk protein is a significant issue - the best substitute formulas are synthetic and best obtained by prescription, so see your Dr and chat to them about it.

Good luck!

Sara - posted on 01/14/2010

i'd steer clear from gripe water because it's an herbal supplement and i used it for my son and it made him have horrible diarreah for 3 days and made his stomach upset. i strongly suggest infant mylicon. it's safe and doctor recommended. also try less but more frequent feedings and burping more often. you may need to switch formulas too, like enfamil gentlease or good start gentle formula. something easier on the stomach and easy to digest. it's also formula that is most like mother's breast milk which is always a plus.

Amber - posted on 01/14/2010

gripe water

Lyndsay - posted on 01/14/2010

If you are breastfeeding, its true that he's not constipated, but they can go up to 7 days without a bowel movement... as far as gas- My daughter was SOOOOOO gassy and uncomfortable all the time and especially at night. Try cutting all dairy out of your diet for about 4 days- you will likely be amazed at the improvement! Babies often have a hard time digesting cow protiens because they are so large, and it causes a lot of discomfort. When I did this, it was like night and day the change I saw! As your baby gets older, you'll see that you can start slowly adding dairy back in, because his digestive track will have matured. Good luck!

Jessica - posted on 01/13/2010

if he is takin formula, then u might want to change it to enfimail gentelease.. i had to change my baby to it and it helped alot.. and for gas u can also get gas drops it its really bad and its safe enough to put some in every bottle.. and ive heard that u can give them 2oz of juuice a day to help with them usin the bathroom.. but if u do that u need to mix it with water..

Nikole - posted on 01/12/2010

if he is breastfeed then he is not constipated altho it may seem that way. my 7 month old only went every 8 days or so at 3 months and he acted like he was constapated. if he is formula fed talk to your ped. if gas is a problem they have gas meds for babies at the store. baby mylacon is one