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Digestion Issues - Looking for suggestions

Tracy - posted on 07/22/2011 ( 2 moms have responded )

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4

Hi all,

I posted this to the June 2011 Babies group in regards to my 5-week-old son, and thought I'd post it here as well, in case some of you have experienced a similar problem. I didn't have this issue with my May, 2009 baby and I'm at a loss as to how to help my newborn.

My little guy has significant digestive problems, specifically with his bowel movements - He went for over 24 hours with no BM or pee when he was just a day old, and has struggled ever since. He is extremely uncomfortable, and it's obvious he's in quite a bit of pain. Here is what I have done/tried so far:

I spoke to our public health nurse who suggested a few nursing changes - lean back when I feed him, in case my flow is too quick for him, and try burping him before he eats as well as after. Those didn't help.

She also suggested Gripe Water or Ovol. We tried Gripe Water for a week with no success, and now are using the Ovol, which has made him feel slightly better, though not a lot.

I took him to the doctor as well, who said it is a normal part of newborn development - he basically needs to figure out how his systems work, and this might take up to three months. She said I could try using a rectal thermometre, as that might cause the muscles to relax and allow him to have a BM, but it didn't work.

Does anyone have any other suggestions for things that might help? It breaks my heart to see him in such pain, and I just want it to go away. I can't imagine him suffering like this for another two months!

I'm sorry for the long post, I just wanted to be clear about what we've tried.

Thanks in advance for any help!

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2 Comments

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Tracy - posted on 07/29/2011

188

4

Hi Sara

I don't think he's constipated. He poops about every 24 hours, and it looks normal (runny and pale brownish), there just isn't a whole lot of it in his diaper. He strains a lot, even when he isn't able to pass anything.

I nurse him on one breast at a time - I don't switch during a feeding, and only switch if it's been an hour since his last feeding. I feed when he looks for it, too, rather than on a schedule - which can mean a whole lot of feedings! haha :)

I have heard that cutting dairy from my diet might work, but I wouldn't even know how to do it - there seems to be dairy in everything. Have you done it? If so, would you be able to offer any advice?

Thanks!
Tracy

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 07/28/2011

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When he does poop what does it look like? Is it hard? Is he now having plenty of wet diapers? Some breastfed babies will go up to 10 days (I've even heard 14) without having a bowel movement. It is because breast milk is such a perfect food that their bodies use it all and there is little waste. If he's very gassy then make sure you burp frequently. If he's poops are frothy and green then he may be getting too much foremilk which can cause a gassy, fussy baby. Make sure that he thoroughly empties the first breast before you offer the second. You don't want to nurse by the clock. Nurse him when he show signs of hunger (increased alertness, sucking on hands, rooting, smacking lips) and let him nurse on the first breast until he falls off or falls asleep and his sucking slows significantly. If these things don't help then you may want to look at what you eat. Sometimes dairy causes issues in baby and cutting out all dairy will help. Although, it takes 2-3 weeks for all of the dairy protein to be out of your system so you would have to wait that long to see an improvement.Good luck!

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