Newborn constipation / please help !!

Roxanne - posted on 01/27/2010

My daughter was constipated at that age too. The bicycle legs, 10mls of fruit juice with water,massaging her tummy...We tried all sorts of things eventually the doctor told us to give her a glycerin suppository that worked like a charm.

Jessica - posted on 01/27/2010

My son had the same problem. Apricot nector (read the label for no added sugar) and blueberries did the trick. your son is too young for blueberries but I would ask the doc if he can have apricot nector.
Good luck!

Ruth - posted on 01/27/2010

I would suggest a little breast milk. You can pump it or just directly give it. Also, some tummy massage would likely help. And pumping/biking with his legs while he lies on his back...

Rachel - posted on 01/27/2010

You can try a sliver of suppository. My son had the same problem when he was born, that was the only thing that helped. You will have to hold his little bottom shut to keep the suppository in at first and you will want to get the diaper on FAST b/c it can work real fast! LOL Just use a very small shaving of a sliver at first. The non-medicated type. It doesn't matter wether you buy the child or adult since you are going to be cutting it up anyway.Our ped. did approve this for our son also. Our son would go once or twice a week :( We would only use the suppository after 5 days or so. Our ped. said it is very normal for a baby that young to be constipated, I thought that was odd as this was our 3rd and the other 2 never had probs.

Claire - posted on 01/27/2010

this is true as when I first had ava she kept getting sick after her bottles and I realised I was doing it wrong .boil the water, put it into the bottle then add the formula almost straight away and shake, dont wait for the water too cool until luke warm as the formula doesnt mix and will become lumpy and does not sit right in their stomach therefore causing the constpation or sickness,hope this helps , i also added more water than recommended an extra ounce

Michelle - posted on 01/27/2010

This may sound ridiculous...but have you checked to make sure that your are mixing the right concentration of formula with water? If the baby is getting too high a concentraion of formula...it can cause constipation. You would be surprised how many mothers don't realize they've mixed the formula incorrectly.

Claire - posted on 01/27/2010

try water and sugar, boil the water add the sugar then let it cool. also pears are a natural laxative i gave my daughther boil mash fruit at 4 months or so and it was fine a small amount

Cheryl - posted on 01/27/2010

Its, one teaspoon of light *Karo syrup in 4 ounces of water or we added it to his formula. Found on the baking isle of your grocery store. A teaspoon of sugar does the opposite. These are Old Remedies passed down thru generations. It is not automatic.... usually takes 24hrs to work. These are just suggestions. Discuss with your DR and do what you think is best for your child.

Anjana Sanghi - posted on 01/26/2010

TRY GELUSIL LIQUID FOR KIDS THAT MIGHT HELP HIS CONSTIPATION

Mel - posted on 01/26/2010

Paige, as far as I know karo syrup whatever it is is only in the states so I have never used it as im from australia but I believe it is dark kyro syrup. In australia prune juice is commonly used and reccommended by the pediatric nurses and health direct

Paige - posted on 01/26/2010

when he first was constipated we had him on enfimal so we switched to a differnt formula./ presidants choice regular infant formula and its not iron fortified

Christina - posted on 01/26/2010

Paige,

Corn syrup can cause allergy problems in his future. I HIGHLY advise against it.

Iron constipates SO many babies. What kind of formula are you using? If it is one that is fortified with iron, then use a low-iron formula.

Paige - posted on 01/26/2010

wow so many different ideas, thanks everyone !!
but most people say karo syrup, some say dark some say light ? what is it and where can i get it ??

Kaitlyn - posted on 01/26/2010

hey, my son was suffering from bad constipation from about 1 week old. we tried a heap of different formulas until we found Novalac Constipation!! started working about 2 weeks after using it so u have to persist! also, push Caiden's knees up to his chest when u see he is trying to push. I also found that when my son would try and poop, i got the corner of a baby wipe and tickled it in his bum hole to try and stimulate it! I dont know which of these techniques worked, but together, now he is pooping perfectly!!

Rachel - posted on 01/26/2010

my youngest is 11 weeks old....we HAD TO switch her formula. she was terribly constpated and screamed during bowrl movements. it was horribly painful for her to move her bowels, and all she could manage were a couple of rock hard little balls. lol. no, seriously, the regular formulas had extra iron, which for some babies is fine, but too much for our little Lucy :( we switched to nestle goodstart gentle formula and now the kid poops like a champ! lol. it may just be a matter of finding the formula that is right for your baby. And also....you should not give your 4 week old baby anything but breastmilk or formula without talking to the doctor first. anything acceptable, the doctor will approve.

Nyoka - posted on 01/26/2010

I had this problem. We had to change formula. We did not know that some babies can't handle the iron in formula. We finally got him on Good Start Gentle Formula, no iron. He started using the bathroom better. We still used the clear Karo syrup in his milk and used it up into about two weeks of transition from formula to whole milk.

Melissa - posted on 01/26/2010

when my son was 4 weeks we had the same issue. I thought it was the formula and went around trying every different formula out. That made it worse. My midwife said to stick to the formula that he was used to and to treat the constipation in other ways. Coloxyl and water were the answers. I did feel like i was giving him a lot of cooxyl but i would give it to him every second day depending on his movements (midwife said that this was alright). Also water helps. Connor didn't like water so i was told to just add extra water to his bottles and a little less formula. good luck with it, it will pass. Oh and also when he is lying down move his legs around like he is ridding a bike. and when he is big enough get a jolly jumper or a jumper of some sort. The jumping always tended to help Connor do his business. lol

Cheryl - posted on 01/26/2010

Old Remedies... This Does work! I have used on all 4 of my children.
If the baby is otherwise healthy, one teaspoon of light *Karo syrup in 4 ounces of water will often get things back on track.

Read more: http://www.drgreene.com/qa/babies-and-co...

Trish - posted on 01/26/2010

1 teaspoon Karo Syrup in a 4 oz bottle. You can use in every bottle if necessary. Worked for my son from 2 weeks old.

Holly - posted on 01/26/2010

2 of my 4 kids have had to deal with constipation. I found a couple things that have helped.

1. Check the formula. I had to change to a formula with low iron. The high level of iron was constipating them

2. I add about 1/4 to a third of a small jar of Gerbers prune/apple juice to each bottle. It makes the formual look disgusting but it kept them regular. When they were constipated I started with a lot more apple juice in the bottle (1/2 to a 2/3) but once they started going and the poop was soft I would cut way back and then not put it in at all unless it look like the poop was getting hard a gain. Hope this helps and good luck. I hated seeing my kids hurt too!!1

3) When it was really bad, my doctor told me to get baby suppositories (in canada they are over the counter (must ask the pharmasits though). YOu have to hold the suppository in their for 10 - 15 minutes but it made them go and relieved the pressure. Then II added the prune/apple juice.

Mel - posted on 01/26/2010

at 4 weeks you can use prune juice and water, plenty of water between bottles, raw sugar in the bottle enough til it works, vaseline on a cotton tip and put it on his butt every time you change the nappy, warm baths or change of formula. elminate iron from the diet some formulas have more of this then others, you can get a specific constipation formula (in Australia anyway). You can purchse coloxyl drops from the chemist which can be used from birth or suppositories if necessary (my daughter was constipated for 12 months none stop and I nevr had to use one). Eliminating iron includes rice cereal in case you were using it in bottles or anything

Joy - posted on 01/26/2010

Both my children had constipation problems as new borns. I had to give my kids 1 ounce of sugar water every 3 days. However check with your pediatrician because water can cause siezer's in infants. It doesn't solve the problem but it does help. Also DO NOT use honey to sweeten the water. Use regular Sugar. Providing your Dr. approves.

Chrystal - posted on 01/25/2010

I will give you the advice my Mom gave me. Yes it could be the formula I had to not use the same formula as I did with my oldest to my youngest. I added brown sugar to sometimes their formula( tho I changed the formula) plus gave boiled water with a little brown sugar in between. I may consult the health nurse and look at other formulas. My youngest need the formula with iron enriched. My oldest was fine with another type. Beside I had them on pablum around 2 to 4 weeks old a little bit at nite and tried to add prunes or anything that would help with that problem.

Stacey - posted on 01/25/2010

BEEN THERE!!!! ASK PEDI ABOUT MIRALAX. WE ALSO USED DARK KARO , IT WORKED AS LONG AS IT WAS 75% KARO 25% FORMULA. WE ALSO GOT PUT ON NETRIMGEN ( THIS IS NOT CORRECT SPELLING) IT IS A FORMULA , IT STINKS . MAY GOOD BLESS YOU.

Amber - posted on 01/25/2010

I would give him a little bit of the gerber apple juice with the prunes. Also i would check with my doctor about the formula.My Daughter when she was that little she went through several different formulas to find one that would work with her. It might be that the formula that you have him on has too muvh iron in it. that could be causing it. But i would definately check with my dr about the formula. Hope that helps!

Iysha - posted on 01/25/2010

Keep calling and calling and calling....bug the hell outta that doctor's office =] lol. I once called 5 times in one day and they finally got back to me. It was nothing...go figure! But they still asked if I wanted her to be seen and said they would try to fit her in the schedule at a time that would be good for me. Hopefully you get them to call you back. If not, you could also go to the local pharmacy and the pharmacist can help you find something that should work for your child.

Paige - posted on 01/25/2010

thanks lysha :)
but i have also tried the bicylce motion with his legs and it didnt seem to work either!
im pretty sure he is constipated because his poop is hard, i will keep asking my doctor hopefully there is something i can do because i hate to see my little guy in pain :(

Iysha - posted on 01/25/2010

To ease his pain, you can hold him and rub his lower back or his tummy and just talk gently to him to get him to relax. Moving his little legs in a bicycle motion while he is laying on his back could work too. These all are things that a pediatrician advised when my daughter was having a hard time going poop. If he is constipated, keep calling and either a nurse or the doctor's assistant or the doctor his/herself will get back to you. If not, go down there and see if your baby can be seen or if anybody can help you with what's going on. They will let you know how to handle your baby's constipation and give you instructions on how to help him.

Iysha - posted on 01/25/2010

Babies that young rarely are constipated....are you sure he is constipated? Constipation is when he would be having a hard time going and when it does come out...the poop is hard and pallet like. If he's just having a hard time pooping and when he finally does poop it is soft, then he's just having a hard time figuring out which muscles to contract and which to relax to go poop. We take pooping for granted....it is a learning process babies have to go through. They have to realize that they have to push with their abdomen and relax the anal sphincter.



Do Not give your baby anything other than breastmilk or formula without your child's pediatrician's okay. You could be seriously doing damage to your child by giving him anything else at just 4 weeks of age.... Especially laxatives.

Paige - posted on 01/25/2010

thank you :)