Whats best to help with a constipated 2 1/2 week old who rarely poops? She eats breast milk and form

Tricia - posted on 06/23/2009

Hi, first, there's nothing wrong with supplementing with formula. Don't let folks make you feel guilty. But it is most likely the type of formula that you are using. Unfortunately, using formula is trial and error. Every baby reacts differently to the various kinds. My first son had no issue with Enfamil with Lipil. I then switched him to Costco's brand because it was a 1/3 less and had the exact same ingredients. My second son on the other hand is very sensitive. He was extremely gassy and was spitting up. Took a few tries but we've now settled on Enfamil's gentlease. Talk to your pediatrician about switching formulas. And the pear juice is a great immediate response to the problem. Good luck!

Michele - posted on 06/23/2009

Pear juice worked like a charm for me. I did one oz at a time and diluted it with water. I still need to give my son pear juice from time to time when he gets backed up.

Kelly - posted on 06/23/2009

a teaspoon of sugar in their milk is suppose to help :)

Danielle - posted on 06/23/2009

Try giving her a little water in between feedings...That really helped my daughter

Danielle - posted on 06/23/2009

Try giving her a little water in between feedings...That really helped my daughter

Shannon - posted on 06/23/2009

I too am STUCK feeding my baby both breast milk and sup. feeding with formula. I am not one of those extremist breastfeeding women but I much prefer to breastfeed and feel disapointed and guilty that I can't supply my baby with enough breast milk, she has been sup. fed since birth. My breastmilk merely never came in on it's own. My baby lost 700g in a week after leaving hospital and we ended up being re-admitted. Whilst in hospital I had lots of support from midwives to help me in my journey to be a breastfeeding mummy. I was on that frightening electric breast pump for an hour and a half at a time and was lucky to get 30ml of breast milk... No wonder my baby was starving hungry! My doctor prescribed motillium to help my milk production and it has maybe doubled my supply, but that is obviously nowhere near enough. I was advised to not give up on breastfeeding as even if she was getting a little breastmilk it would benefit her more than getting none and also to keep her in the practice of being on the breast. After each breastfeed she will have about 120ml of formula. I am fortunate that she has not become constipated but if she did I would blame the formula and would most definately consult a doctor or paediatrician before trying any potions!

Simone - posted on 06/23/2009

i also had to switch formulas i went from s26 reflux to karicare reflux the karicare has carob bean and is alot easier to digest.

Tanya - posted on 06/23/2009

My doctor suggested switching to lower Iron formula and adding 1 tsp. of regular sugar to 4 oz. of milk once a day. I did this for 2 days and it worked perfectly. I only had to do this occasionally after that.

Tanya - posted on 06/23/2009

My doctor suggested switching to lower Iron formula and adding 1 tsp. of regular sugar to 4 oz. of milk once a day. I did this for 2 days and it worked perfectly. I only had to do this occasionally after that.

Simone - posted on 06/23/2009

i wish people would stop saying breast is best cos its differant for everyone i my baby cant take my milk so i have her on formula she is 11 weeks now and used to get consipated from the formula but i add extra 10/20 mls of water to every bottle now she poops with out screaming the house down she doesnt make a noise while pooping now. my health nurse told me to add extra water or give her straight water they can drink as much straight water as they want. with adding extra water they can become hungry little bit earlier but my girl still goes the 4 hours in between.

Marilee - posted on 06/23/2009

She may be sensitive to the iron in the formula. You need to switch to a no-iron formula or breastfeed exclusively.

Kate - posted on 06/23/2009

Hi, my daughter gets constipated because we use soy formula...her pediatrician told me that when she gets constipated to give her 1 oz prune juice with 2 oz water and TRUST ME, it WORKS! you wont need to give it to your baby for at least a few weeks. my daughter gets it almost once a month maybe alittle less.

Jennifer - posted on 06/23/2009

I used corn syurp when my little girl gets constipated. Works like a charm!

Vanessa - posted on 06/23/2009

The prob. could be you are giving the baby one good thing and one bad thing. Breastmilk is all a baby needs.. formula causes the children to be over weight and has so much sugar...its no wonder juvienille diabetes is on the rise.



Try a little bit of watered down prune juice..or give the baby a suppository

Sandra - posted on 06/23/2009

Becareful not to add to much water, as that can cause problems as well in a baby so young. What my daughters pediatrician recommended was gently messaging the belly in a downward motion toward the diaper, this helps to move everything along. But, sometimes breastfead babies do not go for a couple of days.

Tami - posted on 06/23/2009

dark caro syrup. put a 1/2 to 1 tsp in a bottle for each bottle until they go, it's a natural remedy. then once a day to keep them regular. Light caro syrup will not work. Cute baby picture, I had to take a double look b/c she look like my little bambina. Dont' thin out the formula, babies can't handle that much water

Tami - posted on 06/23/2009

dark caro syrup. put a 1/2 to 1 tsp in a bottle for each bottle until they go, it's a natural remedy. then once a day to keep them regular. Light caro syrup will not work. Cute baby picture, I had to take a double look b/c she look like my little bambina. Dont' thin out the formula, babies can't handle that much water

Jessica - posted on 06/23/2009

Quoting Melissa:

Quoting Ruth:

Quoting Melissa:

Quoting Ruth:

Quoting Melissa:

isnt it her choice to do so Tamara? maybe she is using formula to get more sleep during the night

Hi Melissa. The thing about choices is that where your kids are concerned, you have to make the RIGHT choice - and that means for your child.

Yes, it's her choice to supplement her child's diet with formula, but if that means her child is then constipated, it's not the RIGHT choice, is it?

I know I'd never give my child the pain and discomfort of constipation, just so that I could some more sleep.

We all of have choices. My step-son's mother CHOSE to drink alcohol and smoke throughout her pregnancy with him. She then gave birth to a 4lb baby with facial dysmorphia and mental retardation - but that was her CHOICE. Just obviously, not the RIGHT one.

I know your child was premamture and struggled to gain weight but you have to remember that your case is the EXCEPTION, rather than the rule. The vast majority of children gain weight easily with breast milk and find it easier to digest than formula. I'll be willing to put money on the formula constipating this child and therefore, to remedy it, the obvious answer is the get rid of the formula.

If there is no medical reason for not breastfeeding, then you should breastfeed as this is the best thing that a mother can do for her baby. It is scientifically backed up time and time again with research.

 

well if my baby had constipation that i coudlnt fix and if she was only on formula due to not sleeping thru the night i admit i wouldnt do it, but  i have seen so many mums say thier babies are underweight and had to go onto formula and i know they feed the premmies with formula they tell me this. mine was full term so mine started about BF, but soon had to go to formula due to losing weight and she gained 90 grams over night, so it is amazing what formula does for a baby thats why i struggle to not write back when i see people right that breast fed babies gain more weight.

 

i know that my daughters dietitian seemed to have no sympathy and not care that she had to put up with constipation for 11 and a half months, just because they wanted to have her on formula with extra scoops added. but even on normal calorie formula she was constipated and half the time i refused to add the extra scoops. i do personally believe thats its better to breast and formula feed, just because it does allow the baby to gain a nice amount of weight and meet thier milestones quicker, but alot of people so prefer to BF and if your child is able to do so and gaining weight that is just fine and a great choice i respect that and i definately look up to those who can get up and do every single feed and can put up with the sore and bleeding nipples, can put up with the costant feeds and having a hungry baby, i do applaud those women thats great but its not for me and its not for many others out there. they plan on BF-ing then they do it and they soon realise alot of babies need to be suplemented with formula. its just a fact and an unfortunate one for some.

I'm sorry, are you saying that breastfed babies don't hit their milestones on time? I don't know which milestones you refer to, but ANY milestone is just a rough guide. You can't let them rule how you look after your child. All healthy babies, as long as they are being fed, will gain enough weight and grow up into healthy adults. As an example, my step-son is constantly on the 0.4 percentile for his weight. Sometimes below, sometimes above. But he is small all over and doesn't eat a lot. However, he is VERY active, has loads of energy and DOES grow in height. Now, we could worry that he isn't on the average percentile but the fact  is that he IS growing, DOES have lots of energy and IS developing at his own pace.

Also, you appear to be misimformed about some aspects of breastfeeding. Yes, at first, you have to feed on demand, but nobody said that being a mother was easy. To think that you are constantly feeding for the entire duration of the first 6 months is incorrect. It's also incorrect to assume that a breastfed baby is constantly hungry - they're not. I certainly wouldn't consider giving a baby refined, processed cow's milk just so that he would go longer between feeds - again, this is what you prefer, not what is best for a baby, and I would always do what was best for my baby, not what's more convenient for me.

Another thing, I don't think the potential for sore/cracked nipples is enough to stop me brestfeeding. If you are unfortunate enough to suffer from this condition, then it is only temporary and I feel not a good enough reason in itself not to breastfeed.

Lastly, "they soon realise a lot of babies need to be supplemented with formula". What do you mean by a lot? Do you mean some? I'm no doctor, but the way I look at it, women have been feeding babies for thousands of years without the option of formula so I don't understand this 'need' that you refer to. There should never be a rush to add excess calories to a baby's diet just so that the dot on the percentile graph is where you want it to be.

Obviously, like I said before, if there is a medical reason why you have to feed formula to a baby, then who am I to argue? But the the argument 'it's my choice' doesn't really hold a lot of water for me.

Anyway, I think we've gotten a bit off the beaten track with this one! Peace and love to you Melissa - I really mean that. I know you have good intentions.

 

thanks, to answer your questions because BF babies generally gain less weight they can meet their milestones slowly. example to sit up by itself a baby has to have the weight on thier butt to be abel to do it, and to be able to crawl the doctors say they usually have that belly that helps to support them, smaller babies sometimes dont have that and cant get themselves onto thier hands and knees because they are not strong enough without the body weight to support them. only going by what i have heard and what i have noticed having a little that took so so long to meet all her milestones. but not all BF babies are little, i have heard of many that gain fantastic weight and are bigger then most so it really depends on the metabolism and how active they are i suppose.

 

on the not of percentiles mine has been on the third as long as i can remember and just yesterday has brought herself up to the second by constant feeds with big amounts and high calorie. so i am very proud now my aim is to get her up even further and perhaps in a few months when shes 1 and a haf she will be almost the size of a normal baby. i do personally believe the doctors focus too much on whether a baby is too big or too small, and i dont believe it matters as long as they are following thier weight track, but since it seems to have hindered my daughters grose motor skills ive done the best job i can and amazingly at 14 months she started to meet those milestones pulling herself up, crawling properly etc. so its definately rewarding.

 

i do mean some babies have to be supplemented and yes they would survive without it, its just good to make sure they are getting enough from thier feeding and even justr here on COMs i have seen many have to supplement. i do respect your opinion though  and it was nice chatting to you but also breast is just not always best.

 

 

Also this argument is stupid, you both have different views on things.

 I spoke to my pediatrition and she believes that baby should be on one or the other, breast or bottle for that looks like whats wrong, the baby is getting constipated because of the change in feeding types. She suggested you go to a doctor Stephanie she doesn't like some of the advise thats been given.

Ashley - posted on 06/23/2009

If her stomach is hard and/or her poop is like little pellets, she needs to see her doctor. DO NOT give her any juice or even glycerin until you see the pediatrician. Giving a 2 1/2 week old any juice or "home remedies" can hurt her fragile digestive system.

My son had issues with gas and not pooping, so he is on Enfamil Gentlease as well as being breastfed. But please talk to the pediatrician!

Jessica - posted on 06/23/2009

PLEASE talk to a doctor/pediatrician and DO NOT GIVE A 2 WEEK OLD more water in her formular or on it's own, baby can't handle it and you don't want to do something that might make thinks worst for you. Also DO NOT add more formular to the bottle do the meassurments as the tin tells you, if you add more formular to the bottle then the baby will get dehydrated and that won't help the constipation. To check if baby is dehydrated run you fingers lightly over the soft spot on the head if it is sunken in then go to a doc and ask advise PLEASE.

Priscilla - posted on 06/23/2009

She'll get through it!! Hang in there!! I was also supplementing my baby and thought it was the formula- but that's probably not it at all. Listen to your pediatrician (and the pediatricians who posted below.) My baby's doc said I can insert a Q-tip (dip in vaseline first) to see if that helps produce a movement- and in almost every time I tried, it did! So, if you haven't already tried that- go for it. My doctor said it doesn't hurt them (you can also use a thermometer, but I found that didn't have as good a result) and you can't really "overdo" it. It's just to stimulate. And, again- they will get past it. Enjoy your baby! She's precious.

Mel - posted on 06/23/2009

Quoting Ruth:

Quoting Melissa:

Quoting Ruth:

Quoting Melissa:

isnt it her choice to do so Tamara? maybe she is using formula to get more sleep during the night

Hi Melissa. The thing about choices is that where your kids are concerned, you have to make the RIGHT choice - and that means for your child.

Yes, it's her choice to supplement her child's diet with formula, but if that means her child is then constipated, it's not the RIGHT choice, is it?

I know I'd never give my child the pain and discomfort of constipation, just so that I could some more sleep.

We all of have choices. My step-son's mother CHOSE to drink alcohol and smoke throughout her pregnancy with him. She then gave birth to a 4lb baby with facial dysmorphia and mental retardation - but that was her CHOICE. Just obviously, not the RIGHT one.

I know your child was premamture and struggled to gain weight but you have to remember that your case is the EXCEPTION, rather than the rule. The vast majority of children gain weight easily with breast milk and find it easier to digest than formula. I'll be willing to put money on the formula constipating this child and therefore, to remedy it, the obvious answer is the get rid of the formula.

If there is no medical reason for not breastfeeding, then you should breastfeed as this is the best thing that a mother can do for her baby. It is scientifically backed up time and time again with research.

 

well if my baby had constipation that i coudlnt fix and if she was only on formula due to not sleeping thru the night i admit i wouldnt do it, but  i have seen so many mums say thier babies are underweight and had to go onto formula and i know they feed the premmies with formula they tell me this. mine was full term so mine started about BF, but soon had to go to formula due to losing weight and she gained 90 grams over night, so it is amazing what formula does for a baby thats why i struggle to not write back when i see people right that breast fed babies gain more weight.

 

i know that my daughters dietitian seemed to have no sympathy and not care that she had to put up with constipation for 11 and a half months, just because they wanted to have her on formula with extra scoops added. but even on normal calorie formula she was constipated and half the time i refused to add the extra scoops. i do personally believe thats its better to breast and formula feed, just because it does allow the baby to gain a nice amount of weight and meet thier milestones quicker, but alot of people so prefer to BF and if your child is able to do so and gaining weight that is just fine and a great choice i respect that and i definately look up to those who can get up and do every single feed and can put up with the sore and bleeding nipples, can put up with the costant feeds and having a hungry baby, i do applaud those women thats great but its not for me and its not for many others out there. they plan on BF-ing then they do it and they soon realise alot of babies need to be suplemented with formula. its just a fact and an unfortunate one for some.

I'm sorry, are you saying that breastfed babies don't hit their milestones on time? I don't know which milestones you refer to, but ANY milestone is just a rough guide. You can't let them rule how you look after your child. All healthy babies, as long as they are being fed, will gain enough weight and grow up into healthy adults. As an example, my step-son is constantly on the 0.4 percentile for his weight. Sometimes below, sometimes above. But he is small all over and doesn't eat a lot. However, he is VERY active, has loads of energy and DOES grow in height. Now, we could worry that he isn't on the average percentile but the fact  is that he IS growing, DOES have lots of energy and IS developing at his own pace.

Also, you appear to be misimformed about some aspects of breastfeeding. Yes, at first, you have to feed on demand, but nobody said that being a mother was easy. To think that you are constantly feeding for the entire duration of the first 6 months is incorrect. It's also incorrect to assume that a breastfed baby is constantly hungry - they're not. I certainly wouldn't consider giving a baby refined, processed cow's milk just so that he would go longer between feeds - again, this is what you prefer, not what is best for a baby, and I would always do what was best for my baby, not what's more convenient for me.

Another thing, I don't think the potential for sore/cracked nipples is enough to stop me brestfeeding. If you are unfortunate enough to suffer from this condition, then it is only temporary and I feel not a good enough reason in itself not to breastfeed.

Lastly, "they soon realise a lot of babies need to be supplemented with formula". What do you mean by a lot? Do you mean some? I'm no doctor, but the way I look at it, women have been feeding babies for thousands of years without the option of formula so I don't understand this 'need' that you refer to. There should never be a rush to add excess calories to a baby's diet just so that the dot on the percentile graph is where you want it to be.

Obviously, like I said before, if there is a medical reason why you have to feed formula to a baby, then who am I to argue? But the the argument 'it's my choice' doesn't really hold a lot of water for me.

Anyway, I think we've gotten a bit off the beaten track with this one! Peace and love to you Melissa - I really mean that. I know you have good intentions.

thanks, to answer your questions because BF babies generally gain less weight they can meet their milestones slowly. example to sit up by itself a baby has to have the weight on thier butt to be abel to do it, and to be able to crawl the doctors say they usually have that belly that helps to support them, smaller babies sometimes dont have that and cant get themselves onto thier hands and knees because they are not strong enough without the body weight to support them. only going by what i have heard and what i have noticed having a little that took so so long to meet all her milestones. but not all BF babies are little, i have heard of many that gain fantastic weight and are bigger then most so it really depends on the metabolism and how active they are i suppose.

on the not of percentiles mine has been on the third as long as i can remember and just yesterday has brought herself up to the second by constant feeds with big amounts and high calorie. so i am very proud now my aim is to get her up even further and perhaps in a few months when shes 1 and a haf she will be almost the size of a normal baby. i do personally believe the doctors focus too much on whether a baby is too big or too small, and i dont believe it matters as long as they are following thier weight track, but since it seems to have hindered my daughters grose motor skills ive done the best job i can and amazingly at 14 months she started to meet those milestones pulling herself up, crawling properly etc. so its definately rewarding.

i do mean some babies have to be supplemented and yes they would survive without it, its just good to make sure they are getting enough from thier feeding and even justr here on COMs i have seen many have to supplement. i do respect your opinion though  and it was nice chatting to you but also breast is just not always best.

Shalee - posted on 06/23/2009

1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar in 20ml of boiled cooled water b4 each feed till she poos, mite b formula mekin her constipated, try a different 1!!

Maryssa - posted on 06/23/2009

Quoting barbara:

i had this same problem with my daughter. my doctor told me to go and get the pedi-fleets. they are little fleets. they almost look like teardrops. you give half of it. and she should poop with in 20 mins.

These things are AWESOME!!!  I have given them to my daughter and within 10 minutes she has gone.

Maryssa - posted on 06/23/2009

Quoting barbara:

i had this same problem with my daughter. my doctor told me to go and get the pedi-fleets. they are little fleets. they almost look like teardrops. you give half of it. and she should poop with in 20 mins.

These things are AWESOME!!!  I have given them to my daughter and within 10 minutes she has gone.

Lisa - posted on 06/23/2009

When my son was that age I would heat a receiving blanket in the microwave for 5 seconds than place it on his belly as I mesaged it in a clockwise circle. I actually worked, it also helps with colic too.

Mitz - posted on 06/23/2009

my little one went through the same thing. We even went as far as seeing a specialist because everything that our pediatrician was suggesting wasn't working. We switched pediatricians (after 6 months of getting no where) and they suggested using Walmart brand "sensitivity" formula and it worked. She is now doing great

Lori - posted on 06/23/2009

Stop feeding her formula...the breast is best...sorry sister. It's easier I know to let someone else feed the baby but again, the breast is best and after you get into the routine, you will be feeding like a champ and the hurt will stop and just like clock work the milk just comes on queue! If you are able to nurse do it! I have 5 kids and nursed all but one. She has weight issues and she had stomach issues her whole life!

Liz - posted on 06/23/2009

Quoting Liz:

try some pure orange juice that isnt concentrated diluted with boiled water that helped my lil one go,or my mum in law used syrup of fig on my other half or try the doctors they have given my mates baby lactalose or something along that spelling to help him poop.
good luck x

i also done both as i didnt produce enough to breast feed the whole day if i was lucky i got 2oz out so yes i had to do both otherwise id end up starving my baby plus she wouldnt take breast i have to express it for her.but every child gets it at one point in there life its just like colic it happens.but my midwife and health visitor both told me to NEVER dilute there feeds with more water it can cause more problems and the baby getting less of the recommended vitamins in the feed.

but like my midwife told me shes your baby your the mum and the mother always knows there child better then anyone!whether there trained or not, not every baby goes by the book mine for sure as hell dont shes 5 months and well ahead for her age.

Marcia - posted on 06/23/2009

I learned from a chiropractor that there is a point on the spine that if rubbed, causes a baby's bowels to move. You find the point this way: place two fingers horizontally at the base of the neck and rub below this point. I have had good success with it. (I used it with child #7.) With child #2, I used a little apple juice. I agree with the others that formula is not a good idea. At 2 1/2 weeks your milk should be coming in very well. If you want to nurse the whole time, formula will be the death of that.

Nicole - posted on 06/23/2009

my doctor told me to to 1tbsp of prune juice in one oz of water... 1 once a day

Vicky - posted on 06/23/2009

I used to work for a naturopathic chiropractor many years ago and when my first born son developed an extreme case of colic and constipation, it was recommended I use a bit of karo syrup with lukewarm water and it worked! Good luck~

Kristi - posted on 06/23/2009

just give a little more water if you do formula. just one less scoop of formula and add the rest water for a little while. also when and if they get older and have that problem, apple juice, apples, orange juice etc.... works awesome.

Liz - posted on 06/23/2009

try some pure orange juice that isnt concentrated diluted with boiled water that helped my lil one go,or my mum in law used syrup of fig on my other half or try the doctors they have given my mates baby lactalose or something along that spelling to help him poop.

good luck x

Savannah - posted on 06/23/2009

My 2 1/2 week old has the same problem. The doctor told me to give her 1/2 ounce of apple juice twice a day and it seems to be working pretty good.

Janine - posted on 06/23/2009

My little girl was constipated when she was a few weeks old. I changed the brand of formula I was giving her, which made a huge difference. I know a few other parents who found the same.

Neddy - posted on 06/23/2009

My mother and grandmother always gave water every now and then. Just boil some water, cool it down like you would with the milk and if you like you can add some glucose to it or just plain water. It helps to loosen the bowels and as we all know...water is good to cleanse the body. Best luck with that.

Meliah - posted on 06/23/2009

tbls or tsp of corn syrup warm water shake until desolved yummy. works everytime start w/tsp to see how quickly it works i used that on all mine.

Teah - posted on 06/23/2009

My son was also constipated and his doctor told me to put 2 teaspoons of prune or apple juice in each of his bottles because they both have natural laxatives in them. After about 3 or 4 bottles my baby seemed like he never had a problem. But watch out because prune juice will make her bowels rather.... loose. Good luck

Karen - posted on 06/23/2009

Hi

I have someone in my antenatal group who is doing both breast and formula as she wasn't producing enough milk and she was having the same problem. Her doctor changed her formula to one that you only get at the pharmacy and it helps with constipation and she hasn't had trouble since with her little man so I would suggest you talk to your doctor and find out about changing formula. Good luck

Celeste - posted on 06/23/2009

I'm not going to get into the formula vs. breast milk debate. I've done both and when I was breast feeding my little one was constipated all the time. Very carefully, doing exactly as I was advised by her doctor, to help her poop I inserted a q-tip with petroleum jelly into her bum. Not too far but far enough to release the gas that had built up and caused her to cry and help the poop be able to come out. I had to do this for a few months because otherwise she wouldn't poop on her own. Once her system caught up with the rest of her body, she pooped just fine. Talk to your pediatrician if it continues to be a problem and don't let anyone make you feel bad for using formula. Not everyone can do breast milk all the time.

Tiffany - posted on 06/23/2009

karo Syrup works wonders! My doc even said it was ok, about 1 teaspoon per 2 ounces

Shannon - posted on 06/23/2009

Well, it's training your baby to like sugar and it's an old wive's tale. There's no benefit to putting corn syrup in a bottle. Why not stick a huge cup of sugar in there? Same thing. I'd be more apt to say that feeding him some prune juice would be better. Have you tried offering him a bottle of just water? Chances are, he isn't getting enough liquid so his poop is harder. Call your pediatrician, but I"m willing to bet that he/she will say not to put the corn syrup in.

Melanie - posted on 06/23/2009

I have a couple of solutions to try. These worked for me. You can put a little tsp. of corn syrup in the babies bottle or you can rub olive oil on the babies stomach to massage them and while your doing it sometimes they will potty right then so be careful. I've also heard of putting a little in thier mouth but I never tried that. Good luck!

Shannon - posted on 06/23/2009

Hi sweetie! I see you have gotten lots of advice. I hope that it works for you. I have words of encouragement. I have 2 chilren 11 & 3 1/2. They both have had trouble with constipation. My pediatrician has told me of the karo syrup, along with milk of magnesia. I would check with your ped to make sure, but a little goes a long way. I also keep 2 babies 7 months and 9 months. The 9 month old was 4 months old when I started keeping her. Now, she was one that stayed constipated. Her mom would give her 1/2 apple juice and 1/2 water. Again, she as older, but as I looked down the list of responses I seen one was from a pediatricianl, I would definately go with her advice and also go with your heart. I think it is awesome that u are breast and formula! Have a great day and God Bless.. Good Luck! Shannon

Steffi - posted on 06/23/2009

hi when my lil girl was younger she was constipated i did a 9oz bottle 1oz of either fresh orange juice or apple and duilate with 6oz of cooled boiled wated and just give it to him/her between feeds hope this helps

Linda - posted on 06/23/2009

It is normal for breastfed babies to poop anywhere between 10 times a day and once every 10 days. Breastmilk is highly digestible and there is often no waste to poop for days.



At this time of year, suspect mild dehydration, if poops are more solid than expected (they should be extremely soft)



Suppositories of ANY kind should NEVER be used for babies under a year without supervision of an attending physician, and then only for pronounced medical need. All forms of suppositories can do considerable damage to the lower digestive tract and should be the very last resort.

Shannon - posted on 06/23/2009

I had the same problem with my daughter. I was feeding her breastmilk and formula because I couldn't produce enough breastmilk. She was very constipated. I went to the doctors and they told me to give her cherry juice. The juicy juice brand. Mix it with half water. I was told to put in 2 oz of water and 2 oz of juice. Even if she only drinks an ounce of it, it should help! She was about a month old when I started her on the juice. Everything has been perfectly fine since then. She is now a little over 8 months old, and LOVES her juice!

Breezy - posted on 06/23/2009

There are so many replies, I hesitate to reply! Do you have a well or are you on a town water system? Either way, check the iron levels...our well water was too high in iron, we noticed that he pooped good with pre-made formula than our own mixed and realized it was our water. We started using spring water 30-35cent refillable gallons jugs, worked like a charm until we took him off formula when he was a year!

Lindsay - posted on 06/23/2009

I don't know if this has already been addressed or not, but the type of formula can have an impact as well. My son is on soy and it causes constipation. He usually only goes every couple of days.