any suggestions on how to help a constipated 2 week old?

Kerry - posted on 01/16/2010

try massaging there belly rub ya hands clockwise thats what ya get learnt at baby massage classes 4 babys never do it ani clockwise it sents all the poo backwards

Liz - posted on 01/16/2010

when my nipples got cracked and started to get infected, i did what my lactation nurse told me to -- get a few drops of milk after pumping, rub breast milk on my nipples and air dry, it healed. i also used lanolin nipple cream after i air dried.

Amber - posted on 01/16/2010

your baby is constipated probably because of the formula, the dairy is not good for babies. Try to breastfeed or at least pump, but the more you nurse the less painful it will be and it will help your mastitis. I know it hurts, I went through it too, but it doesnt last forever and you baby will be a lot healthier! try it!!

Sheila - posted on 01/16/2010

the baby has to get used to formula it is harder for formula babies to poop. You might want to try a lower iron formula but i would talk to a docter

Frances - posted on 01/16/2010

My son is now 4weeks but at two weeks he had the same problem i asked the dr what to do and he said to give him plain water. I worked.. he didnt like the water at first but he got used to it.. i now give him an ounce a day just to make sure his stool stays soft. i would not recomend giving any kind of juice at 2 weeks their bellys are not ready for juice and it could cause bad reflux and indeed a fussy baby! you can also call and ask the dr. to get his/her advice!

Vikki - posted on 01/16/2010

ok my son is six months old but from the begging suffered from constipation so my doc had me use white karo syrup in his bottle it works amazing

Sarina - posted on 01/16/2010

i used karo syrup , put a small amt in the bottle, this was recmmended to me by my doctor. it really works

Rachael - posted on 01/16/2010

my doctor suggested water with a little bit of brown sugar (the sugar is just so it tastes ok)

Brenale - posted on 01/16/2010

i did a revers curl on my daugter. lay him on his back and curl is legs up tord is abdome. it helps get things moving in side. i would also us very WARM water with out any thing in it. the heat would make the bowls more active. and it's safe! no worries about what a side effect maybe.

Sheila - posted on 01/16/2010

I have tried the dark Kayro syrup and it doesnt work for my little one i was told with my first one to give him a bath with two or three table spoons of baking soda in the water and sure enough OMG it worked and it doesnt introduce anything new to your baby's digestive system..... so try it out and let me know how it works.....

KRISTY - posted on 01/16/2010

my bub had the same problem i changed formula i was on caricare to start with then i changed to S26 gold he wasnt so constipated after wards i tryed the brown sugar and water but he wouldnt take it....u can give caloxal a go but it can give bub stomach cramps there is also a stoll softener can dupfalac u can put it in bubs bottle its more natural and gentler on bubs tummy...

Angely - posted on 01/16/2010

Hi my son was having the same problem at like 4 days old. His doctor told me to mix one ounce of prune juice with one ounce of water... it really helped.

Chanel - posted on 01/16/2010

i had the same issues with my daughter i gave her karo syrup its works very well, i also asked my doctor was it good to give babies he said yea, but only give your baby about a 1/2 a tsp spoon

Tracey-ann - posted on 01/16/2010

water with half a tee spoon of sugar

Tawanda - posted on 01/16/2010

for constipated babies, try either prune juice, 1 oz for 2 oz water, or karo dark syrup, both work wonders

Julia - posted on 01/16/2010

gripe water- its over the counter product all natuaral fda approved for babies tummies- also switch the formula from what u are using to gentle formula for fussiness and tummy aches-if ur baby is constipated hes having trouble w the formula so switch it

Felicia - posted on 01/16/2010

i suggest a teaspoon of karo syrup, that is what i used wen my babie was constipated.. its gonna work instantly

Kristiann - posted on 01/16/2010

baking soda bath... very safe nd wont cause cramping.

User - posted on 01/16/2010

If you are worried about allergies the brown sugar should be the safest, otherwise I would suggest the prune juice, and I liked the massage idea... Good bonding moments are always a plus...

Rhea - posted on 01/16/2010

warm sugar water helps

Brittany - posted on 01/16/2010

my doctor said to put a little dark Karo syrup in his bottle...it worked!

Amanda - posted on 01/16/2010

Kayro syrup is the best

Francene - posted on 01/16/2010

my little boy was constipated at 10 days old and the midwife advised me to squeeze some fresh orange juice and put a teaspoon ionto 2 oz ot cool boiled water and give it in between feeds and it worked a treat Prune juice and water is also good !!!!

Jessica - posted on 01/16/2010

It could be the formula you are using. I breastfed my son, but I was sick for a few weeks and I had to stop. In the mean time we gave him formula. Similac made him constipated and gassy. I changed to Enfamil and that helped. After I started breastfeeding again he was back to normal. I pumped to keep my milk while I was sick

Carolyn - posted on 01/16/2010

i used karo syrup with my son and it helped him so much and when i had asked my doctor about what to give him and he had said not to give him any juices and to put a little bit of the karo syrup in his bottle

Jamie - posted on 01/16/2010

i put a little karo syrup in my daughters bottle, it helped her a lot!

Shannon - posted on 01/16/2010

My 10 month old son is constipated most of the time - has been since he was born. Things we were told by our doctor: more water in breastmilk/formula, Karo syrup (clear, not brown) in bottle, prune juice watered down by 1/2, fruit juice containing higher levels of natural sugars (e.g. white grape juice is waaaay better than cranberry juice - depending on age, water it down by 1/2 - at about 9 months, she told us to just give it to him straight), bicycling his legs, and in the end, she said he's just going to have to deal with it for now. Now that he's eating solid foods, he ate a bunch of grapes one day, and pooped at least 6-8 times that day after about an hour or so after eating them.

Zuleika - posted on 01/16/2010

my son had that problem and the doctor told me to give him a little caro syrup..its easy to find...and it works

Amy - posted on 01/16/2010

Apple juice does the same thing as prune if you want to try that.

Laura - posted on 01/16/2010

If you're breastfeeding, you might want to try changing what you eat. Make sure you're getting enoough fiber.

Daralyn - posted on 01/16/2010

dont give prune juice my dr said it will cause them to have bad stomach pains i switched formulas with less iron in it ..its the iron that makes them bind up. my baby had the same problem now hes fine and poops 2-4 times a day

Gina - posted on 01/16/2010

a little bit of sugar in water is a natural laxative, Hope it helps.

Stephanie - posted on 01/16/2010

Karo syrup in the formula worked for my little one.. she had the same issues when she was 2 weeks.. just a few drops at first and see how that does

Jessica - posted on 01/16/2010

next time you buy the formula, try a lower iron option. iron is one of the leading causes in constipation in infants

Kimberley - posted on 01/16/2010

a tepid bath and some sugar water helped with my son. it turned out that the formula was causing his constipation x

Crystal - posted on 01/16/2010

also try taking your baby to a chiropractor. I know this is controversial for some people. but so long as you take them to one who does it the old school way, meaning no electrolosys stuff its actually really good for you baby. I took both of my girls at that age and it help with my youngest constipation and it helped get rid of my yougests problem with ear infections. I don't know where you are from but try Gonstead chiropractic. they are all over the country and I know they are a good set of doctors. If thats something you are interested in and don't know of any other chiropractors let me know where your at and I can ask mine if he knows of a good one in your area.

Crystal - posted on 01/16/2010

I had a lot of problems with my girls being constipated at that age too. To get them unconstipated get them the infants pear juice (should be by the baby food in the grocery store). Its not as hard on the stomach as prune juice and if you ask me it works a lot better. Then once you start doing that make sure that with all of you bottles rather then doing one scoop formula with 2 oz water, start doing 1 scoop formula with 3 oz water. that way they arn't getting quite as much iron (which is so binding anyway) Then in between feedings everynow and then just have a bottle of nothing but baby water sitting by in a bottle and let them take a few sips of it. they aren't going to drink it like they do their bottle because it doesn't taste as good. but just even having them take a drink of it is good. It helps keep them nice and hydrated and will help even more so with the constipation. If for whatever reason none of these sugestions help, because your baby is so youg I say take them to the doc. If they were a bit older there is some meds you could give them but right now don't do that with out talking to your doc.
Also to kind of help the process a long you can take a normal anal thermometer and some vaseling. follow the directions on the box on how to insert it! you don't want to put it in their little butts too far it will hurt them. but if you follow the directions it will help with stimulating the anus and help along the pooping a bit. Only do this once in a while and if you don't feel comfortable with it then again talk to your doctor. Hope this helps :)

Jenny - posted on 01/16/2010

i heard that using the cartons of milk rather than the powder formula can help - friend was advised this by midwives - as it is something to do with the way the premade cartons are made. also you could find a local reflexologist who can train you in doing reflexology for your baby. this can be very effective once your babe is 4 weeks old. for practitioners in your area visit www.babyreflex.co.uk

it does really help! Hope things get better soon x

Jackie - posted on 01/16/2010

Sounds like your baby is starting to realize they have those muscles and are not wanting to use them the way they are suppose to. I would do what Kola Reynolds said with the leg moments and also gently rub their stomach area around the abs. You could also try taking a termometer and gently putting it in her retal and stimulate her butt a little. Thats what my doctor told me to do with my daughter after two weeks of constipation. Now she has no problems what so ever going to the bathroom. My doctor told me that there comes a time in a childs life where they start realizing they have certain muscles and either choose not to use them or are not sure exactly how to use them. Don't give up hope it will get better.

Lou - posted on 01/16/2010

Hey! I breastfed my little girl for 13 months and am very mother earth! lol, so I would personally just try and give babe a tummy massage, I went on a course - your local Surestart may run them for free, if not you could look online for the techniques and they are really good for getting little ones moving, just use a little baby oil on your hands or olive oil is fine if you don't have any baby oil!

It is also a great way for bonding and skin to skin contact, Ellies dad loved doing massage with her as I breastfed and it was a great chance to bond with her.

But also as Janel Dawson mentioned it is normal for them to go a few days without pooping! Hope that may help!

Take care & Good Luck!

Kola - posted on 01/16/2010

gently rotate their legs as if they are riding a bike it helps!! i have three children and it worked on all of them. hope this helps

Simone - posted on 01/16/2010

I got told by my health nurse to give bubs 10 to 20 mls of weak camamile tea it helped my daughter she had the same problem but would just scream then i got told to put an extra 20 mls of water in every bottle because its the formula that makes them constipated and the extra water just makes there poop a little softer and easier to get out my girl is now 9 months and i still put the extra 20 mls of water in her bottles and since i started thats at few weeks old we have never had another problem, good luck

Abbey - posted on 01/16/2010

My daughter when she was little suffered severly from constipation. Dilluted prune juice could sometimes help as well as increasing the water in the water/formula retio.

It turned out to be the brand of formula we were using, I was really hesitant to change her and held off doing so for weeks, finally though, once I did, our problem became less severe very quickly.

I'd love to hear what your feedback is on the brown sugar as if it works I want to keep that up my sleeve for bubba no.2. Haven't heard of it before.

Best of luck and congratulations on the birth of your little one. Your in what can often be a trying time right now. Try to rest when they rest and remind yourself this is one of the, if not the toughest jobs in the world. Goodluck!!!

Liz - posted on 01/16/2010

i heard that also adding a bit more water to the formula also helps as it gives them more fluids (like another 30ml each bottle)
its worth trying good luck

Lorraine - posted on 01/16/2010

My son was constipated when he was a baby, my health visitor suggested a lil bit of fresh orange juice diluted with a bit of water, but that didn't really work so he got Lactulose prescribed by the doc & had to take it orally. That, combined with a wee bit of the orange juice, worked a treat! Hafta b prepared 4 wot awaits u once u get the problem sorted, cus it aint gunna b pretty! Lol. A dunno if this'll help, but its my own experience & it worked 4 me x

Janel - posted on 01/16/2010

That is what I was gonna suggest...the brown sugar and water trick!!! It works like a darn...make sure you have a diaper standing by once baby goes...liquid poops!!! Not too sure why it works but it does...maybe has something to do with the molasses in it??!! Make sure it is brown sugar as well...easier to digest than white sugar.

Make sure though that babe really is constipated first...it is totally normal for little ones not to have a bowel movement for up to 2 weeks. Is babe really fussy? Tummy hard? If so than it is a sign that babe is in fact constipated...if not...and he is still passing gas then he is okay...I would just let nature take it's course! Hope that helps! Good luck!

Paula - posted on 01/16/2010

u can try the prune juice it helped my baby but u can try fisr the brown sugar i havent heard that one before..the prune juice my dr recomended it

Shannon - posted on 01/16/2010

what does it do to them brown sugar and water i have never heard that one before!

Kimberly - posted on 01/16/2010

u could try a little bit of brown sugar in water!! it always helped with my little girl at that age!

Shannon - posted on 01/16/2010

i am bottle feeding him coz i have mastitis and it is extremely painful to breast feed