Anyone dealt with constipation ?

Teresa - posted on 04/04/2012

If her poop is still normal poop.... she is NOT constipated. She only eats every 4-6 hours? Try feeding her every 3-4 hours and I'm willing to bet she'll be just fine.

Sophia - posted on 04/04/2012

rectal stimulation is what you do. but instead of a thermometer try bar soap. about 1/2 around with warm water soap up her bum and rectum. do the "pump the poop" lay her on her back and in a pumping motion bring knees to chest.."pump the poo"

try not pumping your milk ( i am assuming of course)



sometimes it's just what happens I think it's because their body is just growing up and it's what happens

hope it helps

good luck!

Stifler's - posted on 03/27/2012

I agree with sara this sounds more like gas than constipation it's normal for new babies to not poo every day

Kelly - posted on 03/27/2012

Agree with Sarah D...It isn't normal for a 100% breastfed baby to be constipated. My son is 8mos today, breastfed only and won't take expressed milk in a bottle either. Only when our pediatrician berated us for not feeding him 3Tbsp a day of cereal did we start feeding him cereal and then he was constipated to the point of crying/screaming bc pooping hurt him soo bad. This took three days to correct and I felt so very bad and cried with him. Applejuice through a dropper or prunes is the only way I corrected it. I have had a very healthy diet, with little processed foods, lots of fruit and veggies since I became pregnant and even more now that he's 100% breastfed. The old addage of "You are what you eat" applies to you and your baby. You still need your calcium so find a way to get it back in your diet. I have horrible pms so I take Viactive chews to get 1200mg of calcium daily to help, and it really does help..plus I love chocolate. ; )

Do you consume alot of red meat? Look up the difference between heme and non-heme iron. You may find that your diet is affecting your breastmilk with iron.

Scruitinize your diet, the health of your baby is in your hands. All the best blessings to you and your family.



Kellz

Dawn - posted on 03/25/2012

My son was 2 months old when his doc said to give him 2 ounces of prune juice a day...it worked very well for him. He still doesnt have a BM everyday but he doesnt have troublee like he used to. Its horrible to have your little baby feeling so uncomfortable...i tried just about everything before we started the prune juice. Good luck!

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 03/24/2012

Constipation means the poops are hard, dry pellets. If the poop that does come out is soft, this is not constipation. It is rare for an exclusively breastfed baby to get constipated because breast milk is a natural laxative. Around 6 weeks some BF babies will start to go longer between poops. Some up to 10-14 days. I wouldn't give juice, water, etc. She may be gassy. Tummy massage and bicycling her legs may help. She may be fussy for other reasons. Growth spurt or colic. The colic hold can help with gas too. Lay baby face on on your forearm against your body. Rest her head in you hand and let her arms and legs dangle. Rub or pat her back, bounce and sway. Baby wearing can also help with fussiness.



Is she still wetting diapers? You said 4 oz every 4-6 hours, right? That's not a lot of milk especially since 6 weeks is a huge growth spurt. Are you exclusively pumping? Maybe offer more milk, in smaller portions if needed.

Aria - posted on 03/24/2012

How long would you say she goes in between pooping? My son was also ebf and would go up to 10 days without pooping, and although he wasn't super comfortable, it's normal and healthy. I would leave the babies butt alone, lol. And I'm not sure a 6 week old is ready to digest prune juice? But I could be wrong. Massage, laying baby over your knees with a little pressure on tummy, bending and straightening legs, these are the best ways to help baby. A warm bath will help too. Good luck.

Sarah - posted on 03/24/2012

ive been giving her n ounce n a half of prune juice a day and not helping at all.... and well she hates baths lol

Amanda - posted on 03/24/2012

I don't care what any other parent or doctor or whatever says...

My daughter has had constipation since she was born. (shes going to be 3 in june) My milk didn't come in so I had to bottle feed :( My doctor told us to give her apple juice and prune juice. When she was a baby it only took about 2 ounces once a day not watered down and she would poop. Now we give her normal amounts that you would give your toddler and she goes. The doctor also gave us some Glycerin suppositories...I think thats what it was...its been almost 3 years and since we learned the juice trick we've never had to do the suppositories again thankfully.



Good luck!!!



Also, warm baths help!

Tricia - posted on 03/23/2012

yeah i had that problem years ago and my district nurse said to give baby 8oz boiled/cooled water with a teaspoon dark brown sugar. worked a treat - well apart from the nappy changing lol - its not as lethal as prune juice etc

Sarah - posted on 03/23/2012

I have already cut out dairy i drink tonssssss of water, i dont drink soda or anything with caffine, she gets gas drops in every bottle . I burp her untill she burps everytime and keep her upright for atleast a half hour after eating. I bicycle her little legs all the time and am constantly patting her butt or back.

Deidre - posted on 03/22/2012

First I will say that breastfed babies will have very wet poop for the duration of her breastfeeding. With that said as long as she has wet diapers (peed) than you are doing just fine. The leg bicycling

motion is a really good move, too. It totally works for gas as well. I also used "Gas Drops" to alleviate the gas pains. I survived with that stuff along with Orajel during the teething years :)



Be aware of EVERYTHING you eat and drink. You'd be surprised what the baby will affected by. Broccoli and any Caffeinated food or drink can affect her in a negative way. Drink at least a gallon of water a day, it is really easy to become dehydrated during the nursing process.

I am a single mother of 3 wonderful boys. I breastfed them all for the full first year of their lives. I will nevr regret my decision and I am so proud of you in this beautiful journey :)

Kaitlin - posted on 03/22/2012

:( Sorry for the stress mommy! Know that most babies have some discomfort in those first months. Their whole body is new and still working all the kinks out! Their stools can be more firm or more loose- perhaps most of it is gas? You can try switching up your own diet- my kids both HATED when I had broccolli and garlic- a bummer for me because it was an after birth craving, lol, but it made them very gassy and unhappy. It took a few tries to figure out what it was that I was eating that affected them. Add things like granola and fruits, and limit some 'tough' foods and meals like excess dairy, spicy food, etc. You can also try some baby massage- we learned about this after a few months of colic- amazing- do it before naps and bed, but not right after a feeding (AHHHHHHHH PUKE). Ahem. Sorry.



If it is gas, proper burping (and lots of it) is super important. My first was a champion. My second was a stinker and had tummy pain about 1/2 hour after eating until he pooed. It helped when I realized I had to be very on top of his burping. Twice between boobs, twice after. And sometimes it took a while. A long while, in fact, to get a burp, with a lot of different methods (rubbing, patting, patting from lower back to upper back, laying on tummy and patting, etc etc etc.)



Whatever you do, don't give her juice or baby food prunes. Her little digestive system is not ready for this, and while she might poop more, she can get sick and even more uncomfortable. No dice.

Silly kids and their tummy troubles.