what to do about a 7 week old with constipation?

Aimee - posted on 11/16/2011

my doc told me orange juice but i never gave him it but i gave mine gripe water or infacol and they worked really well and then they showed me how to do baby massage and that worked to hope this helps

Lat Dao - posted on 11/16/2011

My doctor suggested prune juice mixed with pre-boiled water as well. He said no other juices, just the prune juice would help with constipation.

Katie - posted on 11/07/2011

Ask your Pediatrician about mineral oil, it worked very well for my little one

Jessica - posted on 11/07/2011

What I did when my daughter was constipated was give her a teaspoon of Karo syrup and it has helped. This is what her doc said to give her and if that does not work then u can try an ounce of prune juice this was also told to use by her doc. Hope this helps :)

Jessica - posted on 11/07/2011

My youngest had the same problem. She would scream in pain if she was trying to have a bowel movement. I would have to lay her on the changing table and slowly pump her legs to her stomach to help push it out. Her Dr. recommended prune juice/apple juice as well. But he also said that if, after 2 weeks, her bowels were still to hard for her to pass without help, he was going to put her on Mirilax. She was a little older, I thing she was around 10 weeks old. And, yes, my daughter was exclusively breastfed, so it is not that rare for a breastfed baby to become constipated.

Jessica - posted on 11/03/2011

brown sugar and water is the way to go :) good luck

Genine - posted on 11/02/2011

i was told by a nurse fill a 125ml bottle with boiled water disolve 1 teaspoon of raw sugar the give your baby 30ml of the water when it cools. within 30 mins it should pass. worked wonders on my little one.

Jessica - posted on 11/01/2011

hey i know babys can go for like 21 days without pooping but if u want to help it a bit coloxil drops work wounders but only give it to ur baby ocassionally in abottle of milk i was told they are a must need for a bottle feed baby it just softens the stomach and helps them go a bit better

Tara - posted on 10/22/2011

my doctor told me corn syrup just a tablespoon in one bottle a day or as many times as needed it works after a couple of days i had the same trouble with my son but if it doesnt work for your baby try speaking to another professional other than your doctor ie second opion

Ashley - posted on 10/12/2011

I don't really trust chiropractors, they disabled my father.
Thanx for the advice though.

Sally - posted on 10/11/2011

my daughter had horrible constipation from birth, we struggled with it for the last 5 years. i fnally took her to the chiropractor and she was out in her lower back. we have not had a problem with it since she started seeing the chiropractor. i would try that first, we also had to use prune juice, mxed half and half with water, and even sometimes sepositories as a baby and toddler. believe me when i say that taking them to the chiro is easier on both of you. i have since had two more, and one on the way, and do not hesitate to take them to the chiro. it works wonders for babies that spit up and have acid reflux too. try it, you won't be disappointed!!!

Ashley - posted on 10/11/2011

he's only been on breast milk & formula. I started occasionally adding an extra ounce of water to the formula & that did the trick. as well as massaging his tummy

Kathleen - posted on 10/11/2011

just thought of this as well, as he's 7wks has he had another thing table wise to eat? if he is eating cereal try switching the cereal to something whole grain whit fiber. My mom used to let shredded mini wheats get soft and let me yet it. Mind you I was ofviously older. or take it and whiz the shredded wheat up with forumla, or breadmilk. Might give him enough fiber for the day. What have you tried since posting 5 days ago? Biggest would be 1/2 juice 1/2 water will help on her stomach. we used apple rarely, mostly prune and pear and also figured out how to not waste what was left. Let us know how your little one is doing oh yea i actually had to use a glycerin supposotory twice.

Anne - posted on 10/11/2011

My son has it too...I don't given him anything. I massage his tummy. To get the poops out. Takes a little while but it works every time. Lay him on a bed and grab his feet. Squish his legs up against his tummy one at a time starting with the right leg. Do right, left, then both. You will hear him grunt but this will help him to push it out. He should release a lot of gas and eventually poop. You can also massage him tummy in small circular motions starting on the right side and working you way to the left side. Interchange this with the leg motions and you should be all set...

Morgan - posted on 10/11/2011

My daughter was constipated at 4 months, when I switched her over to formula. Doctor also advised apple juice, and it worked like a charm. My mom and grandmother said they used to do the same thing. I think it's probably fine.

Tasneem - posted on 10/10/2011

I believe in a flat teaspoon of plain brown sugar in 50ml of boiling water. allow the mixture to cool and give to baby.It works wonders. Give it to baby twice daily until the constipation is no longer. Try it, you wont regret it!!!

Kelly - posted on 10/10/2011

My son had problems with constipation when he was a baby and his pediatrician had me give him 1 tablespoon of Karo syrup mixed in 4 ounces of water, 1 to 3 times a day. He loved it and it seemed to help.

Anna - posted on 10/10/2011

If you're breastfeeding (it's extremely rare for exclusively breastfed babies to be constipated), take pribiotics and eat some fiber rich foods such as whole grains, stewed prunes and dried apricots, and fruit and veggies, which will pass on to your baby through your milk. If you're formula feeding, mix some pribiotics into the formula. I wouldn't give apple juice to such a small baby. If anything, you can give him plain water or chamomile tea.

Trishana - posted on 10/10/2011

Ashley is baba on bottled milk? If so he mus get boiled water daily

Josslyn - posted on 10/10/2011

Ok, so here in South africa we have a natural product called laxette, it's made from pure fruit sugars, go to the pharmacy and ask them for a fructose based or natural constipation reliever for babies, of you can go the glycerine route, pull 2 ml glycerine that you usually place on baby's dummy into a injection and squirt it up "you know Where" and presto!! but be sure to stand clear!!

Aimee - posted on 10/09/2011

Both of my sons had this problem when infants. First son worse than my second. I was told to do the infant suppository. As soon as i inserted it, they would go within a couple minutes. Didn't even have time for it to really do anything. Like what the thermometer would do. Sometimes it just needs help clearing the way! You can also try laying them on their backs and rotating their legs in circles where it kinda pushes on their tummies some or try rubbing circles on their tummy. That sometimes helps move things along. Good luck!

Kristen - posted on 10/09/2011

Give his an ounce of Apple juice.

Jenell - posted on 10/09/2011

Take a rectal temperature then do a little caro syrup in the bottle.

Devon - posted on 10/09/2011

water it down a bit... but I had the same issue when my daughter was little...rest assured that when the apple juice starts working... IT WILL WORK OVER TIME!!! LOL!!!

Meaghan Van - posted on 10/09/2011

my midwife recomended a little bit of brown sugar and warm water... which also works...but really... the fact is that unless your baby is crying with discomfort, I would just waiti t out, especially if you are breast feeding... my son who i breast fed once didnt go for TWO WEEKS!! lol... i was freaking out..but he was ok... and my daughter who is formula fed gets constipated as well, shes justgoing on 16 weeks... and like now for example she hasnt gone in about 5 days... shes not to worried about it... she will go when she will goes... try not to worry too much. but if you are and dont want to give apple juice for the acidity, try warm water and brown sugar, or even diluted prune juice/water

Kathleen - posted on 10/08/2011

as long as you water it down so 1oz to 1oz of apple, prune or pear. should help. Though should warn you prune usually does work well. So..i wouldn't do that but every other day and yes be prepared for a stinky diaper.

Ashley - posted on 10/08/2011

Try giving him a warm bath too. Baths always make my daughter poop. lol

Kristy - posted on 10/08/2011

You can give bub some prune juice in there bottle twice a day, cooled boiled water or 2 teaspoons of brown sugar mixed up so it is dissolved in there botle of formula. These are the ideas my child health nurse gave me when my little ones were constipated.

Corryne - posted on 10/07/2011

I was using a similar method, i was using a cotton bud with a bit of vaseline, and u only put it in a tiny lil bit, it does work but i had a 3 week old and i was having to do it at least once a day or she would end up screaming for hours. I asked the midwives, nurses, doctors and pharmesists, they all said she was too young for any other type of help. I ended up just giving her prune juice watered down, i think around the 10:100 ratio, and after 2 days i never had a problem again with her

Gabrielle - posted on 10/07/2011

My daughter had the same problem as a newborn. My doctor told me to put the tip of a infant thermometer in their bum. It worked! Poop came running out. Just have a diaper and wipes near. It doesn't hurt them. The thermometers are rubber and flexible

Dawn - posted on 10/07/2011

My doctor said for when my twins get constipated to give them an ounce of diluted prune juice. I tried it and wow did it work! It cleaned them out so well they haven't gotten constipated since (3 weeks later)!

Nikki - posted on 10/07/2011

My daughter went through the same thing when she was about that age. Our pediatrician told me to give her 1 Oz of prune juice to 1 Oz of water every other day. I tried it, and it did work. She's 8 months old now, and still doesn't go regularly. Every baby is different. I hope this helps!

Teegz - posted on 10/07/2011

I swear by pear juice, i use the baby pear juice, i was giving my lil one cooled boiled water when he was younger like your lil bub (mines now 6 months) for consitpation and only the smallest amount of juices when he was bad with consitpation, i was worried about the sugars in the juices with him because it can rot the teeth before the teeth even come thru. hope hes all better now tho

Tara - posted on 10/07/2011

hi there, I just had this same issue, and went to the doctor after 7 days. The Dr told me to give him 2 ounces of prune/apple juice to 2 ounces of water twice per day. I tried that a couple times and that didnt even seem to help. He did go a couple days later though. My baby is also 7 weeks old and I was hesitant about giving him juice as well.

Krystal - posted on 10/07/2011

Try just a drop or two of Caro syrup in your baby's bottle. That has worked for me.

Paige - posted on 10/07/2011

i had the same issue 3 weeks ago and my doctor said to give him a 1/2 oz of water once or twice a day to soften his stool, worked great :)

September - posted on 10/07/2011

That's odd since apple juice has been known to cause constipation in some children. I've always heard pear juice is best. Plus like you said your child is still so young. I would suggest doing some gentle tummy massage and avoid the apple juice. How many days has it been since your little one had a bowel movement?

Keli - posted on 10/07/2011

you could try pear juice or ive used less then a teaspoon of brown sugar in water,or formula but i whisk it up good so he cant choke...

Katherine - posted on 10/07/2011

try boiled water (cooled down), give a bit here and there, works wonders.....you could give the apple juice but i would recommeded watering it down