4 Month Old Daughter Having a Rough Time

What type of formula is she on? My son was the exact way and I swithched him over to lactose free and problem resolved. I work with Pediatricians and the recommend good start to babies that have a hard time digesting their formula the proteins are already broken down so the babies dont have a hard time making poopy.

Hi S. - Give her the Gerber smashed prunes in a container. My daughter had a lot of constipation and gas. I had to give her Nutrimegen because of her milk issues. Anyway, warm mint tea works wonders too, just add a tiny bit of sugar and it soothes their tummy like a miracle. Good luck!

Ouch! Poor baby!!! My son has the same problem off and on - he's 2, so it's easier for me to deal with - I put wheat germ into the waffle dough and BANG! Problem solved! ;-)

I had one formula-fed child, and she did get this same deal. We used AJ (3:1 ratio water:AJ, up to a 50/50 split), and if that didn't work we'd put about, oh, not-quite-a-teaspoon of oatmeal baby cereal in her bottle - not enough to make it "gummy" or even remotely "cereal-like", but trust me, there's FIBER in them thar bottles! THAT always did the trick - but we had no food allergy concerns or any of that. If you have reason for concern on that front, skip the oatmeal.

Also, when she starts to cry and strain, you can "bicycle" her legs for her - it can help move things along more quickly, so she doesn't have to work so hard. Also, holding her close and rubbing her lower back can help stimulate her. And also comfort her as she gets through it, which is IMHO just as important. Sometimes, baby, life does indeed suck - but mommy & daddy are here for you. :(

We even had the pediatrician give us glycerin suppositories for her; and also for her brother, although he was older when The Issue became nasty. Suppositories aren't fun, but boy-howdy, do they WORK!

Have you tried different types of formula? my sister's baby was/is a pretty gassy little girl with a hard time with the formula. They had a use a special kind, on the expensive side, and that seemed to help alot. She's 9 months now and doesn't have the stool problems or consitpation, just gassy. She loves her food and is a cute chuby little girl.
At 17 pounds it seems that she's getting more than enough to eat, so I would try to either get her onto solids (what worked for my sister) and try different kinds of formula since your girl will be using it until she's about a year and go onto cow's milk or soy milk, whatever.
Prune juice might work...I can't remember a reason not to give a baby prunes to help regulate them.

Hello S.-
I know that every doctor and mom may give you different advice, so I know it will be hard to decide which method to take, but I had the same problem with my son, and sometimes still do. (He's 14 months now) But my doctor had told me not to swich his formula, that babies need the high iron, but maybe try prune juice or full proof adult apple juice once a day, until he gets more regular. He said not to use the baby apple juice, because it is diluted. So far, so good.
Good Luck!

HI S.,

I was having problems with my now 6 month old son pooping also, first off did the Dr. consider changing her formula? The only formula that worked for us is Nestle Good Start Supreme. I started using Mylacon Drops for the gas, it's safe to use up to 12 times a day! It REALLY helps with the gas. I also started using about 1 tbsp of prune juice with 2oz water, and that helps him go alot better also. My son who is also very large, started eating cereal and veggies at 3 1/2 months. He has never felt better, he goes the the bathroom normal, smiles more and sleeps better than ever!!! Only you know when your child is ready for this. I say if you feel it will help TRY IT... Good luck to you!!

Have you tried changing her formula to a soy based Good Start? Is her formula powdered and if so is it being correctly mixed; 1 scoop dry formula to 2 onces of water. I would also try wiping her bottom with a wipe like a mama cat licks her kittens to get them to go potty. I would try this very gently and see if it helps to maove things daily. I hope someone has good advice for you.
L.
www.lindaslittlelaboratory.com

Hi S.,
When my little one was having trouble with the formula supplement, I watered it down some and that helped. My doctor advised me she could not recommend I continue to do it, but I figured since she only had fromula as a supplement she would be fine...and she was.

first of all change doctors...it's absurd that your doc told you to give your baby dark karo syrup. Your baby IS too young for prune juice, apple juice, etc. AAP suggests recommends to hold off until at least 6months, your baby's little digestive tract is too immature to introduce those items. Rice ceral if you feel the need to "fill her up" is okay, then slowly introduce other foods. You may want to switch to a soy formula as your daughter may have an allergy to milk. Cow's milk can be very rough on the intestines on a small child and soy is a gentler alternative to sensitive bellies. Good luck!

If her stools are hard as a rock - then she is constipated. That is a major sign of constipation. I would talk to your Dr. ASAP. If you start her on rice cereal that is going to make it worse. Rice is extremely constipating. You might want to see if you can start her on barley or even oatmeal cereal instead. Those have more fiber in them. I started my 4 month old on rice, but only like a teaspoon. Once I knew she was ok with that I started her on barley. My kids have both had problems with getting constipated from rice. I now mix a little of the barley cereal in with the rice and that works great. It has more fiber and it helps her poop regularly. Before you do anything though - I would check with your Dr. I was advised to try prunes with my son, but that was very rough on his tummy. I later tried peaches or apricots and they work just as well to regulate bowel movements and aren't as harsh on the tummy. I would try something natural instead of a supository if possible. Hope that help.

L.

I breastfed, and supplemented with formula after about 4 months. I think if you try another brand, perhaps the problem will go away. My little one seemed to prefer Good Start from Nestle. Have you tried the gas drops? There are several different brands, but they helped mine with the gas! Especially at night. And if your little one seems hungry all the time, I'd start the cereal! I did at 4 months.

that happened with my 9 month old. i was told it was too much iron. maybe try a formula that is low in iron?

S., I am from the old school. I have 4 children, 13 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren. All of them are alive and well so I haven't killed them with my ideas. I don't know where doctors get the idea that babies should just exist on formula until they are 40yrs old. At four months old you should be giving that baby some cereal. Rice cereal is the mildest and is good to start out with, then mixed cereal, then oatmeal. Use formula with the cereal. Fruit has natural sugar in it and also works as a laxative and stool softener. Try pear or peach mixed. Water it down to 1/2 & 1/2 to start off and then gradually put less water. See how the baby responds just don't tell the doctor. R.

hi,,, I feel you,,,my beb was the same
I suggest alot of water,,and apple juice. mix apple juice with water, also chammomile is heaven!! that mixed with apple juice. A life saver that changed our lives for ever is orange juice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is sooo unbelivable. try to mix this og ounce and about 2 ounces of water this is magic. great luck

Hi, Our daughter was the same way. It was the sadest thing. She would bare down and scream like she was in so much pain. Her pediatrician to my surprise said that a few onces of full strength prune juice was ok to do. It did the trick for the most part. It did seem to get better as got got older. You probably already know this but keep her exercising with doing the "bicycle legs" this helps with gas. I hope this helps.

It's ok to give her prune juice mixed with her cereal or mix a spoonful of baby food prunes. This will work pretty well. Goodluck!

My daughter started to get constipated at 5 months when she started solid food. I would put some of the gerber stae 1 prunes in her bottle with a slightly larger nipple whole. Stay away from rice, bananas, applesause, and bread. They all constipate. Start qith all the P's prunes, pears, and peaches. After a few month I even got a powder from her Dr. to put in her formula. Also the company that has all the meds for babies and toddlers called Little...whatever, has little laxitive, I think target has it. It's a choc. flavored drops you put in the mouth. Also try to water down her formulas a little if she's not underweight.

Hi S.,

So sorry to read that your wee one has this painful problem!! OUCH! That is the worst and I do hope that you can have success in helping her normalize her digestion soon. I feel bad for you both!! My daughter had some brief bouts with constipation when she was a tiny baby and it was so sad and frustrating to see - I wanted to help her and give her instant relief!!

As you have doubtless read already, stop that Karo syrup!! :) That was very poor advice you were given, not your fault, and on top of that it obviously hasn't corrected the actual problem at all. It's so frustrating when a doctor is not up to date on healthy nutrition and information, especially a pediatrician. We trust them to know what they are talking about in dealing with our precious babies! That being said, I tend to check EVERYTHING out for myself and fortunately our ped is very much in agreement that we are partners in my daughter's healthcare.

Something else to consider for your daughter's wellbeing is that the Karo syrup may also even have contributed to her being so big for a 4 month old too - refined sugar like that will stimulate the appetite abnormally and cause definite hunger cravings in a baby just like it does for us. It's nutritionally bad for a person, too - these days all the expert nutritionists are advising that people avoid all foods containing any high fructose corn syrup which is what Karo syrup is!! (I remember my mother in Alabama cooking with Karo when we were little and no one knew any better....sigh.)

I also agree with the moms here who rightly pointed out to AVOID the rice cereal and rice products, with your daughter having ANY tendency to constipation (again, can't believe the doctor actually recommended it KNOWING she was having the problems!). We never gave my daughter rice cereal except one time when she had a virus with diarrhea, and she refused to eat it (I don't blame her, baby rice cereal is gross!).

Rice, bananas, processed applesauce and sometimes green peas are almost always binding foods, so I would NOT add those to her diet for some time, once you do begin solids. At her age it's a bit young to be starting them anyway - especially since she already has digestive issues. If she seems hungry, I would be more concerned with the quality of her food than the quantity - make sense? Just like with us, we can overeat because what we are eating isn't that great and it's not satisfying our needs, so we feel unsatisfied and keep looking for more.

In my experience there's a lot of societal pressure to push babies into solid foods WAY too early when their little systems are still not very prepared to digest them - it's outmoded thinking from previous generations. Starting solids younger than a year is simply to give babies practice in developing the skills needed to eat actual foods, not to supplement their nutritional needs (although of course as moms we want to give them healthy choices when we do feed them more). Babies are actually designed to get all the complete nutrition they need for the entire first year of life through having breastmilk. It benefits them immensely to nurse the 2nd year as well both nutritionwise and with immunities, but I know in our country it's not very well supported for moms to continue with extended-nursing (even calling it "extended" implies that it's outside the norm!).

That being said, I'm sorry breastfeeding didn't work out to be an option for you and your baby - I know it can be tough when you work outside the home. :( We had to supplement with formula for a while when my daughter was very little and it was nothing but digestive problems for her, and a big pain for me to always be preparing as well, so you have my sympathies. One of the best days of her AND my life together was when she was finally exclusively breastfeeding again at about 3 months! The digestive issues dramatically subsided at that point and in fact her stools got more on the loose side, which was normal for a breastfed baby. The formula product that ended up being least problematic for her was Nestle Good Start (as some other moms have mentioned I believe). You might also look into trying out a lactose-free formula as others have mentioned, if you think she might have issues with cow's milk based products.

When you do start solids, it's not necessary or even nutritious to begin with those pasty old cereals anyway - that's outdated information and I wish it would die out for our poor babies' sakes. Good first foods (especially with an already-overtaxed immature digestive system) can include pureed sweet potatoes, avocado (less likely to appeal to a baby flavorwise but the texture is nice), carrots, squash, green beans, things like that. It's very good to start with veggies and work through several different ones (being sure there are no bad reactions) and then start adding fruits like peaches (pretty laxative due to the water content and VERY sweet and yummy so babies usually love them) and pears. If she still struggles with constipation, baby prunes are good, or mix them with a portion of applesauce if you think the straight prunes are "too much" for her (the prunes will counteract the binding properties of the applesauce).

Pureed meats are good to add eventually, for iron (since she's not BF) and also to get her used to a variety of tastes and textures.
With the constipation issues, I'd stay FAR away from crackers, pasta, cookies, breads, all those starchy foods and anything highly refined until she is older - plus she'll get a much more nutritious and balanced diet without all that starchy filler stuff anyway. If and when you do try baby cereal and bread, I'd keep to oatmeal (or maybe barley if you like it better) and add some fruit to it to make it palatable and give more fiber, and I'd stick to whole wheat bread (any other kind will tend to "stop up the works").

As I mentioned, as an infant my daughter went through a period of having some constipation and what our ped (who IS very up to date I'm happy to say and is a mom of little girls herself) recommended was to offer her a bottle with several ounces of spring water with a single ounce of mild juice in it. White grape juice is the most easy on the digestion for a baby, apple is not bad IF DILUTED (not full strength juice), and we even got some of that baby "apple-prune" juice at one point and would put ONE ounce of that in the water. We ALWAYS used mostly water, the juice simply flavored it so she would drink it well and the small quantity of the juice also had a laxative effect but in a healthy non-traumatic way.

Hope this helped - good luck and I really hope your baby girl is feeling MUCH BETTER very soon; constipation is very rough to deal with and the sooner it's eradicated, the better, so she can relax and be happier.

Blessings,
S.

My daughter was very gassy so we switched her formula from regular Enfamil Lipil to Enfamil Gentle-ease in the purple can. It helped a lot. The other thing I have done is watered down her formula bottles. I would put 3 scoops of powder with 7-71/2 oz of water (instead of 6 oz of water).
Good Luck
D.

If you're not ready to start her on "solids" yet, definitely try switching her formula to a different brand, or add a higher ratio of water than you are currently.

Otherwise, ask your doc if it's okay to try babyfood peas or all natural applesauce...both help with constipation; which is what it sounds like to me! :)

My son was/is a gassy little guy and the "little tummies" gas drops seem to help with the problem when it's really bad...there are, I believe, some gas tablets from the highly recommended "Hylands" brand...their teething tablets work great, too, btw. :)

IMO, if she's only having a BM every 3-4 days, she's constipated (and also it's hard, another sign of constipation). My son had poopy diapers every day, often more than one, at that age. He also was very gassy so we switched him to lactose-free formula (against dr's advice) and the gas lessened, almost disappeared actually & he even started sleeping through the night!

I have found that doctors don't always know everything - you know your child better than anyone, so trust your instincts!

Four months is the age to start cereal. If she's doing fine with cereal then introduce fruit and then veggies and meat. Did you try switching formulas?

My son is 7 now, but he had a similar problem. I gave him the low iron formula and that helped him. And I've also heard of oatmeal cereal instead of rice for the same reasons.

Dear S.,

I was just looking on DrGreene.com for advice about when to give water to babies, and saw a really good article on your constipation in babies and such like that.

Do you know when to start boiling water and giving sips to babies? My gr grand daughter is two months and has a urinary infection called cystitis and I am wondering if she was taking enough liquids - would water help. She is breast feeding.

I just stumbled on DrGreene.com yesterday and it seems very good. C. N.

I am so sorry. I went through the same thing with my son who is now 2 1/2. You are right to be trying to fix it now. We couldn't and ended up on medication and needing to give my son home enema's. I really hope yours doesn't come to that.
Have you tried diluting her bottle? I know some people will yell and tell you it's unhealthy, but I'm not talking about a huge lack of formula. If you give her a 6oz bottle, only put in 2 scoops of formula. I know with all of my kids I couldn't get them to take plain water very often, and this really helped. Formula is thicker than breast milk so I have been told. I have 3 kids, all of whom got their bottles diluted, and they all turned out perfectly fine and had no weight gain/growth problems.
Also, what formula do you use? That may have something to do with it. It's not good to go switching formual around to much, but there are some made for gassy babies. They have a little bit of rice cereal protein in them to help settle the childs stomach. (according to my ped)
Some news that might make you feel better. My youngest started having the same problem and once he started solids with the fruit and veggies, he's absolutely fine. You may want to try a little stage one fruit. (I know she's young, but it might help, and if she's really hungry she may be an early starter for solids) Good luck and if you have any other questions, I unfortunately have been through this and can maybe help. Feel free to drop me a note.

Actually, pediatricians recommend Karo Syrup quite commonly for constipation in infants, as little else is considered safe to give them at this age. (Some more options open up for toddlers.) The reason is that sugar has a mildly laxative effect in very small children. And for this reason even fruit juices, such as diluted white grape juice, can help.

With all this said, I must add that giving a child Karo Syrup every day IS odd, and I would be extremely surprised if your pediatrician expressly recommended that... You might clarify this with him/her.

What I would suggest instead is supplementing your infants formula intake with water. And you can even give just a little fruit juice as well. Just a couple ounce a day, diluted with a couple ounces of water.

You mentioned your baby is on formulate and I should mention that constipation is more common with formula fed infants. Sometimes pediatricians will advise switching to a low iron formula temporarily. Less iron generally means less constipation.

And by all means start introducing solid food. A little veggies adds moisture and fiber. Ask your pediatrician also about giving your son some of the prunes in the baby food jars. Just a little!

Above all, you don't want to get your child needing laxatives all the time. This includes Karo Syrup, prunes, and fruit juices. So be sure you try giving water, as I said above. After all, this is the time of year when babies need extra water, just like everyone else! For a good daily fruit, try mashed bananas! And save the prunes for when things get really desperate.

For some great information about introducing solid foods (when and what):

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T032000.asp

Finally, caring for babies often forces us to give up our "absolutes" -- like "no sugar" and etc. -- as we weigh other considerations. Naturally we don't want to give juice on demand, water and milk are far better choices in general. But infant and toddler constipation can be SERIOUS BUSINESS.

Infants and toddlers can develop a serious form of constipation that stretches the bowels, enlarges the size of the stool itself (poop), and causes "stool withoholding" to become chronic. Leading to excruciatingly painful bowel movements when they do finally happen. Not too mention, holding all the toxins that the body is trying release in the feces to become reabsorbed.

For More Reading:

Stool Withholding and Constipation in Children

http://askwaltstollmd.com/body_cons.html

How Do We Treat Chronic Constipation?

http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/pediatrics/...
 

My daughter was breastfed and had the same problem - warm water wouldn't work - she had to have prune juice - I would squirt a dropper full in her mouth - one she started on the rice cereal around 8 months I would put a teaspoon of the baby food prunes in 2 tablespoons of cereal... my recommendation is that the prunes are way healthier than anything else - at least they are natural....

My daughter had to eat a prune a day until she was 2 1/2 - just had and immature digestive system - she is 7 now and never has problems anymore...

My son was the same way, he was soo constipated when I gave him formula for the first time. I switched to soy milk and it wasn't bad anymore. How about giving her about 2 ounces of water each day? that would help also. The rice cereal will help her sleep through the night, when you give it to her before bedtime. Soon she will be able to take pureed food, and a little bit of prunes mixed with the cereal will help. I hope this helps. Good luck.

Hi S. :)

Try increasing the water to formula ratio. My son had the same problem 'til I did that. So if you make a 6 oz bottle, only put in 2 scoops, 8 oz= 2 and 2/3 scoops.
Your doctor is caught in a 1950's time warp. (They used to teach new moms that breastmilk was not good enough and to feed their babies a combo of canned cows milk and karo syrup) Karo syrup is NOT good for your baby. I'm shocked to hear he/she said that.

Anyway, your little one just needs more water so do not dispair. ;)

Best of wishes,
M.