Gas and Constipation

My friend's baby had the same problem. I recommended to her to use Dr. Brown's bottles (standard, not wide neck) and they told me it helped tremendously. Every bit helps so I hope this helps.

Hi D., My six year old adopted son was born at 23 weeks gestation and had the same trouble for months. I like the Dr. Broners bottles the best by far! I also had a tummy warmer, that helped soothe, I believe I bought it on www.onestepahead.com I hope this helps a little,
Warmly, S.

HI D., Have you tried breast milk, maybe the biological mother can pump some for you, it is better on their stomach and doesn't cause so much gas. good luck, S.

I don't know anything about ways to help with formula but I do know that at 2 and a half weeks postpartum it is still very much possible for your wife to relactate. Brestmilk is much gentler on baby's tummy. There is a lot of good information about relactation on Kellymom: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/relactation.html. Please don't take this as my being judgmental or anything - I am simply responding to your wanting advice about ways to be more gentle on your baby's tummy. Nursing also produces less gas than bottle feeding as baby takes less air in during the process. I have been nursing for 29+ months and have helped others relactate so i would welcome if you wanted to email me directly and I can answer your questions.

Did you ask your doc about switching formulas? I would think soy to be harder on baby's tummy than milk-based. Also, has your doctor checked baby for acid reflux? Does baby scream more when placed horizontal than when kept up-right? Does he spit up a lot? Reflux may be your issue and there os fairly simple treatment for it.

[Edit 2:] Have yopu also tried switching bottles? I have heard that Dr. Brown's bottles are great for gas.

Good luck.

[Edited: well, I see that my responding to your post in the early morning on lack of sleep has resulted in my not reading the last line about baby being born thru a surrogate. Still, it is possible for your wife to lactate and even some BM might help your baby. The kellymom link i sent also covers lactation in women who have noot given birth to their babies. My depest apologies. I meant no offense.)

First of all congratulations on the birth of your child!
Second, pooping comes hard to many babies. Some of them find the sensation very unpleasant and it takes them a while to get used to the brand new feeling of bowel movements.
As his digestive tract matures it will get easier and easier.
(I don't think my daughter had a BM without the assistance of the thermometer until she was over a month old.)
Until then you can search the Internet for some easy massage techniques that should relieve your baby's pain. A basic one is putting your baby on his back on your lap with his feet on your belly and his head on your knees. You want to use the palm of your hand to make gentle circles around his navel, clockwise. You'll be helping move the poop through his system.
After a few circles gently take his feet in your hands and push his bent knees towards his chest. That should relieve some gas.

If your baby is still having very colicky symptoms you might want to talk to your doctor about switching to Nutramigen. It's a costly formula, but it works wonders on babies with very sensitive tummies.

Good luck!

I'd keep asking the doctor and maybe ask for a referral if the doc doesn't know what is causing it.
It might be possible that even the soy formula is too hard on his tummy. My youngest had to have a special formula that was quite pricey but he was on it for a few months at first because he was so intolerant of formula in general. Similac® Alimentum® Hypoallergenic Formula is the name. Ask your doctor about this one. IT was the only one my youngest could tolerate for awhile until he got older, then we went back to soy.

Our son is lactose intolerant. We had to use the ready-made, lactose-free formula for him. Using the powder created more bubbles in the formula. Furthermore, I took a little video of him having a bottle and burping. I showed it to the doctor. She looked concerned and said, "Let's get this baby on Zantac." Jack was on Zantac from 2-9 months, and wow did it help. I'm not a huge fan of medicating babies, but my son was so upset all the time he was eating, and the Zantac stopped most of that.
I hope this helps!
PS: Hyland's tablets contain LACTOSE, so they don't help.

My son when through the same thing when he was a newborn. First the milk base formula and then the soy with little results. We took him back in to our Ped. and he explained that the digestive system in babies can be extreemly sensitive sometimes. He told us to buy "Alimentum" an hypoalergenic formula made by Similac. he explained that this formula has smaller proteins that are easier for him to break down and less upsetting for baby's stomach(unlike the others) It has truly made a real difference. We don't have to worry about his stools anymore and no more pain with gas (although he still has some) There are a few drawbacks though. It is a bit more expensive than other formulas. It smells bad and tastes bad to so it may take a while for baby to adjust to it (once they do it's like they never knew the difference!) And it makes babys poop a dark brownish green color and extreemly stinky. It was worth it for us after we had seen how much less pain he was in. He's been a happier baby since. Maby you can ask your baby's Doc about it and see what they say.
I feel your pain. Best of Luck!!!

SOY IS BAD FOR YOU: Please read all articles!!!

1) http://www.mercola.com/article/soy/index.htm

2) http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/

3) http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/03summary.htm

4) http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/index.html

5) http://creativehealth.farvista.net/poison/soyindex.shtml

6) http://thyroid.about.com/cs/soyinfo/a/soy.htm

7) http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/Soy%20Allergens.html

8) http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/whole_soy_story.htm?gcl...

9) http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/food/soy_...

P. S. There are healthier alternatives!!! You can even make your own formula...

Hello :)

I just want to respond to your email .... I went thru exactly what you are experiancing right now with your son... and it went away at 6months for both my boys ... Its hard the first 4 months but he will grow out of it... I have a question for you regarding surrogancy... I am remarried and I cannot carry another child and my husband and I want a baby ... we need surrogancy.. do you have any infomation? I have know idea where to start... whats the cost ect.. anyways I was just curios :0) look forward to chatting with you..

K. in Santa Rosa

Stop worrying, your son is only 2 1/2 weeks. As long as you are in contact with his doctor, following what his doctor suggests and keeping them informed of changes. (are they recommending using the thermometer? that seems wrong). Unless you are not confident about the doctor's abilities...

My daughter was on soy as well as mylicon drops, always gassy too, and sometimes went days without pooping and she's fine now. Relax new dad.

Hi,
My youngest son didn't like any of the formula. We had to We used nutramigen formula which he was able to tolerate. The regular formula costs $7 a can and this costs $22 a can 3 years ago. Here is a shortcut to check out some info on it. http://www.enfamil.com/Nutramigensample/

I would have his tomach xrayed-I saw this little boy who had problems his whole life with vomiting and consipation and his intestines were up in his chest. Get him checked if nothing is helping. Good luck and hope its nothing serious

Dear D. B,
Have you tried babylax? The doctors had me use it for both of my children when they had that problem. They had me use 1/2 or 1/4 of the dosage and within a few minutes out it blows. Also have you tried using little more water with the formula? If you were to make 4 ounces of formula bottle add 1 ounce more to help him pass things more easly. Any questions just ask. Hope things turn out easier for you and Congrats on the new bundle of joy. M. P.

Hello!, I noticed you updated that your son was diagnosed w/acid reflux? My baby is 2 months old, and also has silent reflux. The kind that doesn't come all the way out. Her dr put her on prevacid, she takes a half of tablet in the morning and half at night. We took the bottom wheels off her bed so that her crib is slightly angled upright. Her favorite thing is her bouncer, she's in it pretty much all day, plus I feel the vibration soothes her tummy. She also we switched to soy, but now I feel is constipating her. I also tried this stuff called Grip Water, and it works way better than Mylicon drops. (For her anyhow). The other day I also thought I would try and buy her one of those swadler blankets because I noticed she loves to be wraped up tightly. Let me tell you, for some reason that blanket has been a miracle!!!! She feels secure in it I think and since she does get bad gas sometimes this keeps her asleep when usually her little arms and legs would be whaling around everywhere and wake her up! She has a much better quality of sleep now, and is actually getting better everyday. I believe it just takes time for their tummy's to develope. I also started feeding her fewer ozs. She gets about 3 ozs every 3-4 hrs, where I used to giv her 4 with rice!!! (her dr told me to do that) I stopped the rice, with a already sensitive tummy I didn't feel it was helping her any. Just try to keep your baby as upright as you can esp, 30 mins after eating. Any more questions, just feel free to ask, good luck!!! :-)
Ash

There is over the counter anti-gas called simithecone, or something like that. It works wonders! Newborns digestive tract is brand new and not used to digesting the most simple things so gas is an uncomfortable side effect. Also you can use gentle massaging onto the babies stomach in a circular motion (I forget if it is clockwise or counter clockwise, it's been 4 years for me). Anyway, good luck and get the infant simithicone product.

Hi D.,

Congratulations on your baby! My 9 month old daughter was also constipated from the start. She was on Good Start DHA & ARA. First we put her on soy good start DHA, but she was still constipated. Then I decided to put her on what my first daughter used, regular good start supreme ready to drink and her bowel movement was so much better. Now, she goes at least once or twice a day with the help of pureed veggies! Also, we do dilute the formula with water which helps with the gas and the constipation (1-2 oz.). Doctor said it was fine to dilute it if it helped her go. Also, we noticed that powder can be more constipating that the liquid formula. As for the bad gas, make sure you're not shaking to mix the formula. Stir with a spoon and also make sure the bubbles around the bottle or liner have been taken out by scraping the sides and having the bubbles pop on top. That also causes more gas. Gas drops might work for your son as well. I would try using a formula without DHA and ARA to see if that would work for you. From what I heard, it's not proven that it helps with eyesight and brain development, since they just started having it on the market not too long ago. It might just be something to market the formula and to charge us more for it too! Brain development comes with rest. With good sleep, the better your son will retain information. I suggest "baby wise" (book by Ezzo) for sleeping through the night. Good luck with your new baby boy! Hope some of the info from others and myself will help you guys out.

Their little digestive systems are so delicate and have to learn how to function.... Try to bicycle his legs after eating. Also 1800HOMEOPATHY has a great Colycynthis formula for stomach issues as well as a colic formula. These are so easy to use as they dissolve in their mouth and its 100% safe. Give 2 tabs every 15 minutes until symptoms subside then 2 every few hours. Homeopathy is great for kids. Ive never used any western meds with my son- only homeopathy- its great. Good luck.

Hi D.,
I am a chiropractor and I see a lot of infants responding very well to chiropractic care to help them with colic. In many cases the birth is quite traumatic and leaves the nervous function in distress affecting the digestion system. I usually find neck or cranial bone restrictions and taking care of that will often resolve colic. If you have a chiropractor that works with infants, bring your baby to him/her and have him checked out. Chiropractic care is safe and noninvasive and concentrates on the causing factors not just treating the symptoms.
Here is a website with more info on kids and chiropractic:
http://www.icpa4kids.org/research/wellness.htm
If you click on "colic" link you will find a lot of research on the topic.
I will be glad to help you with further questions or taking care of your son's health.

V. Tali DC
Chiropractic Care at Your Home
www.drtalidc.com
____@____.com

Hi... both my twins suffered acid reflux... when they were really little... It usually goes away after a few weeks... but yeah... it's awful to watch... I had both my guys in their bouncy in the inclined (kind of seated) position with the belt lightly over them... and then inside their cribs... I used A LOT of gripe water... When we ever had any consitpation issues... I added a tiny amount of prune juice to their milk... ask your pedi if this would be ok.

When bathing babies... I put them in the sling in their little tub and had warm wash clothes over their tummy... seemed to relax those little bellies.

thier is a great products out their that i use to use for my daughter who also suffered from colic, it by hylands called colic tablets, they also have some for teething when you get to that point, but they worked great for my daughter, you can find it at rite aid. hope this helps, also try letting him suck on a peppermint candy cane, or putting the candy cane in a few ounces of water and warm the bottle up and let him drink that, that may also help with the gas issue.

D.,

I am a Lactation Consultant and deal with this issue in my practice. I'll suggest the same to you that I suggest to the moms who call me: Is there any possibility of your wife inducing lactation? Or, if not, can you get donated breastmilk? Your baby is having a difficult, difficult time and it is clear he is not doing well. If your Pediatrician will write a prescription for donated milk, some insurance companies will pay for it. Check out this website for more information: http://www.hmbana.org/

Breastmilk is designed for babies bodies and does not cause the problems your little one is having - in fact, if it is possible for you to obtain breastmilk and/or for your wife to induce lactation and breastfeed herself, it will very likely correct the problems your little on is having. Check out this link for more information: http://www.asklenore.info/breastfeeding/induced_lactation...

Now - until you can get something different: My recommendation: Get the baby off the Soy. Soy has a whole host of issues including but not limited to babies who have a hard time on dairy frequently have a hard time on Soy AND there are studies that show that if an adult were to ingest the same amount (per body weight) of soy as an infant fed soy formula it would compare to taking 5 birth control pills per day. Scary. Many countries actually BAN soy formula for this reason. The phyto-estrogens really can wreak havoc with the hormonal balance... Another link for you:
http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/index.html

My suggestion would be to switch out to Nutramigen or Alimentum. These are elemental formulas - no dairy - no soy - they are specifically designed for babies who have difficulties on other formulas.

I wish you luck on this one - this is a tough situation.

Warmly,
J.

Sorry to tell you but I just heard that Soy can cause gas and colic in babies so you may want to try another formula. What about breast feeding? There is an over the counter gas relief called mylicon that works great and is supposedly just made of baking soda but we got good burps from it!

Hello,
My son had chronic constipation most of his early infancy and it was traced back to the vegas nerve being compacted during the birth process. He was born vaginally though it took nearly 58 hours by a German midwife.
Dr Marcus Lay worked on him one time and all constipation ceased as well as I had for the first time a very happy baby.
Unfortunately he was l4 mos. old at the time.
Soy tho it is for the lactose intolerant has quite a bit of legume which is a challenge for most people to digest. However breast milk comes from our human body and was the nectar from the Gods to my children....(I have 3). If your wife cannot breast feed La Leche League will provide her with many helpful tools......Nursing also tends to help a mother and father surrender to the mothering and fathering and does make it easier on the parent in that no warming bottles just discreetly pulling out a breast to feed your precious child.
I do hope this has helped. It was very hard for me as well to have a baby struggling to defecate and not as thrilled being here as I was to have him.
Good luck it is only for a short period of time that our kids are tiny enough to be so sensitive. In the eves only I would drink a half of glass of guiness helped me relax and baby to get rich milk.....I am not a drinker but it was reccommended by other parents. I also put on soft relaxing music to help him feel more comfortable and avoided any stressful situations the best I could.
Breast feeding may help him also.....
All the best ......These precious little ones are here bringing tremendous blessings...
M.

Hi D. - First, I acknowledge your frustration with seeing your little baby in pain so often. I know it is difficult, and I'm so sorry that you're having to go through this. Gripe water is cumulative, I believe, so keep at it. We used to give it to our little girl a little at every diaper change. You could also try Hyland's homeopathic colic tablets to see if they offer any relief. There is also Tummy Tincture from Herblore that you might find helpful. For the pooping, you could try a little prune juice in with the formula. First ask your doc if that's ok for your baby and how much. You also might try a different brand of formula. Lastly, some babies just have a little more trouble than others ramping up their digestive systems. Keep in touch with your pediatrician about all of this, but chances are your baby will work it out over time.

D.,
I see you have gotten all kinds of advice, here is yet another opinion!

BREAST MILK IS BEST! Formula invented by man can never replace all the wonderful benefits of breast milk from mom - that list is long. AND BREAST MILK IS FREE.

My daughter is 6 yrs now and I breast fed her until she was 2-1/2 yrs. She was never colicky... My pediatrician at the time said no cow's milk until after 1 yr... I would think this might apply to soy as well.

What I'm really curious about now is: why are so many people on this list using formula??????????? Bad, bad, bad...

I found breast feeding to be very relaxing, but all mothers have differing experiences with this too.

Congrats on becoming a dad and good luck! this is just the beginning of a long and interesting journey for all of us.

My baby (who is now 4 months) didn't have pain, she just didn't have bowl movements for days. I mean we are talking 5+ days without one.

My doctor told us to try semi dilute prune juice. We gave her 2 tablespoons worth (after feeding so she didn't fill up on it) for about 2 days, and she finally pooed on her own.

They advise not to do too much stimulation down there to help becuase they become reliant on it. Your baby will make weird grunts and turn red, becuase they dont know how to use those muscles yet. That's something he will learn over time.

I hope this helps..

Edit: I've also read and heard from multiple doctors that straight water is hard on baby tummy's. My sisters 5 month old has colic/acid reflux really bad, they told her NOT to give her baby plain water. They put her baby on Zantac. Her baby is now exclusively breast fed, but when she was bottle feeding her, she had the best response from pre-mixed formula... her baby doesnt burp well either.

I would continue with the doctor's recommendations but ask about possible bowel obstructions and how they would go about investigating. My children have not had such severe constipation, but my son had a similar experience in the early weeks after his birth with no bowel movement and jaundice. Re: burps, he may not be taking in a lot of air while eating. My first didn't burp a lot and my 2nd burps well. The burps get better as they get older. Good luck.

It sounds like your doing everything right. Also know that learning to "poop" is a learned thing. It seems the baby is struggling, but he is only 2-3 weeks. He is learning to do everything. All babies struggle a little. I have heard even 5 days with no poop is okay. If your using a bottle add a half to 1 ounce of prune juice to the bottle, but dont do it everytime or he may become use to it.
It sounds like you guys are doing everything and its just one of those things. You are probably going to have a 1 or 2 mo. check up and bring it up wth your Dr.
Congrats by the way and Happy Holidays.

Hello there.... Is mom around? Can she try to pump? I only ask because breastmilk would help... My son pushed and pushed but the doctor told me it was normal.. He also said if the baby is having a bowel movement within a 5 day period then he is okay? I had a hard time with this my self but I never had to use anything like a thermometer before. The mylocon helped my son also.. I really feel you.. My son did the same we would massage his belly and move his legs like he is walking.. this helped. They say that a baby that young digestive system is learning and the smooth muscle doesn't respond to the nervous system right yet.. that is why the push but as long as the poop is soft or runny then he is not constipated... I think if his poop is hard and dry then give him more water... all I know is breastmilk always did the trick.. You can buy it I believe??

I think if he is lactose he may show other signs like vomiting and excessive dirahrea... I don't know your doctor should give you more direction.. I hope this helps...

I am a mom of my first born son he is 8 months now..

first i want to congratulate both of you and the mom of your new baby boy .
i had this problem with my 2nd child who she is now 9 years old and some times she have this problems going to the bathroom .
so i used to give her 4 times water per day . and i used to give her half tea spoon of olive oil and put some glycerin in her bottom to help with the bowls .

i used to use the gripe water to ease her pain but the thing with it , it make her have more constipation . so i start to use the OVAL drops and it worked perfect with her .

but water does helps a lot as you know the Soy milk make the persons or the babies have more constipation .

try the olive oil with him but give him a little bit of it not to much or u can use it in his bottom .
like u take the Q-tip filled with olive oil and put it in his bottom the same way as the thermometer for one min or less even .

good luck and i really hope that the little guy feel better soon .

A.

Dear D.,
I'm so sorry to hear about what you and your baby boy are going through! I have a lot of sympathy for you. It's heartbreaking to see your baby having a hard time in any way, and especially when they are so new and you are so new at being parents! We have our second child now and everything feels easier this time.
In my experience babies get air in their bellies when they drink, cry, suck, etc. and if that air doesn't come out as a burp then it has to come out as gas. Maybe you can get someone who has been a parent for a longer time to give you some tips on getting the air to come up as a burp. Also, I don't know if you're interested in chiropractic or cranial sacral work but our first daughter also had a lot of digestive issues (sounding similar to your son's) and we took her to our chiropractor when she was 4 weeks old. The chiropractor identified some ways in which her digestive system was being compromised and did some very, very gentle adjustments to her body and she was so much better from then on. In my thinking, being in the womb and being born are hard work on their little bodies and I think it's great for babies to get treated by a good osteopathic doctor, chiropractor or cranial sacral therapist.

Best wishes to you! Hang in there.

My son had the similar problem, we rubbed his belly with castor oil or olive oil for a few minutes applying a little pressure. It took a day or so but it did work.

My son (now 15 months) also has had similar problems from the beginning. Really miserable little baby, it became a problem for breastfeeding and sleeping over the course of the first year. We ended up giving him a pacifier around 4 months, which gave him a way to self-sooth through the pain (as opposed to the hours of carrying/bouncing in the Baby Bjorn). However, the only thing that seems to be helping in the long run is massage.

Initially if he needed to burp I would rub lightly upwards along the spine while holding him on my shoulder and it would assist the effort. If he needed to poop I would rub down his back or along the top of his pelvis in the back.

Overall the best results I had were from routinely rubbing down his back and down the center of his stomach (from the ribs right down over the belly button to the diaper) early in the morning and before sleeping at night....At least 100 times a day. Although it is tough with a squirmy little one I feel like the repetition really helped the body to coordinate the internal movements. He has started now to place my hand there to get massaged so he can go to sleep better as he is often quite uncomfortable.

I can commiserate and wish you luck finding what works best for your son!

D., WHATEVER YOU TRY, make sure it do it consistantly for at least 5-7 days before switching to something new. It can be so stressful & upsetting to see your little one in pain, I know from experience. Just be sure not to do what we first did and try something new everyday because this or that didn't work immediatly. Our babies bodies' needed time to adjust to out new remedies.

What worked for us- Lactose Free formula (not soy) Gas drops and/or gripe water BEFORE feedings, tummy & back massages, warmed heating pads worked great for calming my baby. She also had GERD (gastro intestinal reflux disease) and eventually was put on meds. BIG BURP SECRET...put a little bounce in your step! It took me ages to get my duaghter to burp. All it took was an occasional bounce or fast paced up & down swaying and I could hear it come up (while rubbing the back from bottom to top, not patting) This works 100% for me and both kids.

Good luck. It will get better. I hope you had the time to read all the great advice form everyone. It helps to know that you are not alone. Congrats to you on your new sone.

Hi D.! My son was colicky and had bowel movement problems as well...sometimes he would go 3-4 days with out one, and he was miserable. I have a few tips...I switched him to soy formula, he did the mylicon, but I also got him Gripe Water, it is a solution of ginger and I believe Chamomile and maybe lavender. You can get it at any health food store, like Whole Foods or the organic section of Safeway or Raley's. It helped alot. If you are trying it keep with it, it will atleast help some of the cramping. As far as him not being able to make a bowel movement I have a natural way for you to get him going...it is going to sound very, very strange, but it works. My son was having this problem alot and my old world Italian Grandmother told me to get Italian parsley. Rinse it off, put a little vasaline on the end of the stem and insert into the anus, not all the way just enough to stimulate sphincter movement. Twirl it a bit, this stimulates the sphincter and will help hjim go. Not to mention the fact it is organic and not harmful. I know it sounds really strange but it really works. Doctors have said to use a thermometer (looks like you tried that, but this may work for him), but I find that more intrusive than the parsley and I was to scared to try it because I worried it would break. Atleast the parsley is natural. Trust me it really works! Also if you decide to try this method it helps to hold his legs up and towards the belly, kind of like you do to help with gas...and be prepared he will go alot! So have alot of wipes, a towel and an extra diaper handy!Let me know if you try it and how it goes. I also gave hime a little bit of gerber prunes mixed into his bottle once a day to help start to regulate him and he even liked the way it tasted! You couls also try infant massage, That may help move the bowels and will be a great bonding experience for you and your child! These things really helped my son and I hope they will be some help to your son.... by the way I am an EMT, 911 Dispatcher and massage therapist...that should lend a little credibility to my somewhat odd solution. Good luck and I hope he is feeling better soon.
M. Beth

Hello D., Congratulations on the birth of your son! First of all, don't put too much stock in both of the parents being lactose intolerant--many adults are because human beings were not meant to digest milk after the weaning period--so, this does not mean that your children will have the same issue as infants. Also, I would urge you to seek professional advice before doing any more rectal manipulation--that tissue is very sensitive(the thermometer therapy). Please consider that you would not care for this very much yourself, so your baby may be reacting to that as well. If you are concerned about a physical reason, contact a gastroenterologist--preferably a pediatric gastroenterologis--immediately. Not all pediatricians are experienced with problems such as yours--always get a second opinion if you have concerns. As for giving your baby plain water; plain water has no nutritional value and can fill up his very little stomach rather quickly, which keeps him from ingesting the calories and nutrients that he needs. You may also look at the bottle/nipple that you are using--babies can swallow more air with a nipple that is too big or bottle that allows him to suck in air. Please contact a specialist, ASAP--this kind of situation just adds to the normal stress of having a newborn (and joy!), and new parents do not need more stress.
Best wishes to you and your family.

Hello,
My daughter was very constipated after we came home from the hospital, she didn't poop for 7 days. It's so sad to watch and hold them when that happens. Our doctor told us to do the bicycle legs, tummy time helps with digestive problems, a warm bath will loosen his stool, as well as a tummy massage going clockwise. I read online somewhere that if you place your ring finger right below the belly button and then put your middle finger right next to it and then your index finger down, and press gently yet firmly with your index finger, that should help relieve some discomfort. My daughter wasn't lactose-intolerant so we changed from Similac to Good Start and it cleared up, I'm not sure if it was just the timing with the change, but it did stop. Our doctor said to put a little rash cream on the butt hole to cause a little less pain when they poop. It would protect any tares that has happened from previous bowl movements. She said that if it causes pane to them when they do poop it could cause them to hold it in to avoid the pain.
Best of luck!
C.

Perhaps mama can talk to her doctor about how to stimulate milk production. It is possible even if there was no child birth. It may take a little time and a little work. But it would be worth it.
My son had the same problem when he was in his first month, although I was nursing, he is a twin and I was trying to nurse twins and take care of my two year old and through all the stress and lack of time to rest and refuel I wasn't producing enough to fulfill his dietary need. When I supplemented with formula it really helped, but then it turned out he was also allergic to the milk, so we put him on the soy formula. That made a great difference. There are also some hypoallergenic formulas out there. They are expensive, however, your pediatrician should be able to give you a sample to try it and see if that is perhaps the cause. It does take a little time to adjust to the food changes, sometimes that can also cause digestive upset. So be patient and remember his system very tiny and sensitive, so be gentle! Also for gas and tummy upset a clockwise massage on his tummy area can bring relief. So does the football hold with babe's head at the elbow area and face down. The slight pressure from your arm brings relief.
If mama wants to try to breastfeed, she could also contact the lactation consultant at the local hospital.
Blessings to you and your new family! This is one of many trials you will be faced with, but always bear in the mind the many joys that will come with them! You will find the solution that will work for you and your family!

Hi,
We had a lot of good luck with Grip water, but if your son is constipated, soy formula makes it worse. When my son had that problem, we gave him a little watered down prune juice and that seemed to help, but I would consult your dr first since your son is so young. I think my son was a few months old before we gave him the prune juice. Good luck!