My 8 Week Old Daughter Is Constipated and MISERABLE!! Please Help!!

Miralax (spelling??) - works wonders! and she won't develop a reliance on it. Hope it works! it takes a few days of using the product for it to work so keep it up and it will work wonders!

We had the same problem with my son when he was a few weeks old. We tried switching to the soy and that didn't help us either. Several friends told me their kids had trouble with Similac too - and suggested the Nestle Good Start with comfort proteins. What a HUGE difference it made! He was SO much happier after just a day or two! Good luck!

Try a little bit of diluted apple juice in her bottle. If you are very consistent, it should really help. Just work it into her routine. (ie: every night before bed or whenever you can be consistent) Good-luck!!

You know, one of my son's had the very same problem....
I had found that there are some children's suppositories that work very well... and believe it or not the inexpensive carnation formula ended up being the ULTIMATE TRICK !! after I made the switch and put my poor son threw all the trials of name brand formulas, he just flourished !! I never had problems after that !!! FYI --- as she gets older, have her allergy tested, my son ended up having a ton of food allergies.. reason for constipation.

Hello,

I have a son who is 4 months old and little while back he seemed like he was constipated. His pediatrician said he could have 1 ounce of water a day but not to exceed 1 once and the water seemed to help but he was also older so I would maybe wait until you hear back from the doctor. I know a teaspoon of prune juice in the formula would help since that is what I have read in many baby books but again waiting may be best. Also I thought my son was constipated because he would cry and the poops seemed really firm. I decribed them to his doctor and she asked if they were dry and crumbly if you were to smash it with the diaper? They really didn't crumble I told her but that he cried when he pooped at times and his poop seemed very firm. She said that he wasn't constipated and to put ome vasaline on his bottom area to help it glide out and to give NO MORE than 1 ounce of water a day. Just sharing my experience but it may be best to wait due to the difference in age. I believe my son was around 12 or 13 weeks.

I would suggest using a "sensitive" formula instead of soy. There is a lot of evidence against giving soy to babies. It's not especially good for adults, either,
unless it's fermented.

See articles:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/0...

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2005/0...

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/0...

I hope you find a good solution.
J.

No one has mentioned that I can see about massaging the babies tummy. There is a way to do it where you can help digestion. I did it for my son who had stomach issues and it really helps. Something you can add to the massage is moving there legs back and forth into there stomach like they are doing excercises. If you look up baby tummy massage you should be able to find some good information. It really works. Good luck.

Hi T.

My doctor recommends using dark kyro syrup (life for cooking). You put a few drops in thier bottle and shake it up. They poop everytime...also warm water relaxes them enough to go.

Hi T., I'm sorry your little one is going through that. I remember crying with my daughter because she was so miserable. Our doctor put her on Miralax and she remained on it for 2-3 years. Miralax adds water to the stool and is Not a laxative. When her body was ready, we took her off and had no adverse effects.

Whatever you do, don't let her suffer and the nice thing is that it is now sold over the counter.

You might want to try half water and half apple juice.

My daughter's pediatrician found that her daughter's problem was caused by having an anus that was way too small. He said it wasn't all that uncommon. He found out just by a visual exam and feeling out tight she was there with his gloved pinky. When she was 3 months old (?), they did a 6 minute operation that fixed it. You may want to make sure that isn't the problem.

Well.. Everyone pretty much sd what I would.. I have 2 kids & I highly suggest dark karo syrup or baby prune food.. It worked for my kids every time! Good luck!

If she is having bowel movements, she is not constipated. I think what you mean is that her stools are hard and difficult for her to pass. All babies on formula will be gassy and have some hard bowel movements at times, especially a very young baby such as yours. I wouldn't give a child her age any meds without a doctor's approval, but if he says Miralax is ok, then I'd use it. It makes the stool softer and easier to pass. For gas, use Mylicon. You can put it in every bottle and it works!! The generic kind is cheaper and works just as well. Good luck!

Give her 3 oz of apple juice or grape juice every morning and this will soften her bowls and make it easier for her to go. And u can also use olive oil to rub her tailbone and then turn her over and put a little of it in her navel and maybe in an hour or so her bowls will slide out and u will be able to see the oil in her bowls. Trust me it works for my baby all the time!

I would definitely recommend Fleet glycerin suppositories!! You can find them at any drug store or pharmacy, even Wal-Mart or Target...they are over the counter and very safe. Some are liquid and some you just have to insert into their butt. The best thing is that they work almost instantly and your baby will feel so much better!!! Sometimes they don't want to poop because the poop is very hard and it hurts to come out. But the suppositories help it come out smoothly. I swear by them and have used them on my son when he was about your daughter's age, even though the directions say they should be older. I called my pediatrician first and made sure it was okay and she said it was and that she used them on her own children too. Works like a charm...I promise you!

I had the same problem, same formula... put a little prune juice in and he is regular. It works like a charm and has been for 2 months!!

I would check with your doctor first, but when we took my son to the ER for severe constipation, his regular pedi said to use miralax. Then ER pedi said we could just as well use white grape juice. We chose the grape juice just because it seems milder. He said to put .25 oz of white grape juice for ever 8 oz of formula (he also said to add rice cereal so the whole formula is 8 oz formula, .25 of white grape juice and 7 teaspoons of rice cereal, but we leave out the rice cereal bc it seems hard for him to digest!).

Good luck!

Is nursing an option for you? I nursed my four kids, but with my first one I combined with formula, and she was so constipated! The other three I never used formula and their weight is healthier and they were never constipated.

Glycerin suppositories are a temporary solution until you can figure out the source of the constipation--changing formulas etc.

Go to the drugstore and get some glycerin suppositories for babies. Stick it up the rectum and she will be pooping soon.

Are you using powder formula? Powder formula is constipating too. Use liquid formula until your baby's constipation is better. Then alternate between powder and liquid. Hope this helps.

When my daughter was about a week out I had the same problem. You dont want to use a thermometer too much because they can become dependent on that to poop. A nurse told me to put a tsp of dark caro syrup in her bottle. it is a natural laxitive.

As a mother of 5 and grandmother of 5, I can happily tell you that Karo syrup works. Just add about a teaspoon to each bottle until she lets go. May take a bottle or two. Use the clear syrup. The baby will like the additional sweet taste. You can also use some baby prune juice diluted 1 part juice to 3 parts water. Or apple prune.

D.
Hurst, TX

Hi sorry to hear about your baby when my son was constipated we used 1tablespoon of karo syrup once a day in a bottle with formula to try to keep him regular . We also gave water if my son would take it, but sometimes none of these remedies( pediatrician advised)we had to use baby suppositories . I hated to use them but my son felt so much better . We also used Isomil with soy and it didn't work. After going through 2 more we went back to Simulac without iron and that worked the best.

Don't use laxatives or suppositories unless the doctor says to. My daughter was breast fed and she became constipated at 8 weeks as well. Make sure the formula doesn't have iron in it. The doctor told us to give her 2 oz of Karo in a bottle with her milk once a day, plus one bottle of 2oz white grape juice and 2oz water. We did that every day and it was the only thing to help. When it got really bad they said to give her prune juice. It really works! But we still keep her on the white grape juice all the time just to keep her regular.

As you can see, there are many different opinions, which is why you should probably wait to hear what your pediatrician's office recommends. Some doc's say do not give water or juices to infants so young b/c it can disrupt the natural balance of electrolytes in the system. They say there's enough water in formula/breastmilk to keep baby hydrated. idk, they are the ones who have gone to several yrs of medical school, reading tons of case studies/research on real life ped cases.

Soy Formula does cause constipation. My ped rec'd the infant glycerin suppositories, but only for use 1 time. Well, it helped only once, but then after that bm, my daughter was still constipated and stayed that way for days. So we had to take her off the soy formula.
We went through many different kinds of formula (even tried the expensive, prescription $80/can Elecare), but nothing seemed to help. My daughter was fussy during feeds.
The pediatric GI doc didn't think it was acid reflux because she was fussy DURING feeds not afterwards.
So after a swallow study, where they observed my daughter's swallow coordination, they determined she had problems with this. So the solution was to thicken her formula with a thickening agent (we use Hydra-Aid; others are Simply Thick or Thick It)... and it has helped tremendously with her feedings. Now we can put her on any formula....
we're using Good Start Protect Plus (b/c my ped rec'd it to me b/c it has natural cultures in it - good for digestive health). And this costs the same as other regular formulas.
good luck.
Also, it is very common for babies to be constipated every now and then. Their digestive systems are still maturing. Your ped probably doesn't really consider it a huge deal b/c there are babies that go many days w/o a bm and they are fine.

I used to add a little prune juice to my daugther's bottle. I added an ounce to a 6 ounce bottle, so adjust yours accordingly...maybe 1/2 ounce. It works very well!

Both of my children had this same problem. The doctor had me to give them daily 2oz of apple juice and 2oz of prune juice mixed together. This seemed to help them a lot . Also Walgreens has baby supposortories thank can help. You can give them half of one and massage their tummys lightly. I hope this helps.

I second the suggestion for Miralax! It worked wonders for my daughter (she was about 2 & 1/2 years). Double-check with the doctor to see if it's safe for your little one, but you just mix it in with the formula or water and it is wonderful. They can't even taste it.

Please give her regular formula instead of soy. Soy is so bad for anyone unless it is fermented. Your baby needs some water. Just give her 3 ounces or so throughout the day. My son had the same problem and all I did was give him filtered water and he was fine. I have 6 little blessings of my own and I know that water is a major mis diagnosed fact.Most doctors tell you babies don't need water. Yes they do. We all do.

As for the soy please take her off. Try Nestle Carnation Good Start. It is cheaper and easier to digest. Your doctor may not encourage it but it works and is cheaper not less nutrition. It takes 6 weeks for babies to adjust to formula. Just give her water daily. Take care and God Bless.

Hi T.!

I hope your little one is feeling better. My first had horrible reflux issues so his peditrician put him on the similac soy formula. The issue weren't resolved so we were refered to an infant nutritionist. She promplty had me stop using the soy formula, becuase it is notorious for causing constipation. I would keep try another formual. We had success with Nestle Good Start. Hope you find what you're looking for.

S.

I soooo know what you are going through. My oldest was 6 weeks old and didn't have a bowel movement for 10 days...yest TEN days! The best thing for her was to add prune juice to ther diet. Now, at this age they dont need juice just milk/formula so what we did was substatute the water for juice. For example if i were mixing 4 oz of water with 2 scoops we did 3 oz of water, 1 oz of prune juice and the 2 scoops. We originally did 1 oz of prune juice in every bottle then once she started going regularly we went down to the morning and evening feeding with it then just once a day.
My sister has used Myralax on her 7 year old. That product works great but not sure if you can give it to a little one.
Good luck and God Bless.

i had the same problem with my daughter..they make infant glycerin suppositories and if you give her a quarter of one she should go in like 30 mins or so ..for immediate relief.. then our pedi advised us to give her 1 oz of apple or pear juice for every month old she is so we gave her 2 oz a day..1 oz juice mixed with 1 oz water twice a dy to help keep her regular..

When my daughter got constipated, I put a little prune baby food into her bottle and made sure it was mixed in well. It made kinda like a prune milkshake, lol, but I swear to you, it worked within about 30 minutes. Just watch out for the massive diaper mess after. ;)

I have one word: Miralax. You can find it at any grocery store with the laxatives. You can mix it with your daughter's formula and she wont taste it. Its also natural, and will be easy on her system.

My youngest daughter, who is now 18 months, had horrible constipation most of her life until I was able to get her on whole grains and high fiber foods. Before she could eat solids, we were very limited. She got so constipated once at about 6 months-hadnt pooped in almost a week and her tummy was extended so badly! - we had to give her a full enema and she filled 5 diapers! Not a pretty site. From then until just a few months ago, we gave her Miralax in her formula, then juice, and it has made a world of difference!

If the constipation is extreme, you may need to give her a glycerine suppository. There are liquid ones by Pedialax that worked really well for us. Just do half one. Talk to your doctor about that first.

I know how frustrating and scary this is for you. There are some really great remedies that will help. Good luck!
A.

You can mix either dark corn syrup or prune juice into her bottles. I believe it is one teaspoon per 4-6 ounces but you can re-verify with your doctor. Massaging her stomach might also help relieve some of the pain and pressure, if it is really uncomfortable for her ask her doc if you can give her a pain killer (tylenol or motrin) also.

My daughter had that same problem when she was very young too. My pedi told us to mix one tsp. of Dark Karo syrup with two ounces of water and give it to her. It dosn't make them go it just makes it easier for them to go when they do. You can do that up to two or three times a day. It really helped my littl sweetie.

Good luck

You might try giving her some prune juice. It is a natural and gentle laxative that is safe (and healthy) for babies.

We had the same problem! My almost 4 month old used to be on Similac advance and his gas and fussiness was unbearable. I tried the soy because I had a free can and it seemed to help but he started to get constipated as well, plus I think mine had a little bit of lactose intolerance. I switched him to a gentle formula (Similac makes formulas they call Sensitive) and have also used Member's Mark (Sam's brand) Gentle formula and he has done GREAT on those ever since. Still a little gas every now and then, but not the painful gas and fussiness he had with the Similac advance.

We had the EXACT same problem with our daughter. She didn't do well on the regular formula, so we switched to soy first. Well, it made her tummy happier, but then she was horribly constipated. We eventually had to use the glycerin suppositories (hope you have diapers and wipes in abundance with you when you give it because it's almost immediate! LOL!) to get her unstopped, but we switched formulas too. She ended up on Enfamil Gentlease which has the milk proteins partially broken down so they can digest them better. The other brands have the same thing, and the generics do too (we used these... much cheaper and just as good). This solved the problem. Hope it helps!

I have heard that a LOT of people have this issue with Similac. Both of my daughters were on formula. The first was on Enfamil and the second had gas issues and we ended up (after adding Karo Syrup to her Enfamil formula--which DID work) switching to Nestle Good Start with the Comfort (??) proteins (basically it makes it easier to digest).... worked like magic! She was a bit irritable and spit up for a day or so in transition, but so much happier and less gassy! ALSO: You should get the book BABY 411 (sold at Target, Babies R US & other book stores) it is wonderful and saved me sooo many calls to the doctor's office! It is written by a doctor! There is a whole chapter on formula and gass! Good luck! Hope it gets better soon!

My recommendation is to give her 1/2 tsp of flax seed oil (soy can be very constipating). The flAx should really help; I did the same after my peri made the recommendation to me!

My granddaughter is 8 weeks old and had similar problems. My daughter in law has put her on a magneseum supplement called CALM. She is breast feeding and gives to her once a day in a little bit of warm water in a bottle. After one week she already has seen a difference. They also make this in an adult form as well as for infants. Can be found at the health food store.
Hope this helps.
L. H.