how to help my newborn

[scotia]

My five and a half week son has been relatively easy up to this point - when he cried, he wanted something.  (Normally, my boob...)  In the last week though, things have changed.  He doesn't necessarily cry a ton more, but he just seems unhappy.  He grunts and strains and kicks his legs and scrunches his face and just generally looks miserable, often for hours on end.  I asked our pediatrician about this, and he said that essentially babies "wake up" around a month after being born, and don't always like it - they aren't used to all of the new sensations that they are feeling, and aren't really sure how to deal with them.  Specifically, pooping is hard work, they aren't sure what muscles to use to make it happen, and so they just use all of them in the hopes that it will give some relief. 

This explanation is fine, and makes sense to me, but at the same time, I really want to help him!  The dr gave us the normal list of strategies to try, ranging from Happiest Baby techniques to bicycling his legs to gripe water.  We've tried everything.  The gripe water sometimes seems to help a little bit, but not in any reliable way.  Happiest Baby works to calm him down momentarily, but as soon as he seems to feel something, it's back to the grunting/squirming/scrunching routine. 

Does anyone have any other ideas for what may be going on, or - most importantly - how I can help him feel better?  I hate watching him be in such obvious discomfort, and I'm feeling really powerless.  (I'm also feeling exhausted - the latest round of this went non-stop from around 2 to 6 AM last night.) 

Thank you!

[mayfly83]

Maybe make the pooping a little easier for him.  I'm only expecting my first, but with family babies we've found that a little prune juice does make the ship leave port with a lot less effort and therefore a lot less stress :).

[Knitting Mama]

Eeek, don't give prune juice to a 5 week old!! That little tiny gut is not ready for any food yet!

Pushing her knees into her tummy repeatedly definitely helped get things moving for Cecilia, and we also did a lot of belly massage (clockwise around the belly button). But most of all, she just needed time for her digestive system to mature. So sadly, you might be seeing this for another month or two before it really goes away. But if I can give you some hope, Cecilia definitely outgrew her little tummy troubles by 4-5 months.

[NicolleLynne]

You may want to talk to your pediatrician about giving your little one a probiotic. My lactation consultant recommended one to me called BioGaia and it's helped my daughter a lot. We've been giving it to her in a syringe with a little expressed breast milk since about 6 weeks (she's almost 6 months now) and her gassiness and poop issues have reduced dramatically. Probiotics strengthen the immune system and improve digestive function and from what I've read don't really have any negative side effects so they may be worth a try.

Hope this was helpful!

[outlier]

For what it's worth, my 6 week old babe has been doing the same as your babe for several weeks now.  He's had nothing but breastmilk, so I know he's not actually constipated, but he sure does act like it!  I suspect I may be eating something that's a little tough on his tummy because he passes a lot of gas, especially in the mornings.  I don't think there's much either of us can do except just wait until they're better at pooping.  Everyone I ask says he'll get there soon.  As long as he's not wailing in pain, I'm okay with it.

[porcelina]

I'm not entirely convinced it's just having to poo, but grunting is definitely something my 8 week old does to eliminate. If you really want to help him w poo, I would suggest elimination communication. I never thought I would
Be one to try, but my LO and I tought each other at 5 weeks how to do it when I would spray him over the sink w a squirt bottle in attempt to get rid of a bad diaper rash. He started pooping while there, and that is how we got started. You hold their thighs in a sitting position over the potty or sink when they start grunting and try to catch a poo. Once they get the hang of it, they start to consolidate the poop and push out all they can each time you take them to the potty. It is actually quite remarkable!

That said, mine does a lot of hunching over and looking uncomfortable when not pooping!

[somegirl99]

Another vote for trying EC, the EC position helps them with pooping.

[Somemyrrh]

If pooping is the issue, lubing up a rectal thermometer and gently wiggling it a little while inserted no farther than the end of the silver area can help the baby to relax and go.

If there aren't any health problems such as reflux or intolerances, I would just suggest trying Happiest Baby methods to see if he will soothe, and then consider a swing or white noise as a constant for the most irritable hours. Is there a pattern to when this happens, such as when you eat a particular food? An upset tum might keep him up.

I hope you and your LO get through this soon!

[MamaKickyPants]

I really strongly recommend against doing anything drastic to help him poop - no prune juice, no thermometer in his bum - I won't even start on what's wrong with the prune juice for an EBF 5 wk old, and babies become dependant on having help to poop and he won't learn to do it himself. The grunting etc that you're seeing is totally normal, as distressing as it is. You'll probably need to wait it out, and keep doing what you are doing. His little digestive system is still so immature - that's why he gets gas (it may or may not have anything to do with what you're eating) and he is still learning to coordinate all his pooping muscles. He is not constipated, for sure. You could try the probiotic, it can't hurt, anyways, it's jsut the good bacteria that he should be building up in his tummy anyways, you could try taking some yourself as well. If you're really concerned about the gas you could try eliminating dairy from your diet. Hang in there mama, just when you think you've figured out what the problem is, they'll go and change it up on you!

[RaeDyCo]

Originally Posted by MamaKickyPants 

I really strongly recommend against doing anything drastic to help him poop - no prune juice, no thermometer in his bum - I won't even start on what's wrong with the prune juice for an EBF 5 wk old, and babies become dependant on having help to poop and he won't learn to do it himself. The grunting etc that you're seeing is totally normal, as distressing as it is. You'll probably need to wait it out, and keep doing what you are doing. His little digestive system is still so immature - that's why he gets gas (it may or may not have anything to do with what you're eating) and he is still learning to coordinate all his pooping muscles. He is not constipated, for sure. You could try the probiotic, it can't hurt, anyways, it's jsut the good bacteria that he should be building up in his tummy anyways, you could try taking some yourself as well. If you're really concerned about the gas you could try eliminating dairy from your diet. Hang in there mama, just when you think you've figured out what the problem is, they'll go and change it up on you!

Have you read this?  http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/gassybaby.html#gascauses

Both my boys were gassy and my OALD didn't help.  Eventually it got better as their digestive system matured. 

 

[karen1968]

Have you tried massage? My friend who is a post-partum doula recommended this massage to me for my fussy/gassy 3 week old.  She recommends doing it at every diaper change, but we've found it helps even if we don't manage it that often.

Here is a video showing the same techniques in a slightly different manner (although I'd use olive oil or unscented lotion rather than almond oil).

[CookAMH]

Thanks for that video on massage! I save it for next year :).

I ditto probiotics, the kind made for infants. We have used and liked this one. http://www.rockwellnutrition.com/HLC-Neonate-Powder-by-Pharmax-Non-Returnable_p_60.html  It's good stuff!  I just put the amount of what covered the tip of my pinky finger on his tongue.

You could also try a chiropractor!

[CookAMH]

How are things going with your LO?

[scotia]

SO much better, although I really have no idea why.  I was in the midst of looking into probiotics and was all set to ask the pediatrician about them at our upcoming visit, when suddenly - he was better.  There are still occasional minor grunts and moans, but it is absolutely nothing like the painful hours-long gruntathons that we had been going through every night.  He's sleeping better, pooping more, and just generally seems happier.  I wish I knew what changed for him, and if there was a way to ensure that whatever it is stays changed, but for now, I'm just happy that he is feeling better. 

Thanks to all for the advice!