Constipsted baby!

[mtn. mama]

Quick question, hoping for some useful insight on constipation & babies. I have a 2 mo. ds, he is my third so babycare is not unknown territory BUT my newborn has gone from pooping everyday and then some to once a week. He gets sooooooo gassy because of it. I have tried a few noninvasive remedies but no luck. I remember my daughter being this way too and we ended up having to use baby enemas to get her to go. I hated it and am trying to find a different approach this time. Anyone have a similar experience with some helpful advice? Baby and I appreciate it! P.S. Very unhappy with current ped. otherwise I wuold give him a call.: mtn.mama

[cobluegirl]

I still struggle with ds and constipation. this week I had to use a glycerin suppository.

will he take a bottle? I have heard that dark karo syrup and water will work or molasses. I haven't tried it.
is he breastfed? sometimes they just don't have to go. my dd was like this alot..she also was gassy...we just had to deal with it. what about prune juice? (yikes I know)...don't know what else to tell you. Good luck.

[Clarity]

It is really causing her discomfort? For lots of BF baby starting around that age (including my own) weekly is normal. Real constipation is more common in FF fed babes because of the iron supplementation in the formula. I did try manual stimulation, there was nothing there to stimulate. She had some gas, which was noisy but really not hurting her at all...the weekly poops started as the colic stuff was ending. I think using enemas/glycerince/etc. can really interfere with the spinchter and bowel's ability to do it without help. The weekly poops are larger and stinkier, but I think some babies are just using the BM more efficiently and not creating so much waste...not simply "saving" it all for one big one.

When dd started solids she started pooping daily again, so adding juices and stuff will make your babe go, but perhaps not for the reason we think (laxative) but just because it's not bm.

I mean if you really think it hurts, then you know best...glycerine was always suggested to me. Or manual stimulation with a finger coated in vaseline.

[mtn. mama]

Thank you ladies. Yes, I have tried the dark Karo syrup. He ended up going 24 hrs. later but I don't know if it was because he was 10 days without or if the bottle worked. If anything at least I know this is normal. I wonder why? No, ds doesn't act in pain until right before he does end up going. Then his gas does seem to be painful for him. mtn.mama

[Clarity]

ignore this if you like, I might....but they say to avoid corn syrup for babes now, since like honey, it has had botulism spores that have affected/killed babies in a few rare instances. The CDC web page says its killed by heat, so perhaps boiling it first?

[Breathe]

We had the exact same thing happen with ds -- we got rid of the horrible gas when I cut dairy from my diet (and I mean really cut, like reading labels and asking in restaurants). He never did pick up the freq. of the poops tho -- he's now 10 mos, eating some solids, and still goes every 4-5 days, although he's not in pain and the poops are not hard (that's apparently the true def. of constipation). You can try pear juice, slippery elm, flax seed tea (or oil), and/or prunes, but after all we've tried, I wish I had just left well enough alone. (Oh, and I've also heard that manual stim. can be habit-forming, so use it sparingly.)

Good luck!