[jessc79]

We started cereal last week and we quickly gave it up because it made him gassy and I just don't think he is ready. Ever since, I have noticed that he is really gassy and he can't poop. He used to poop almost every time he ate...several times a day at least. Today he hasn't pooped at all. I know he is miserable. I am so sad for him.<br><br>
I also started taking Vitamin C but I don't think it is related. Please help me! I am desperate. Can I give him acidopholus? Can I give him mine or do I have to give him baby stuff?

 

[Quirky]

You can definitely give him probiotics. I am not a probiotic expert, you might want to PM goodpapa who makes his own super-yogurt and is up on that kind of thing, but I know there are some strains of beneficial bacteria that are more appropriate for infants and children. You can find them in the health food store; Country Life makes one called Maxi Babydophilus (or something like that) and Jarrow makes one as well. They come in a jar of powder so you don't have to bother with opening a capsule.<br><br>
But in the mean time, you could give him some of your probiotics and it certainly won't hurt. You can dip your finger in the powder and swab it in his mouth, or put some on your nipple before he nurses.<br><br>
Have you tried doing the bicycle thing with his legs where you pump them up and down gently like he's riding a bike? Or push his knees up and down against his tummy, then press his legs back up against his body? That seems to help move gas and stuff along. You can also try the I-Love-U massage, where you draw an upwards I on the left side of their abdomen (as they face you, then an L (up and over towards the right), then a U (up the left, over, down the right side). This helps move gas through the large intestine.<br><br>
Also be aware that as babies get older their pooping patterns change....mine went from an every-feed pooper to a several-times-daily pooper to twice-daily, even before we started solids.<br><br>
Here are some links that might have some helpful advice:<br><br><a href="http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/gassybaby.html" target="_blank"><br>
Kellymom on gassy babies</a><br><br><a href="http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T081100.asp" target="_blank">Dr. Sears on constipation</a><br><br>
HTH!

 

[jessc79]

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<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">Have you tried doing the bicycle thing with his legs where you pump them up and down gently like he's riding a bike? Or push his knees up and down against his tummy, then press his legs back up against his body? That seems to help move gas and stuff along. You can also try the I-Love-U massage, where you draw an upwards I on the left side of their abdomen (as they face you, then an L (up and over towards the right), then a U (up the left, over, down the right side). This helps move gas through the large intestine.</td>
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I did try all these things and they work some but he is getting really upset so I wanted to try something else.<br><br>
I saw the baby probiotics at our health food store and almost bought it but it was $20 and I had to wait until my DH got paid. I will go tomorrow and get it I don't care how much it costs!!

 

[Little Bear's Mama]

Here is some info on constipation/bf babies<br><a href="http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/bm.html" target="_blank">www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/bm.html</a><br><br>
When he poops,is it dry and hard? If not,then it isn't true constipation. If so,you might want to put a call in to your doctor. One thing he might suggest you give your ds a glycerin suppository to help him pass the stool,but this should really only be done at the advice of a doctor.<br>
Some breastfed babies start pooping once every few days or even once a week! As long as the stool isn't dry/hard to pass(sometimes they might look like rabbit poop) then your baby isn't constipated.<br>
If it's not constipation,you might look for other sources of discomfort. Teething? Gas? Growth spurt? Maybe he is fussy because he is about to reach some new milestones?<br>
That being said,the rice cereal *could* have caused an upset in his digestive system. If he will nurse,really offer often to keep those fluids in him. Breastmilk is a natural laxative and it will soon get things moving again.<br>
There is some good info on helping the stool pass in the Sears link Jane posted. I hope that you find the answer soon. I know how hard it is to see baby in discomfort and not be able to "fix" it. Hang in there,Mama.<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/hug.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="hug">

 

[Victorian]

When Niko was a baby, I was supplementing with formula and that gave him horrible constipation. We used the glycerin suppositories. We got them at Natures. They worked wonderfully. They were recommended by my Midwife.<br><br>
Victorian

 

[bilbo333]

dd at 20 wks suddenly changed poop pattern to every 2-5 days. The first time she was acting so uncomfortable. Ped sugg taking rectal temp to stimulate anal area. It didn't work.<br><br>
Turned out she JUST had gas - we used simethecone drops and she was a happy camper again - and poohed 2 days later.

 

[girliemama]

Is your vitamin C a lactose pill? That can affect his digestion if he is either allergic to milk, or lactose intolerant. The sugars in breast milk are different from the ones in cow milk.

 

[Wildcrafter]

When my son started on some solids he had trouble pooping and I found that a little molasses (just a drop) in any food worked wonders. Also try spoon feeding a little warm water after eating. Maybe it's not the time to be eating solids, I know there's a lot of pressure to start solids when really some baby's don't need it for up to a year, sometimes more. My son wasn't really ready for any grains until about a year, but before that he ate sweet potatos, avacados and pears. Whenever he tried grains of any kind he had trouble. I look back now and see that he wasn't ready.<br><br>
Good luck, Mary

 

[DaryLLL]

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<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;"><i>Originally posted by girliemama</i><br><b>Is your vitamin C a lactose pill? That can affect his digestion if he is either allergic to milk, or lactose intolerant. The sugars in breast milk are different from the ones in cow milk.</b></td>
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Just want to correct this common misperception. Many mothers' peds will tell them their baby is lactose intolerant! No, if a baby can not digest lactose, he has galactosemia, which is a life threatening disease which can kill him. It is extremely rare.<br><br>
Lactose is milk sugar. It is present in human and cow milk. Older children and adults can become lactose intolerant, b/c we are not supposed to be having the milk of any species when grown.<br><br>
Babies can be sensitive to cow's milk proteins which can enter the mother's milk from her diet (or from artificial baby milk, of course).

 

[spyiispy]

Emailed ya mama.....hope you lil guy is doing better...<br><br>
Lisa

 

[jessc79]

How do I know if my vitamin C is a lactose pill?

 

[leakyandsnort]

When my little guy started solids, he didn't poop every day - and when he did, it was very scary and possibly painful for him because it was his first experience with more solid stools. it was really horrible for me, having to hold him and try to comfort him through it. our ped had told us the same - to check the appearance, etc., and that it was ok for him to go up to a full week without pooping and still be perfectly fine until his system adjusted to the solid food! yikes! i think it took a little over a month - it became the same horrible crying poop session maybe 3x/week, and at some point he started going daily again.<br><br>
we never did probiotics; i started adding olive oil to his food, would give him a dropperful of prune juice here and there, and would mash up some grapes for him as finger food. that all seemed to help.<br><br>
good luck!

 

[DaryLLL]

The lactose in your vit C would be listed on the ingredients.<br><br>
But that is a red herring. The poster was wondering if your son was lactose intolerant. Obviously, he isn't. If he is dairy protein sensitive, it wouldn't cause constipation.<br><br>
Has he pooped yet?<br><br>
Are you holding off on all solids foods for now? When you do start, consider avoiding grains for a year. Most babies lack full enzymes in their guts to digest grains for 18 mos. A better choice is fruit, vegetables and protein foods such as tofu, fish, legumes and meat.<br><br>
Rice is less likely to cause an allergic reaction than wheat, but it is constipating for many babies.<br><br>
When you do start table foods, go slowly. Only a 1/4 tsp the first few days (on the tip of your finger for ex), very gradually increasing. Some moms give a 1/4 cup or more when they start, b/c the baby is interested, but the baby's gut then goes mad.

 

[Pynki]

I have to disagree DaryLLL..<br><br>
My Ds1 has milk/dairy issues, and before we figuired that out he would only poop once every 7-10 days.. ONce i took the dairy out of my diet he pooped more regularly like everyday or every other day.. It can cause diahrea in oldr kids, but dairy issues is bf-ing babies can have the opposite effect.. Just my experience..<br><br>
Warm Squishy Feelings..<br><br>
Dyan<br><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/fairy.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="fairy">

 

[gurumama]

ITA Pynki on the milk/constipation issue. My older son had constipation problems from around 3 months until he was 4 years old. I mean 45 minute toilet sessions involving screaming and crying. We tried everything--high fiber (veg, fruit, and grain), Senecot, loads of liquids, etc. Nothing helped.<br><br>
Last December the pediatrician suggested removing dairy from his diet and poof! Within 3 days his constipation ended completely. He went from once every 5 days--and hard, difficult stools--to a twice a day, easy as pie man.<br><br>
Vit C can make the taker gassy--but can it make the baby gassy via breastmilk?

 

[ldsapmom]

The thing that caught my eye here is the cereal. It is a common misconception that cereal is a good first food for babies, especially breastfed babies. Not only are they basically empty calories, they are also highly processed.<br><br>
Breastmilk is not loaded with iron, but the iron in breastmilk easily transfers to baby -- it is said to be highly bioavailable. But here is the intersting part: As much as 50% of the iron in your milk is absorbed into your baby's bloodstreaboutm, versus 4-10% of iron in formula and cereal. In fact, there are studies now which state starting solids too early can actually decrease the amount of iron your baby's body takes in from breastmilk.<br><br>
Better foods to start once baby is ready are things like banana, boiled white or sweet potato, avocado. These foods can be easily mushed up and babies often like the flavors.<br><br>
But solids aside, by first baby had a change in bowel habits around 3 months where he would go 8-11 days very comfortably between poops, and he was not constipated. I remember reading something Dr. Brazleton wrote where he said in all his years of practice he had NEVER seen a truly constipated breastfed baby (exclusively breastfeed). I am not saying it is the case here, as I think the cereal is more the culprit, but I think we have a tendancy to transfer our feelings onto our babies -- there is no way I could go more than 2 days without a bm, even that would be pushing it, so we tend to think our little ones are in pain and discomfort, when in actuality the breastmilk is broken down so well some babies just don't need to poop that much!<br><br><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile">

 

[jessc79]

Thank you all so much for your help.<br><br>
I eliminated most dairy. I still use some butter as a condiment and that doesn't seem to bother him. The gas is all but gone (except from some broccoli I ate yesterday) and he has been pooping about once a day. It is still a shock for us when he goes an entire day without pooping. We are used to poops every time we change him. Sigh. My little man is growing up.<br><br>
Dairy is slightly hard on me, too, and I really don't use that much, but I decided to eliminate it for now. Don't know if that is what is making a difference or not. My Vit C does not have lactose in it but I have ditched it anyway for now and I will add it back in a week or so and see if it is causing any problems. I am just taking echinacea now to fight off this cold that is starting in me and DS.<br><br>
No, we aren't doing any more solids right now. I just don't think he needs it and to be honest its an emotional thing for me...I don't want our nursing relationship to be compromised right now. He still loves to nurse and he doesn't care one way or the other about solids right now. So I am going to wait. I thought about letting him taste some sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving, but I won't give a bunch to him...just a taste.<br><br>
I really appreciate all of your help and advice!! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/love.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="love">