One of the things Mike was most afraid of before Madeline was born was changing her diaper. More specifically, changing her poopy diapers. Especially when I told him that girls have a lot of, um, crevices. But with guidance from the NICU nurses, he quickly became a pro (we both did).
You always hear about major runny blow-out diapers but we’d NEVER heard of babies being constipated! Unfortunately, Maddie was REALLY constipated. It started when we had to thicken her bottles so she wouldn’t spit up. She had hard painful stools because of all the rice in her diet. Luckily, she was old enough that we were able to add pears, prune juice, and the like to her diet.
Unfortunately, Annie has started to get constipated. Her stools are like paste and she works REALLY hard to get them out. I had the opportunity to ask some doctor experts for advice in the video below, but the constipation solution doesn’t exactly apply to us. She’s obviously too little for me to give her pears and peaches, so I ask all of you parent experts – what can I do to help her? I get so sad when she’s grunting and turning red and straining to do her bidness.
Annie TOTALLY steals the show in this video.
if you can’t see the video above, click here
Yikes. A whole post about poop.
Lauren P. says:
This little bit of advice I’m about to give sounds totally gross and a little weird but it works EVERY time and swear by it in desperate times. My son’s pedi recommended “taking his temp” with a rectal thermometer (thoroughly lubricated ofcourse) and I guess the stimulation or whatever causes his body to expel the BM’s quickly and easily. Weird, but worth a try. As for diet-wise, I have no ideas other than what you mentioned.
Poor Annie, hope her tummy starts feeling better soon!
.-= Lauren P.´s last blog ..ElliottsMommy: i love our little man =-.
Lauren P. says:
Um, an to anyone who clicks that “Lauren P.’s last blog..” that seems to be linked to someone’s twitter. Weird.
.-= Lauren P.´s last blog ..Fix-It Friday! =-.
Melissa says:
You dont need to use the thermometer. A q-tip with vaseline works well too. Plus since the poos will be hard and possibly hurt a bit, the vaseline helps it slip by easier.
Diane says:
Use the a lubricated thermometer to stimulate her bowels. Works great!
Sara @TomTheGirl says:
Chloe was HORRIBLY constipated for the first 4 months of her life. We tried giving her an ounce or two of water, then changed to pear juice. I massaged her tummy, and did the q-tip trick. Nothing worked. The ONLY thing that helped her to pass those hard stools was me spreading her bumhole open a bit to let things pass. It seems that her little butt wasn’t stretched enough for those hard poops.
Luckily, she grew out of it after she adjusted to the alimentum, but those first few months sucked.
Good luck!
xoxo
.-= Sara @TomTheGirl´s last blog ..The best sound in the world (6 mos) =-.
Alison says:
I wholeheartedly second (third? fourth?) the Q-tip up the bum trick. Not every day, mind you, just enough to stimulate that, ahem, area to move it along. D was so constipated for WEEKS that she would cry and cry and cry when she tried to poo. Our saving grace was A) the Q-tip and Vaseline roughly every four days or so and a Tbsp. of apple juice in her 3 oz. bottle. I hated giving her the sugars, but it sure did help her little body pull out some water so she could poo.
Amanda M. says:
Hmm… Would it count if YOU ate the “P” foods? And both doctors said to cut back on dairy.
I dunno, I don’t have kids so I’m just speculating based on the video.
You and Annabel look super cute!
Esther Crawford says:
Oh she’s so adorable! *swoon* … More video of her and less of the doctors.
Karyn says:
you’re right, Annie totally stole the show!
edenland says:
I can’t believe Annie is just SLEEPING there while you are talking! That’s amazing. And she does steal the show, totally.
I used to give my guys a little bit of sugar in their bottles, would totally soften up everything that um, needed to be softened. These days I am shouting at them to come and scrub the toilet after their number two’s. Evolution, baby.
.-= edenland´s last blog ..I love hard work. I could watch it for hours. =-.
Jennifer says:
Heather,
My daughter had the same problem when she was around Annie’s age. Since she was also too young for the traditional methods, her pediatrician suggested just giving her an ounce of water. If that didn’t work he was going to ok the one time use of a VERY SMALL amount of prune juice (think 1/2oz in 2oz of water, but only let her drink an ounce of that -easier than a couple of drops in an ounce – but whatever’s easier). This, of course is something you would want to run by Dr. Looove first. The water did the trick for Lana so we never had to explore option B. He also suggested that I make sure I wasn’t eating too much of any foods that would do that, since she was also nursing. Good luck and I hope you find a solution so Annie can have comfortable poos. Hehe. ; )
Annie says:
This is best for babies Annie’s age. I’m a former NICU nurse and home health pediatric nurse. The rectal stimulation does work but I would use the lubricated Q-tip instead of a thermometer. However, I would try the water and prune juice first. They also have pediatric glycerin suppositories but you should ask your pediatrician before using those. GOOD LUCK!! A pooping baby is a happy baby indeed!
Dawn says:
When I was nursing, I had to completely eliminate dairy from my diet for the first 5 months or my daughter was extremely gassy and constipated. Sucked for me, but made life sooooo much easier for her. Good luck finding something that works!! Annie is absolutely adorable, just like her big sister
Janeen says:
I’ve done the medicine dropper of prune juice in a bottle of formula, and cutting down on my own dairy while nursing (Lactose free milk wasn’t as bad as I thought!)- and up my own diet of fruits, veggies and whole grains. My children were primarily breastfed and even though bmilk is supposed to be a natural laxative, that was not our “often” experience. Lots of clockwise tummy massage, and similar to the poster below with the bicycle leg movements. Good luck!
.-= Janeen´s last blog ..Snowmageddon, Snownami, Snowcopalypse =-.
Lori says:
I second rubbing her belly. It helps me… = )
Marti from Michigan says:
I “third” rubbing her belly – seems to massage the bowels inside and get them moving.
My pediatrician back then, 35 years ago, suggested glycerin suppositories and they worked every time. You can get them over the counter.
Laura says:
My pediatrician said that a couple of drops of prune juice mixed with breastmilk would help our little man when he was backed up and he gave us the ok even when he was juts a few months old like your precious Annie. Also, like everyone else said, if you cut back on dairy and eat tons of fruits, it should help…
One more thing- along with rubbing her belly, if you see her grunting and turning red, if you lay her down on her back and slowly push her bent legs toward her belly (kind of like making it look like she is riding a bicycle), it sometimes helps get all that yuckiness moving.
You are such a good mommy!!!!
Jenn says:
HI Heather,
Have you tried her with some sterile water? I would also lay all 3 of my kids on their backs, that their legs and move them like their riding a bike. The last think that worked with doing the “I LOVE YOU” massage on their tummies. Sure enough with the water, the “bike” and “I LOVE YOU’s”…they were popping like bandits!
The other think my Dr said was we could try rectum stimulation! Does that soud lovely? We never did do that one but our neighbours did and BOY, did their kid HATE IT!!! NO WONDER!!! I wouldn’t want anyone sticking the end of their pinky up my ass either! ha ha
Do you guy have a Gymboree or a YMCA? I found the more active my kids got, the more they would pop.
It’s 3:21
Jenn says:
OOPs, sorry – hit the enter too soon.
I was going to say it’s 3:21 a.m. and I’m STILL up discussing pop. It my life interesting or what?!?! LOL Little Miss Annie is worth it though and so is helping you!!! Both my suggestions worked,so I didn’t want to get into the whole baby suppositories or enemas unless you absolutely have to.
Good Luck My Friend,
Thanks for all your support tonight….it means the WORLD to me!
Jenn xo
Noelle says:
I was going to suggest water and massage too. Also, maybe holding her in a nice, warm bath a little longer than usual might help. Good luck!
Marisa Carpenter says:
I would suggest an ounce of water now and then for the constipation. If you are breasfeading then to cut the dairy out of your diet but if you have her on formula then ask about switching Annie to soy.
Dawn says:
Oh, and for diaper rash, the only thing that worked for us was A&D Ointment.
Marnie :) says:
Yes, my kids too. A & D is the only thing we were able to use. If they had diaper rash, Desitin & other zinc based products made them scream (and made me feel bad & cry).
Jen Deaux says:
Phillips Milk of Mag on a cotton ball. You wipe it on like diaper rash cream and within the day the diaper rash will be gone. I thought it was the craziest thing until my son had a BAD diaper rash (tummy bug). None of the traditional creams worked. My friend tried the Phillips and his rash was gone the next morning. I swear by the stuff now.
Gretchen says:
It looks like Annie is pretending to sleep when you ask the question. I used to babysit for a breastfed baby and whenever the mom ate prunes, let’s just say the baby cleared herself out after the next meal.
Johanna says:
I’m not a Mama (yet) but I do work with babies from 6 weeks to 2 years, 40 hours a week so I’ve seen a lot of different children with a lot of different poo problems. For babies as young as Annabel I find that tummy massage is the most effective thing as well as carrying them with their back against you and your arm under their knees – this light pressure helps push on the bowel and – getting really personal here – opens up their anus a little more which makes it easier for them to expel their buisness.
For nappy rash… (thats what diapers are called in Aus) I agree with the doctors about no nappy time or switching to cloth nappies just occasionally because they are more breathable. Im sure you have a comparable product over there but we have something called Lucas’ Papaw Ointment which is really natural and works wonders – people use it for burns, bites, dry lips too.
Kerri F says:
I am struggling to remember what age this started for my daughter, but I don’t think she was too much older than Annie. Anyway, after trying everything, we had to start her on Miralax once a day. Don’t know if it’s to that point with Annie, but wow, it made a world of difference. It is so awful watching them stuggle and suffer so much to try to poop. Good luck.
Lynn says:
In Australia, we are told to mix half a teaspoon of brown sugar in enough water to dilute. It worked well for my daughter, in conjunction with “bicycling” her legs. Good luck and god bless – Annie is beautiful.
J in eire says:
This one is very common in Ireland, old wives tale, brown sugar and water… My Dr recommended it for my daughter. It worked wonders. Also the juice of mandarin oranges !! Tummy massage is really good too, working your hands gently up the right side across the top and down the left side of her tummy -( I’m a massage therapist), will help move everything in the right direction.
Glenda says:
HI Heather, great video and Annie stole the show My daughtet had constipation too. So I would use a baby suppositories and they worked like magic. Diaper rash I used A & D ointment even if she didn’t have a rash. Good Luck! Annie is gorgeous and getting so big and chunky.
Hayley says:
We used to give our little girl an oz or 2 or cool boiled water, and that worked great. As someone else mentioned about bicycling her legs too, that’s great.
And yep, annie totally stole the show! Such a cutie.
Ray says:
I don’t have any advice seeing as I’m not a mommy (I LOVE reading your blog though), but I hope Annie’s constipation goes away. Poor baby.
Jen @ Mommy Instincts says:
We had the same peoblem with both our kids. Imbot sure if Annie is bottlefed or not, but if she is (and she is on a milk based formula, switching to soy is very unlikely to help. Soy constipated ten times more than milk. Also, we did the few extra ounces of water (not like extra in a bottle of formula but extra as in, straight, on it’s own). With Jonah, that worked, w/ lily it did not. We were giving lily apricot nectar/pear nectar/prune juice, daily, and even sometimes that dis not help. Apricot worked the best for her. As Jonah got older, prune juice always did the trick (he just turned 3 and it still works like a charm to this day.
I never breastfed, soif that’s what you are doing, I don’t have much advice, except to avoid foods known to constipate (bananas always constipated jonah, he actually still can’t eat them) and up the amount of fiber foods (apples, grains, lettuce, etc).
Good luck. I have SO been there. Hopefully ahe outgrows quickly!
Jen
heidi says:
We tried about 1 tbsp in each bottle of the kyro syrup and that worked amazing. She had to have her bottles that way for about 5 months and still has constipation sometimes(now at age 3) so we give her a lot of water, veggies and small prunes(luckily she loves them)! Hope this helps!!
Marybeth says:
I agree with the Karo syrup idea. My boys are much older but I also work with infants in a preschool setting. We used 1 TBSP per bottle one time per day. It works by drawing extra water from the bowel to soften the stool, making it easier on them to go. So it’s not like a laxative…or like apple/prune juice!!! Poor baby, I hope that works!
Jane says:
I’ve heard tha Karo syrup works like a charm too.
.-= Jane´s last blog ..No Time to Knit! =-.
Ami says:
A teaspoon of Karo syrup in an ounce of water helped our newborn when she was constipated. Our doctor recommended it and it is cheap and easy too. Good luck.
Julie says:
We did the Karo syrup with our daughter too – worked wonders!
Catherine Lucas says:
I totally forgot what I did 33 years ago with problems like that…
I even forgot if I had problems like them with my kids. So far for helping you out… And my single braincell is NOT working today!
Happy friday!
.-= Catherine Lucas´s last blog ..testing for april… =-.
Catherine Lucas says:
weird things going on with the blog links today…
stacey says:
One of my children had this problem at the same age as Annie. He was breastfed too and too young for juice or baby food.
His pediatrician recommended that we give him a bottle of water mixed with Karo Syrup. The “light” or clear Karo Syrup. One ounce KaroSyrup to two or three ounces of water.
That did the trick for him. It wasn’t instant but it did most certainly aid him in passing his stool. I gave it to him once a day. If I remember correctly, it was the second bottle on the second day that got him moving along.
Best of luck in getting those poops out!
teri says:
we had this with our little girl too. doctor suggested adding an extra ounce or two of water to a bottle, or an extra ounce of prune juice (cut with an oz of water) twice a day. it worked okay – for the most part, it made her more regular, but there were still stretches where she was constipated and miserable. tummy massage did not do much for us (but maybe i’m a crappy masseuse). our lives have been much improved by the addition of miralax!
be careful of stimulating her too much with finger or thermometer (or suppositories) – you don’t want her to become dependent on needing the stimulation to poop.
sending annie nice fibrous thoughts!
jp says:
Ask your pediatrician about Miralax. Worked wonders for our daughter.
Barbara D says:
Heather, I have followed you for a long time, but only commented once I think. I have breastfed two boys for a total of about 4 years (my 2 year old is still nursing). Constipation in breastfed babies is exceedingly rare. A baby turning red and grunting is actually normal when they pass poo. I used to think my boys were going to turn purple sometimes! It’s a big deal for them!
Normal breastfed poo can be runny or pasty. My boys ran the gammut. My oldest was always runny and watery, my youngest was pretty much the opposite, thick and chunky (sorry, TMI!)
True constipation would generally involve lots of crying or even screaming when passing stools and hard pellet like stools like what you saw with Maddie.
I linked some articles for you to read if you like that talk all about breastfed babies and constipation. I don’t think you need to do anything special for Annie. She sounds like a perfectly normal breastfed baby! When she starts grunting, you can always try some tummy massage starting in her right lower quadrant, working up, across and then down her left side (basically tracing the colon)
http://www.babycenter.com.au/baby/health/constipation/
http://ezinearticles.com/?Constipation-Remedies-for-Breastfed-Babies&id=808147
Rae says:
I have to agree with this. Babies shouldn’t be getting anything else other than breastmilk (or formula) at Annie’s age and if she is just on breastmilk constipation is extremely rare.
However, some babies become constipated on iron drops so if you are giving her those, you may want to stop.
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T081100.asp
http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/pediatricks/poop.asp
http://www.mother-2-mother.com/normal.htm#NormalStools
jenn says:
Brennen (7months) is the same way- has been since a few weeks old- he has refflux so we have to add the rice to each feeding. Kayro syrup! 1tsp for 4 oz. You can even ask her ped about it- moves them pretty quickly- we have to give it to brennen still periodically and he eats foods, also the thermometer trick didn’t work with him. Mainly because he could poo, it was the consistency of the poo that was troublesome
Susan says:
Bicycling your baby”s legs at every nappy (diaper) change will help with the constipation.
I was having issues with my daughter having nappy rash when I discovered this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Diaper-Free-Gentle-Natural-Hygiene/dp/0452287774
It might seem really radical and it certainly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but it really worked for us. And the added benefit – no more changing poopy nappies!
good luck!
.-= Susan´s last blog ..almost easter… =-.
Lynn from For Love or Funny says:
I liked Gretchen’s comment. Perhaps we can deliver a good dose of prunes via breastmilk?
.-= Lynn from For Love or Funny´s last blog ..Good Friday =-.
Becky says:
My son had acid reflux and had to be on prevacid from the age of 8 weeks until he was 9 or 10 months so he was very badly constipated from it. We did several things as recommended by our pediatrician: fed him about an ounce or two of apple juice/water mix (50/50) once a day; stimulated his rectum with a rectal thermometer; and if neither of those worked then we would give him half of a baby suppository. One or all together would work but it was still a chore for him.
Best of luck with whatever you try. Annie is beautiful like her sister.
Jennifer says:
Pear juice, pear juice, pear juice.
There is something about the nectar in pair juice and it does not take a lot.
I breast fed and would put a 1/2 ounce of juice in bottle and she would get that daily to start. You can always adjust the amount.
Once she started going, I would cut back.
Good luck.
Melissa says:
Yessss, PEAR JUICE! Totally works.
Bryn says:
My youngest suffered from chronic constipation, poor thing, it was a nightmare! The Karo/water mix always helped, along w/ “bicycling” his legs! Good luck! Hope you find something that works soon!
Lindy says:
I’m not sure if you’re formula feeding but if you are have you tried the low iron formula?? While visiting my parents in the US I noticed that my daughter started getting constipated and someone recommended the low iron formula (US formula is fortified with iron.) It worked wonders!
Sue says:
I have absolutely no solutions for the POOP SITUATION, Heather, but just wanted to say that Annabel looks positively adorable in that video, and sooooooo much like her daddy!!!
SM says:
My daughter had constipation to the point where she would go only one every three or four days. Something that worked for us was feeding her water that had had raisin soaking in it overnight. So take 1/2 oz of water, soak a couple or three raisins in it. Keep overnight. Feed next morning.
Hope this helps.
.-= SM´s last blog ..hello from TX =-.
Kristen McD says:
I did the bicycle movements with my son when he was tiny – worked like a charm. My daughter though… I don’t think she’s not pooped a single day of her life. So. No encouragement needed there.
Good luck!
Amy says:
We didn’t have a constipated baby, but the diluted prune juice in a little water remedy was recommended to us just in case. In the event you’re concerned about purity, you or Mike could always take a prune or two and boil it in a small pan of water to produce a sterile, diluted prune juice. Drinking prune juice yourself if you’re breastfeeding also seems promising.
Annie looks so pretty; such a sweet little one.
charlane says:
Annie totally took the show! What a sleepy little doll!
.-= charlane´s last blog ..May I Have Your Attention Please… =-.
Maura says:
Karo syrup mixed in the milk… just a wee little bit though. So wee.
Beth says:
My Ped. told me to put a teaspoon of dark karosyurp in the bottle and mix it really well. Always worked like a charm. Annie is too cute!
sarah @caiafacraziness says:
Blake was 2 months and we had to give karo syrup with water.
Jenn says:
I had a Dr. recommend Karo syrup, though I don’t remember the dosage. Wasn’t very much.
I also recommend the tummy massage and “taking their tempreture”. Works every time!
lb says:
I forget – is she exclusively breastfed? Mostly breastfed? Because it’s common for breastfed babies to go a few days between bms. As long as her poops aren’t hard and dry (which it sounds like you know what that is like from Maddie), then she’s not technically constipated. As long as she is passing soft stuff, then everything is working as it should. If she’s having trouble squeeeeezing them out, then I would try the suggestions like bicyling her legs, massaging her belly, or putting a warm pillow on her back or belly. But I really don’t think you need to be giving her sugar or water or anything like that.
She is beautiful!
Jess says:
Annie is adorable!!
I bf’d both of my girls, and the first one had no problems… However the second.. She had lots and lots and lots of reflux, anything that went down came back up, and on top of that, the stuff that did stay down got her exceptionally constipated. We did a lot of trial and error by eliminating foods from my diet as our pedi suggested and adding a very high fiber diet for me. Turns out it was dairy products that caused all her problems. (Which was awful, since I’m a cheese-aholic.) But I switched over to soy versions, paid attention to ingredient labels, and I’m happy to report that around 5 months old, she was fine. I got to go back to eating dairy. My pedi said some babies digestive systems are just now mature enough to handle the proteins. So, I guess it was all good. I ate super-duper healthy for 5 months, and little Kira finally put on some healthy amounts of weight. And length.
Good luck! I hope things get better for you!
Sheryl says:
I was told to give my daughter prune juice out of a dropper, and the water left from boiling oatmeal. Also reduced my dairy intake (this helped with her acid reflux too) and lots of clockwise tummy rubs as well as bicycle movements of her legs. She is now ten and still has trouble going to the bathroom unless I make sure she has plenty of orange juice and fruit.
Julia says:
I don’t know if you are bottle or breast feeding but here is my advice from a mom of 5. If bottle feeding try a different fourmula if breast eliminate milk and gassy foods (broccolo, onions) from your diet. My secret weapon with my kids was foot massage though. It worked wonders. How to is in below post. A health nurse who specialized in infant massage taught me. Apparently the foot is a pressure point for digestion and massage there helps the bowels get moving. Always worked for us. Good Luck! Kids like keeping us wondering and on our toes.
http://nugglemamashandful.blogspot.com/2010/01/colic-in-infant-tip-from-me.html
.-= Julia´s last blog ..Our Easter Traditions =-.
cindy w says:
Catie had this issue when she was a baby – and she still does, which is why I’m That Mom who lets my kid drink juice all the live-long day, because sorry, but why don’t YOU listen to scream while she pushes out a poop the size of my fist? She eats a ton of fruit & other fiber-filled foods too, but trust me, it’s not a fun day for any of us when she gets no juice.
When she was tiny and couldn’t have fruit or juice yet, this was the solution that our pediatrician gave us: take a Q-tip. Run under warm water. Cover in vaseline. Put it in her, um, you know. Then wait. The first time we did this, I left her diaper off for a minute to see what would happen, and the ensuing Play-Doh Fun Factory of Poop that came out was like an episode of I Love Lucy. I kept screaming, “I need more wipes! More wipes! Oh god, nevermind, just get me a roll of paper towels! IT WON’T STOP!!!” So, um… it worked, is what I’m saying.
Good luck!
.-= cindy w´s last blog ..learning curve =-.
Susan says:
Try about a tablespoon of dark Karo syrup in her bottles. That always worked for our kids AND it makes the bottles taste really good.
Keyona says:
We’ve all written a poop post every now and then! LOL!
.-= Keyona´s last blog ..Thoughts =-.
Jen says:
The advice about taking her temp always works!!! Good luck!!
Sarah P says:
Our twins were preemies, and our daughter went through constipation troubles. I wish I had an answer for you. I know how frustrating it can be.
Best of luck.
Natalie @ Hope Springs Eternal says:
Nellie was constipated and her poop was like you’re describing when she was on soy formula. I switched her to a milk based and the problem was solved. Don’t know if Annie is breastfed or formula fed but if she’s on formula talking to your doc about switching might help.
.-= Natalie @ Hope Springs Eternal´s last blog ..Lullaby and Goodnight =-.
Sarah P says:
Oh yeah!
What Jenn said about Karo syrup! Our doc recommended it, but she grew out of it before we had to use it.
Andrea says:
Prune juice. My brother’s baby drank about 3 or 4 ounces a day and worked like a charm.
Elizabeth says:
My husband walked in as I was watching this, right when the doctor said “hardening poop.”
Thank you for that
Holly says:
Karo syrup!
Karen says:
Our GI doc in town gave us this trick- 1oz of warm water and 1 teaspoon brown sugar. Works every time! Also, Mixing Maalox and Aquaphor together in a paste will help the diarrhea diaper rash. Annie is sooo cute!
Laurie says:
As I skimmed, I think all of these things were suggested, but when L was constipated, our doctor suggested putting prune juice or pear juice in a bottle of breastmilk or formula. When she hadn’t pooped for several days, we had to do a glycerine suppository, which was super gross.
On a friend’s recommendation, I also pounded apple juice (I was breastfeeding exclusively), and that seemed to help.
Good luck!
.-= Laurie´s last blog ..Lydia Updates =-.
Amy d says:
My son was born 10 weeks premature. He struggled with constipation and would scream for hours on end. Common remedies such as prune juice, supossitories, and over the counter meds did nothing! I was so frustrated and heartbroken for my little guy.
I discovered a prescription medicine called lactulose. This COMPLETELY transformed my baby. Literally overnight he was a different child. I’m not sure if Annie is old enough for it but it is a really safe drug. It’s basically a sugar solution and children can be on it for years if need be with no adverse reactions.
Good luck Heather. So sad when your baby is in pain and you can’t help:(
.-= Amy d´s last blog ..24 =-.
BB says:
We had this problem with my second daughter too. She was two months old at the time, and was only getting breast milks. My ped said she could go 7 or 8 days without going before we should be concerned. I could tell the poor little thing was in pain after only day number two.
At first, I tried doing the rectal temperature solution, which usually worked. But, I talked to my chiropractor, and he warned me that she could get used to needing that sensation to be able to go #2. I ended up having my chiropractor do an adjustment on her. That did the trick! She has not had any issues with constipation since, and she is going to be 8. I know not everyone is comfortable with chiropractors, especially on babies, but that is what worked for us. Our chiro has been adjusting his own children since birth, literally. He was adjusting them as soon as his wife delivered, so I knew he had a lot of experience with newborns.
viki m says:
First off, let me tell you that both of your girls are super cute! And so are you and Mike, i love your blog.
Sorry to hear about the diaper drama, so let me give you my advice from across the big pond: we´ve been going throug this with both of our sons (2 and 3 1/2 years).
Constipation: get some cumin-oil (in germany they have it at every pharmacy) and massage her tummy with it. It helps her release her gas and let go of her hard poop; if you are breastfeeding you might consider making yourself a cup of cumin tea, simply boil some cumin in water, everday. Calm Annie down if she is drinking too fast and/or check if the hole in her bottle is too big, drinking fast can also cause constipation and gas. About the diarrea I wouldn´t care so much since baby´s poop isn´t comparable to ours (especially in smell uh???) one more advice I can share about the diaper rash: my nurse told me this, make some black tea and let it cool down. when changing her, blott some of the tea with a cotton ball on all the red spots she has, let it dry an then use some bepanthen ( i looked up the main ingridient is Dexpanthenol) lotion, but only to cover the rash very thin, it works wonders!
so good luck on the diaper drama!
Kt says:
I don’t have any advice about helping with her constipation (but I will be saving this post for when and if we get this problem when little girl arrives in a few months!), but I have to comment that my husband is SUPER afraid of changing a poop diaper because of the … crevices. I explained it to him about a month ago and he’s so nervous about it now. I assume most Dads are worried about it – but quickly get over it!
.-= Kt´s last blog ..Today was… =-.
Lissa says:
Our doctor had us give him Mylanta when the prune juice didn’t do anything but make him angry. Call your doc (duh!) for the OK and dosage but it worked wonders and it also helped with his reflux. He is 7 mos now and we still give it to him if necessary.
Lisa says:
Yep, Annie totally stole the show
We didn’t have much trouble with constipation with Maya (luckily) but we did a couple of times and our ped recommended a very small amount of water and laying her on her back and moving her legs like she was riding a bike and very gently massaging her abdomen. It worked. I’ve also heard of doctors recommending a very small amount of prune juice to get things moving too. Ask Dr. Looove if she thinks that would be okay for Annie.
I hope she is back to pooping normally again soon. No fun for her or you when she’s having diaper trouble.
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..My Little Communicator =-.
Diane says:
I can’t sing the praises of probiotics enough. My oldest had awful reflux, constipation, gas, UGH. She was on conventional medicines for them. When my second was born with all the same issues, I researched and started her on probiotic drops once a day. Her reflux improved considerably, as did all her gas/poop issues. I don’t know if it would work on Annabel, but I didn’t see anyone else mention it, so I thought it’s something you could bring up with your doctor.
Good luck! I remember how hard that is to watch.
.-= Diane´s last blog ..The one thing I just can’t handle =-.
LibraryGirl62 says:
Bicycling the legs and a wee bit o prune juice for mine. He never took a bottle so giving juice/water to a 2 month old from a sippy cup was fun!(Sitting here I wonder why I never thought of an eye dropper-must have been the demanding 15 month old I had at the same time…hmmm) Mylicon drops for his gas eased his tummy. A & D (the white cream version) worked for us for diaper rash. He is 16 and would be so embarrassed if he knew I was putting this out there …tee hee
Leigh says:
our daughter had a lot of constipation as a baby and as a toddler. She is almost 3 now and just coming out of the constipation. She’s even been on Miralax for a year (stool softener/laxative) and even on that, sometimes it would take her 4 days for a BM. Not fun.
Maybe adding more acidophillus to your diet will help Annabel.
As for diaper rash, I swear by something called “Triple Paste”. You can get it at Target. It’s not cheap but it WORKS and it lasts. It was the only thing that helped our daughter when she had the badddddd rashes. Another good remedy…when you take off her diaper, turn on your blow dryer and put it on the cool setting and dry her bum. it will feel nice to her and also make sure she’s super dry with out having to wipe a lot.
Good luck, it’s hard to see little peeps struggle so much with poop.
Trista says:
I agree with most on here…a little bit of water and eliminate dairy from your diet will hopefully do the trick. I think its unusual for a completely breastfed baby to be constipated for a long period of time. If you are supplementing with formula…you might try switching to one with a less iron.
For diaper rash…I swear by this…take cornstarch and mix it with the Desitin Creamy until it forms a nice thick paste. Also…for Toddlers, I also mix in a tbs of Bactine or Triple anitibiotic or sun burn relief cream (adding more cornstarch to make up for the added liquid). This helps helps to heal broken/chapped skin as well as relieve discomfort. Just make sure whatever you pick up has litocaine in it. Its a topical numbing agent. Good luck. (Of course you wouldn’t put it INSIDE the crevices..kwim?)
cas says:
My Lili had the same issue. We tried the water. We tried the karo syrup. We tried prune juice. It was pretty sad for her. I had to resort to helping in ways I don’t want to describe. Sad for both of us. Poor little girl.
Anyways, late in the game (around 5 months in) we accidentally discovered something that really helped: coconut milk. I admit it, I gave her a taste of coconunt milk off my finger, and her reaction was so cute and delightful I gave her a bit more. After I realized that it helped her with her bottom assemblage issues, I would give her a hit of it whenever she started to struggle. Worked/works like a charm.
Dont’ know about potential allergy issues in your family, or if cocount is a known allergy risk…but worked in our family.
Kayla N. says:
I have also heard the q-tip thing- the comic artist Natalie Dee had the same problem with her baby and wrote a blog about it a while back, said it worked like a charm, here is the link to the blog: http://blog.nataliedee.com/index.php?blogid=276
Poor Annie, hope something works!
Kelly says:
Sometimes a little bit of Kayro syrup will work wonders. I have also done belly rubs, and worked my daughters legs while she was trying to poop. Sometimes helped.
.-= Kelly´s last blog ..Birds Do It, Bees Do It, =-.
Lacy says:
My doctor told me to mix 1 oz of water with 1 oz of pear juice and to give it to my son every day until you could figure out how often was often enough (ie if the poop gets runny, cut it back, if it’s still hard, give it twice a day). When that didn’t work, we tried prune juice the same way. We did the karo syrup thing too.
My son was so bad, we had to use glycerin suppositories and milk of magnesia. We only did the MOM after nothing else worked. But, let me tell ya, that stuff WORKED.
Jen says:
I gave my little one Mirilax, infact, I still do when she gets constipated. When she was tiny I gave her about 1/4 cap full mixed in with her bottle. If you let it sit for a few minutes it completely dissolves and you cannot taste it. It is NOT a laxative and isn’t habit forming and it works pretty quickly, at least for my baby.
TERI HARTLEY says:
ADD A LITTLE BIT OF KARO SYRUP TO HER BOTTLES…MY SON HAD TERRIBLE ISSUES UNTIL AGE 2..ALSO MIRALAX WORKS WELL…IT IS NOT OVER THE COUNTER AND CAN BE MIXED WITH BOTTLES…NON HABIT FORMING ETC…BUT KYRO SEEMED TO WORK WELL AND BABIES LIKE THE TASTE
Rebecca says:
I don’t think she’s too young for pear and prune juice. We had to give my daughter pear and prune juice for constipation when she was still in the NICU, so not even newborn age yet. And we had to continue to do so once at home. I think when she was as little as Annie, we were just giving her a couple mls (4-5 maybe) in a medicine dropper with every feeding.
.-= Rebecca´s last blog ..The Best Spot in the House =-.
Rebecca says:
Oh, and our daughter is on a prescription med called lactulose now for constipation. She’s 16 months – don’t now how young they can start that, but it helps a lot.
.-= Rebecca´s last blog ..The Best Spot in the House =-.
brooke says:
i tried just about everything for my little guy. the thing that finally worked was magnesium. you can get a container called “natural calm” and they even have one called “baby calm”. try 1 -2 ounces in 1-2 bottles a day. it works wonders! http://www.absolutelythepurest.com/supplements/natural-calm-baby.html
Kathy says:
This is exactly what I was going to suggest. Magnesium oxide is a supplement you can buy at any health food store. The one I buy is called “Mag07”. Truly the best stool softener around and its just magnesium. Check with your ped for dosing of course. I usually take it at night and by the next morning…things are moving along!
Good luck and much love to you all!!!!!!
Jenny says:
Poor Annie! You both looked adorable in the video!! I’m sorry she’s in so much pain, that’s the hardest thing to watch! I’m so glad so many people have answered (I’m totally taking notes for future reference!). My youngest had major diarrhea and HORRIBLE diaper rash right after we introduced solids, so not helpful to you right now haha, but I can tell you that we tried EVERYTHING for diaper rashes…and I mean EVERYTHING. Several different prescription creams, every single kind of diaper rash cream in the store (and I mean EVERY SINGLE kind!), compounds specifically designed for him, mixtures of everything, powder, starch, you name it, we tried it! Some of it never worked, some of it worked for about a week and then it was gone. We found out soon after that the cause of the diaper rash is a gluten intolerance, and he’s now 2 and if he has a reaction, he still gets that same terribly painful rash. However, what we’ve found that worked for us now is definitely time with no diaper on. It’s harder now that he’s older, but we’d throw him in the playpen with cleanable toys (ya know, just in case!), and let him air out a little bit. A warm bath made him more comfortable, and we’d let him completely air dry in the playpen. After that, a mixture of Balmex (we’ve really had to switch every single kind of cream, but Balmex has been working the longest! with A&D Ointment a close runner up!) mixed with lotrimin, and sometimes with neosporin. It’s been a life-saver! He’s still in a little pain as it happens, but he gets so much relief and is doing much better much faster. Thank goodness! Just throwing that all out there in case Annie’s get to that level!
I hope one of the methods the other commenters supplied does the trick!
.-= Jenny´s last blog ..Faith. =-.
Julie says:
Our doctor also recommended the dark Karo corn syrup. 1tsp to every 4 oz once a day. Of course I was concerned about feeding her sugar, but he said that the sugars in the corn syrup naturally draw water into the intestines and loosens the stools. He also told me that not doing something and allowing her to strain and letting her intestines back up could cause streatching and damage to her internally. We had lots of success with the syrup. Now that she is older we have to use Miralax which he also said is not a laxative. He said it also has natural sugars and said some kids just have issues. Hopefully as she gets older and not so picky we can control it with diet. I would definately ask your doctor what he/she recommends. Good Luck!
Ms. Moon says:
Having raised four kids, I know for a fact that some babies poop three times a day and some only poop three times a week. If that. One of mine always acted as if she was having to give birth when she pooped. Same symptoms you describe. And really? She was not constipated at all. It was just the way her body worked.
I wouldn’t worry.
Honestly.
.-= Ms. Moon´s last blog ..Indulge Me =-.
Chrissy says:
Wow! I wish I had all these suggestions when my son was a baby! We were dealing with intense constipation from birth … I had no idea a breast-fed baby could BE constipated. His doctors offered no help or advice (he had some pretty awful docs in the beginning). In his toddler years, limiting his milk and increasing the amount of watered-down juice helped but only getting him on Miralax for over a year finally solved the situation. Now, I only have to give him Miralax maybe once a week to keep things moving. It would have been great to have all these suggestions when he was a baby.
As for the diaper rash, I agree with the doctor on the corn starch! Our son had SEVERE diaper rash for over a month and his doctors were NO HELP. I was doing everything I read to do … air him out, no diaper wipes, creams … then another mom suggested corn starch. JUST CORN STARCH. Plain corn starch from the grocery store (Johnson’s makes a baby powder with corn starch in it now but I would still stick with straight corn starch). I was desperate enough to try anything and the corn starch took away his rash literally overnight. Try it! It’s totally natural and cheap!!! :o)
Sarah says:
Are you still exclusively breastfeeding? True constipation is very uncommon in an exclusively breastfed infant. What you are describing sounds totally within the “normal” for a breastfed infant. Around 6 or so weeks of age, the bowels begin to get the hang of what they’re doing and the baby begins to learn to use the associated muscles and to “control the flow”. A truly constipated infant will be pooping small hard pellets. A pastey or peanutbutter like consistency is totally normal. It’s also common about this time to start skipping days between bowel movements. The best thing to keep in mind with an exclusively breastfed infant is that “there is no ‘normal’ – the baby may have 14 bowel movements a day or NOT have a bowel movement for 14 days”. Both of these extremes are normal and do not require intervention.
It’s hard to watch our little ones seemingly struggling with something, and we certainly don’t want them to be in pain, but introducing any nonbreastmilk substance into an exclusively breastfed baby this young would be a cause for concern. Breastmilk is over 80% water and giving additional water at this stage would increase the chances of the baby developing water intoxification. Introducing any juices, syrups, etc at this age risks aggravating the “open gut” and may have it’s on consequences.
If you feel like you must do something, and nothing in your post is a red flag that clearly indicates you should, I would (and did) stick with the non-nutritive methods suggested above. Bicycling her legs, moving her knees to her chest, warm baths, leg and foot massages, and possibly rectal temperature taking.
More info can be found at kellymom.com, including this link:
http://www.mother-2-mother.com/normal.htm#NormalStools
Becky says:
my pediatrician told me to give my daughter a tsp of benefiber in several of her bottles a day. she was around Annie’s age when we did this. It worked very well. As with any advice of a medical nature, I would suggest you run it past your doctor first. I will say that the suggestions you received to do rectal stimulation (like you are taking a rectal temp) in order to get her to go, are extremely dangerous because you could cause her trauma. You should never do this unless you really know what you are doing and even then as a last resort. Good luck
Dianne says:
I had to *fully* eliminate soy and milk from my diet while breastfeeding my son. (Read labels and avoid even the tiniest components of milk/soy.) Once my diet was milk/soy free, the rash went away and so did the pooping problems and reflux. It turned out that his “colic” was actually MSPI (milk soy protein intolerance). He outgrew it and now loves yogurt and cheese as some of his most favorite foods.
Lisa says:
Chiropractor. Find one in your area that deals with babies and they do wonders! Helped with my sons reflux too!
Sara B says:
I swear by probiotics to keep babies going regularly. My son had the same issues when he was an infant, but ever since I put him on a probiotic, he’s gone twice a day, every day, at the same times!! We use Udo’s Choice Infant Probiotic…it’s a powder and we just stick it in his morning bottle (now sippy). It has lots of other good qualities, as well (immunity boost, colon health, etc).
.-= Sara B´s last blog ..5 on Friday =-.
Erin W says:
Ask the pediatrician about Lactulose. My daughter had TERRIBLE constipation…when I say terrible, I mean tearing, bleeding, screaming and to the point where she’d hold it and it would become impacted and the doctor would have to…you know…’get it out’ for her. She’d be terrified to go! The Lactulose helped…its prescription, but can be used on little bitty ones. We tried EVERYTHING. Corn syrup, all the ‘fruits’ that are ‘supposed’ to help, juices, exercises, etc…nothing worked. We even got to the point where we had to give her glycerin suppositories (YUCK). Sadly, I’m a pro in the constipation area. Nothing worked except Lactulose. Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LeeAnne says:
When my first baby had constipation problems (27 years ago!) my mom (a nurse) told me to put about a teaspoon of Karo syrup (white) in about 4 ounces of water. It really worked! Good luck! Annabel is a real beauty, for sure! Pure sweetness.
karen says:
My baby is now 7 and we have been fighting his constant constipation for his entire life.
I tried the themometer thing when he was a wee one and it didn’t work. He had a lot of gas pain along with the constipation (still does) and his ped made me stop drinking milk and had me eating a very bland diet. Didn’t help.
Probably when he was about 7 months old I started to give him prune juice (not the baby variety) and it wasn’t watered down. I also made our own prunes- the baby jars were too weak- and these things helped for a while. Eventually he bowl got to used to it and it stopped working.
Sorry I don’t have any suggestions for now. The only thing I can remember doing is trying my best to comfort him while he screamed.
I hope your little one outgrows it. Enemas are really no fun.
Debi Powell says:
Hey!
Our stories are identical! Try taking your son off all dairy for 21 days… and if it totally resolves (I believe it will) it was a dairy aborbsion problem. It was a miracle for us! Changed our 8 yr old daughters life. She LOVES Almond Milk so now we use that instead of milk.
Hope you have a happy ending too!
Karen says:
There’s so much good advice here! Everything Sarah said about exclusive BF is true, and was true for us but…
Annie’s had the Rotavirus vacc, right? It’s delivered orally and it changes the flora/fauna in the gut. The idea that BF babies rarely get constipated was from before they rec’d this routine vacc. My baby got constipated around 12 weeks and the idiot pediatrician couldn’t diagnose it. I read all the Kellymom stuff and had no clue. My baby suffered for four months–screaming in pain at all hours of the night–while the doc tried everything else except treating constipation. Treated her for reflux, removed all the major allergens from my diet, we bicycled her legs the length of the Tour de France, you name it. I finally demanded a referral to a specialist. The head of GI at our children’s hospital needed about 5 minutes to figure out what was wrong. He put her on Milk of Magnesia and it cleared up right away.
Please inquire about MoM with your doctor. It’s relatively safe and it’s very effective (If it isn’t going to work, you’ll know quickly and can move on to something else) It can alleviate and prevent a great deal of suffering.
BethT says:
What a cute video (despite the topic, hehe) – perfect for embarrassing Annabel in years to come
Margaret says:
2 things:
1. I always found that propping my son up in the car seat position worked because he ALWAYS pooped in his carseat. But he was breastfed so his poop was always so runny.
2. My pediatrician told me that between 3 weeks and a few months babies start to want to be in control of their pooping. So it can take them quite a while and they lie there flailing their arms and squeezing everything in order to try to push it out. He said that it takes them a while to figure which muscles to squeeze and which to relax and that’s why they get so frustrated. But not to worry because they do figure it out! He told us this at our two week appointment and sure enough, our son developed what I called his Poop Dance. I mostly resorted to the above-mentioned trick.
Good luck!
Susan says:
The post before about using the rectal themomertor worked for my daughter too, sounds nasty but with a lot of vaseline and a gentle side to side pressure seemed to let some air escape and then instant poop. Our dr told us to put some karo syrup in her bottle, and that never seemed to work, no matter how much we used. Good luck!
googaiemomma says:
yeah, been there–done that :0) #4 wouldn’t go for ANYTHING. Strictly BFing, she still strained to push out rocks. And NOBODY believed us–“BF babies can’t be constipated”. REALLY? Then how come my 3 month old has HEMORROIDS??? (Yeah, I’m sure she’ll appreciate this in a few years, but then again so will Annie) Anyway, the ONLY thing that worked for us was..umm..taking her temperature. Yup, the good old lubed thermometer up the bum. I guess it reminded her “where to push”??? I don’t know, you don’t ever picture yourself doing these things before you have kids, but then when your kid is miserable all bets are off…hope you guys work it out!!!
.-= googaiemomma´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday~Grab Bag =-.
Christen says:
I was told to use glycerine suppositories. My pedi told me to break them in half and insert the half when Cort was tiny. It worked in just a few minutes. (Here is a link to what the jar looked like- you can get it cheap at the drug store: http://www.amazon.com/Pedia-Lax-Childrens-Glycerin-Suppositories-12-Count/dp/B002ZCXUZ8 )
.-= Christen´s last blog ..Beach Time! =-.
Amber says:
My daughter had the same problem and I just added a teaspoon of juice from canned peaches to her bottle and it did the trick. I started doing that when she was 2 months old.
abby says:
Both my kids were (and still get) constipated. There is an over the counter laxitive called Little Tummies. You can buy it at CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, wherever. Ask your pediatrician about dosage.
Courtney says:
My niece had the same problem so my sister would give her a bottle with milk and a little bit of prune juice in it. I’ve known a couple of other families that have done that also! Hopefully you find something that works!
Chris says:
My daughter started with the constipation right around the same age. I was advised to express some BM and mix it in a bottle with a DROP of prune juice. The first time I didn’t think one drop was enough so I gave her a bit more…BIG POOPY mistake…she exploded!! So then down to one drop and we were at a happy medium!
And Karo syrup is a NO NO. Like honey, it’s been linked to botulism.
Natalie says:
I have 3 children. My newest was born on December 28th. All 3 have had trouble with constipation. What does the trick is a little bit of blackstrap molasses in one or two bottles a day. Just a few drops…maybe a 1/2 a teaspoon. Does the trick everytime! Plus it’s a little better for you than just plain sugar.
Shellece says:
My son also had constipation as a baby. The doc told us to use a glycerin suppository. The adult ones work just break them in half and usually it works before it even dissolves.
Karen says:
Annie definitely stole the show!
My daughter had constipation issues when she was an infant too. She’s 6 now so I don’t remember exactly what we did about it but a gentle massage and Caro syrup come to mind. Good luck! It’s so hard when they’re that little.
.-= Karen´s last blog ..Flashback Friday. =-.
Laura says:
I’ve never heard of an exclusively breastfed baby having constipation – the breastmilk usually keeps things nice and loose. It’s when formula and/or solids that get added into the mix that I thought things could get more solid. My son (21 months) suffers from constipation – we add Metamucil to his sippies (of breastmilk) and that keeps him fairly regular.
Maybe something in your diet (assuming you are still exclusively bfing) is contributing to this? Have you tried an elimination diet to see if you can make an connection?
.-= Laura´s last blog ..I heart faces – dramatic B&W =-.
Brook says:
My daughter who is now 10 months old has had an issue with constipation since she was little bitty. If you give Annie a bottle add some dark KARO corn syrup to her bottles, this will help with the constipation. I understand what you are saying about it being hard to watch her grunt and groan.
Java says:
If your breastfeeding it much be something you are eating maybe? Or switching between formula and breastfeeding?
.-= Java´s last blog ..The Easter Bunny =-.
Allyson says:
My niece had problems with constipation. Our doctor actually told them to mix a dropperful of prune juice (Gerber makes an apple/prune for babies) in their bottles until they “loosen up.” She was really young at the time, but he said just a dropperful wasn’t a problem since it usually only took one or two to get her going fine.
.-= Allyson´s last blog ..Him =-.
Beth says:
I think my pediatrician recommended karo syrup in her bottle mixed with a little formula or breast milk. Our baby might have been older though..
Jen says:
We also used the karo syrup that many have suggested and it worked like a charm. It had been recommended to us by our pediatrician.
Jennifer says:
glycerin suppositories; you’ll have to cut it down, they’re not sold in baby sizes, but we used these with our daughter…it worked every time, and didn’t seem to cause her any discomfort. I think if you drank prune juice, it would help too…good luck!
Nanette says:
Em has never really been constipated, but when she was Annie’s age I found that the surefire way to get her to poop was to put her in a super cute outfit, put on a new outfit for myself, and take her somewhere with no changing tables…and leave the diapers in the car. Guaranteed POOP EXPLOSION!
.-= Nanette´s last blog ..And you thought all I posted were pics… =-.
Lacie W says:
My little sister had this problem as a wee one. The doctor told us to do suppositories for her, and it did work. However, I have seen the prune juice option given a lot, highly diluted of course.
Missy says:
I breast fed my daughter for the first 6 weeks, then switched to formula after that,and when we switched to the formula, she got evtremey constipated. My doc recommended Karo syrup, but it didn’t work, so she had us put 1/2 ounce to 1 ounce of pear juice in her bottles, and it worked like a charm. I started making ALL her bottles with 5 oz of water 1oz pear juice WITH the formula, and it totally did the trick for us. We had to do it with every bottle because it was the iron in the formula that was constipating her. Good luck!
Kathy Shipstad says:
Heather – this may sound very weird but our pediatrician had us add a little Karo Syrup to her botttle. She had very bad constipation also and was the same age as Annie. IT WORKED!
Good luck, nothing worse than watching the poor baby try to “work” it out.
Love ya Maddie! Miss her too -the stories you should be sharing I am sure would be hilarious.
Kari says:
I’m not a mommy (yet), but I do remember my mom putting Karo syrup in my little sister’s bottle when she got constipated. She was a preemie and suffered from quite a bit of constipation. It must have worked, because my mom swore by it! Hope this helps!
Jodie Brooks says:
We would put a little corn syrup in a small bottle of water and let them drink alittle. Totally worked for us!! I’m sure a doctor would tell you not to, but a little won’t hurt. My mom swore by it too!!
Melissa says:
I have heard the Karo syrup thing too, as well as the rectal thermometer (with Vaseline on it). If all else fails, a tiny glycerine suppository always does the trick, but only if she is in apparent heavy discomfort. My little guy always had major constipation and I had practiced all of these! Good luck, Heather, the poop will come out!!!
Sarah says:
We do a teaspoon of Karo syrup in our daughter’s bottle and that usually solves the problem in a day or so. This was recommended by our pediatrician and we just use it on an as needed basis, but she (the ped) said we could do it every other bottle or every if it didn’t resolve or it was an on-going problem. I have read some people don’t like to do this because of concerns about bacteria from the Karo syrup but we’ve heard multiple other people say they’ve been told about this and used it so we went with it.
I’ve heard about the thermometer trick too and been told it works nicely.
Can’t believe I have this much to say about poop either!
suzanne says:
My daughter’s stools were pretty pasty and thick at times, and other times very runny. According to my doc — both were ok. And she used to make little grunting noises, if I remember correctly. I don’t remember doing anything to ease her digestive issues other than trying to make fruits and vegetables part of my own diet, while avoiding things that could make her gassy. When we first started introducing her to rice cereal at around four months, she became really constipated with pellet-like, hard stools. We mixed a very small amount of prune juice in with the cereal and it fixed her right up.
JuJu says:
This may have already been said? But get a hand towel (a kitchen one or whatever) and warm it in the microwave. Warm enough to notice, but not scorching. Fold it in half length-wise and wrap it snugly around her tummy and back. Hold her tummy to tummy (or put her in a sling), while standing up, and move. Dance, sway, bounce – whatever floats her boat. Usually worked within a few minutes with all 4 of my kids. The first time I saw this, I had a CRANKY, constipated, generally not happy at all baby, and my mother-in-law swooped in and performed the Magic Towel Trick and pretty much saved my life.
Lea says:
Rectal thermometer and water. I used to give my baby water in a bottle all the time. Every time I was thirsty, he would get a little bit of water. Babies need water just like us adults. My doctor always told me to stay away from sugars and karo syrup, he said it wasn’t good for our babies at such a young age.
Julie says:
My Daughter had the same problem starting at about 4 weeks. Our pediatrician recommended 1 tsp. of dark karo syrup in her bottle twice a day (can do once a day once it gets better). It really works. It softens them without making them runny. Hope it helps!
Kirstin says:
My little one was horrifically constipated, from about three weeks after birth on. She also suffered from anal stenosis, where her body would continuously grow a flap of skin over her little “out” hole, and it had to be ripped open again each time she pooped either manually or by her stool itself(horrible, I know). She would bleed frequently from her bottom, and was indeed learning to hold it and make herself sick even in infancy. It was really causing some severe trauma for us all.
The ONLY thing that worked for us was giving her a small (as in, like, a quarter of a teaspoon) of milk of magnesia in her bottles. This was suggested by our ped after all the other traditional methods were worn out – and it worked like a CHARM. It softened her stool, but did not result in diarrhea. Ask your ped and see what he/she says. It was the only cure that worked for our horrifically constipated infant.
Jenny says:
I had to eliminate dairy from my diet and give 2oz of pear juice per day (starting around 6 weeks).
Good luck!!
Tracey says:
My Dr had me give my daughter brown sugar in her bottles.
My daughter was born with a cleft lip and palate so I could not nurse her. I pumped for a month and then switched to formula.
In addition to the brown sugar I use to alternate between iron fortified and non-iron fortified formula.
Trisha Vargas says:
When my baby girl was constipated, my doctor advised pumping her a little breastmilk and adding about a teaspoon of dark caro syrup to the bottle two times a day, but only if she went 2 full days without a BM.
It worked like a charm every time. I also kicked back on my own milk and dairy intake and that helped a bit to.
Best of luck! I know how upsetting it can be when they work so hard with minimal results.
(((HUGS))) from Florida
Momttorney says:
We’ve had LOTS of constipation at our house too . . . when Sammie B was Annie’s age, sometimes she’d strain so hard milk would fly out her nose, and the doctors always acted like it was NO big deal. Seriously?! It felt like a big deal to us — she seemed miserable! So, a few things that worked:
– The old thermometer trick — it works — but you can also (yes, I know this is gross) put a wipe around your pinky and just barely use that . . .supposed to actually be more comfortable for the baby.
– Sometimes instead of option (A) which can be a turnoff to moms (though hey, we’ll do anything to help our babes right?!) just using wipe and wiping her bum kinda hard seems to work — the pressure.
– Finally, a trick we learned in the NICU. Hold her feet, and push her knees to her chest, and kind of “pump” them. She’ll automatically sort of push back against your hands w/ her feet, and it really does “pump” her . . . we did this OFTEN w/ Sammie B. In fact, after a long grunting, groaning, red face session (with no poop) my husband and I would often say, “guess its time to prime the pump, huh?” This worked most every time. Sometimes, an explosion would follow.
Its so hard to watch them struggle!
.-= Momttorney´s last blog ..The Moments that Matter =-.
Ashley Hast says:
My grandma always did it for us when we were babies, and now I do it for mine….sounds weird, but it’s always worked. I just add a tablespoon of Karo corn syrup to their formula or milk. Call me crazy, but it’s grandma’s remedy.
Devon says:
Yes, it has always worked for me. We were told to use the dark karo not the light.
Debi Powell says:
Oh Heather… I SO FEEL YOUR (and Anabel’s) pain!
My daughter suffered from constipation from birth till age SEVEN! One of my girlfriends who is also a peds nurse said “Deb… take her off all dairy for 21 days, and if the constipation completely resolves, the dairy is the problem”… I had never heard of that (general peds is not my speciality) but I thought I’d try it since I had really nothing to lose. Grace HATED being off milk products until day 5.. when she had her FIRST EVER normal poopy! We did the poop dance (even my husband did it!) all day! I was SHOCKED it was even possible. Needless to say, she’s on a VERY limited dairy diet now.. she loves “Almond Milk” and is ok with Soy. SHe has not suffered from that since that day.
I so wish someone had shared this with me when she was young… it would have save her MANY painful days.. and me from crying during those days thinking there was nothing I could do.
I dont know if Anabel has the same “issues”… but if she does, you may consider heading to the soy formula isle and see if that helps. I”m praying hers is just a little blip in her day and not something that she’ll struggle with!
Hugs from Florida!
Debi
Danielle says:
I’m sorry if this repeats someone’s comment, but I did not read through all 136 of them!
My son had constipation very bad when he was about Annie’s age. Our doctor told us to put a tablespoon of Kyro Syrup in his bottles. Worked like a charm.
As far as diaper rash, we’ve found Butt Paste works MIRACLES. My son once got skin burn from a terrible diaper rash, we put butt paste on it and within hours it was gone.
Hope things get better soon!!!
Crystal says:
I’m sure all of this has been said, but…well
My last baby is/was this way all. the. time. My older kids had loose stools when teething – oh no, not Sophia.
So, I’ve become sort of an expert.
On poop.
Glycerin suppositories work VERY well. They make them for kids – I’d cut them in half for a baby as young as yours.
The bicycling works – if for no other reason, I think it’ll help with tummy aches.
Warm baths.
Tummy massages.
Good luck. It’s not any fun seeing them so uncomfortable.
Crystal says:
P.S. She is totally gonna love you for this post when she’s about 12.
Ciera says:
I’m usually a lurker, but I just wanted to tell you how amazing you and your husband are. We had our second baby just over a week ago, and he was in the NICU for a day and a half. Not being able to hold him for the first day of his life was so hard. I can’t imagine what you have gone through. I found this website the other day that I think you would like, it’s http://www.agoodgrief.com It has stories of people who have gone through different losses. The lady that created it has guest posters tell their stories. If you have time, you should try to check it out.
Thank you for your inpiration and everything that you have done for so many people!
P.S. It’s okay to have a post all about poop! That’s really all life is with a newborn anyway!
Alexandra says:
We had this problem, severely. I began following every meal with baby food prunes. And, word to the wise: total “full blown” reversal of the problem.
But, it worked.
.-= Alexandra´s last blog ..Dream Interp 101 =-.
Rebecca says:
If you’re nursing her, I have no idea what to suggest…..
However, if you are giving her formula and are willing to switch ……You might want to try the Nestle Good Start brand with the green label. They are the only formula that I know of that adds good bacteria to their formula. (I think they recently sold to Gerber) As soon as I put my son on this formula he started doing much better and his stinky potties started going from grown man poops to seedy looking breast fed baby poop.
.-= Rebecca´s last blog ..Let Me Explain =-.
Brittney says:
Have you tried talking to a naturopath? Mine recommended adding probiotics to my daughter’s milk. We also switched to goat milk instead of formula (it’s much closer to breast milk and easier to digest.) Last, I got tested for food allergies, so I could eliminate those foods from my diet. Good luck!
Molly says:
Oh, poor Annie. I relate.
No advice b/c my kid luckily (luckily?) takes after my husband in that department…
Devon says:
Both of my daughter had and have this problem. Their doctor recommended putting about a tablespoon of dark karo syrup in with her formula. Worked like a charm. Hope this helps. Be sure you use the dark karo syruo not the light. : )
Kristina says:
I don’t have any helpful tips on what to do to fix her tummy issues, but for the diaper rash – for us, slathering are little guy with straight vaseline did the trick and really only took about a day to make his little booty miles better.
.-= Kristina´s last blog ..DNS Editing Deployed =-.
Kristina says:
“our” little guy – not “are” little guy. Friday – ppppffff…
.-= Kristina´s last blog ..DNS Editing Deployed =-.
Jane says:
I have only a few minutes until nap ends, so if I repeat suggestions I apologize.
My now one year old daughter still struggles with constipation. It is so hard to see her struggle…hopefully all of these ideas will include the right one for you guys.
My suggestions:
1) Flax oil in bottle
2) using the rectal thermometer trick (although we didn’t find that practical for every day)
3) Finally, we went with Miralax in her bottle per our doctor’s directions. It is inert, which I guess is better and doesn’t cause any long term problems. It is super gentle but her poops are soft and easy to pass. Even as she has switched to fiberous foods, she still has problems. It runs in my husband’s family, so I am not too worried. We will use the Miralax until she doesn’t need it.
good luck!
Jane
A reader in Van Nuys
Jane says:
We also do massage from the book: Infant Massage.
eliza says:
Does she take bottles at all? We put dark karo corn syrup in bottle at pedi’s advice. Worked like a charm, but then they like their bottles sweet…
Molly says:
An ounce of water seems to help our little one. He’s 2 weeks. I know peep are cautious about giving water – but we have done it in minimal amounts with all 3 and it seems to work. As well as bicycling his legs.
For diaper rash – I swear by Burt’s Bees Diaper Rash stuff. Plus it makes his diapers smell like lavender. Much more pleasant than cRAP.
.-= Molly´s last blog ..Publishing Gone Digital =-.
Michelle says:
Maybe some gripe water might help her? It seemed to help our breastfed baby when she had troubles. Also for the diaper rash, A&D ointment is good or just keeping Eucerin’s Aquaphor on her. Also Lansinoh makes some baby wipes (usually in the breastfeeding supply aisle) that have lanolin in them which stays on baby’s skin and protects it. Good luck, I hope you get some good advice that helps her. I love your blog so much and your post about singing at concerts yesterday was soooo hilarious!!! I love your sense of humor.
K Faull says:
My mom had me put a tablespoon of Karo syrup in a water bottle and feed that to my daughter – solved the problem.
Melissa says:
Can’t help you on the poop issue itself (my children never had either constipation or “number 3” while infants, though we deal with constipation of my three year old a lot – but that’s another issue than for an infant). Though I will say with diaper rash the only thing that would help for us to blowdry his bottom before diapering – we just kept a blow dryer near his changer and would blow him dry on low heat and low volume. Just like the expert said – you have to keep it dry. no creams etc worked but this did!
Trey says:
My pediatrician recommended an ounce of water with a bit of sugar in it. It cleaned her out really quickly!
Kim says:
Ok love, I am not going to read through all 154 comments to see if anyone has suggested what I am about to, so if they have just ignore me
Are you still breastfeeding? If you are, then it could be something in your diet that is causing her to have an upset tummy. Generally exclusively breastfed babies don’t get constipated. But, if she is having thick pasty poops, that is constipation and that is not good. The first thing I would suggest is to eliminate dairy from your diet for 2 weeks and see if that makes any difference. If it doesn’t, you may need to eliminate other foods to find out what the culprit is, but I bet it’s dairy. I know it stinks, but it won’t last forever. My babies were like that when they were really little and then outgrow it as they get bigger. Hang in there.
As for the diaper rash, I actually agree w/ the doc on here – AIR out her bum. Set her on a waterproof mat or some towels and let her air out that little bum bum. I love Bag Balm for diaper rashes also. It works great.
Ah the joys of having a newborn huh? OH! And, if she just can’t poop, try some suppositories. They really help. I’ve done it with 3 of my 4 kids. Damn dairy.
.-= Kim´s last blog ..The Force… =-.
Kristi says:
I added a little apple juice to my son’s bottle and that helped! Getting some air to her bottom will help a ton w/ the rash! I used the hair dryer (on a cool setting) and made sure his bottom was dry before putting his diaper back on! Good Luck! She’s a cutie pie!
beth says:
AQUAPHOR!!! I use it all of the time. Check out their website Aquaphorhealing.com and uses for baby–> diaper rash. Both of my daughters have VERY sensitive skin (I cannot use butt wipes at all; only warm water rinses) and they were always getting awful rashes. My Dr. said to change a diaper as soon as it is soiled; air out baby’s bottom (leave the diaper off when I could) and always put on aquaphor-it really worked and still does!! A few times the rash didn’t clear up and it was because a yeast infection was present-the Aquaphor obviously didn’t rid the yeast and the Dr. prescribed Vusion oinment. Constipation S*CKS in a baby-so bad for us one time we ended up at the ER!!!! Again our Dr. said prune juice and then we went on to MiraLAX-again per the Dr. Our youngest daughter started on this regimen when she was about 3 months old. Hope Annie feels better.
Bec says:
Erin sounds like your girls. She’s always gone between being constipated and the dreaded “D” word. It was worst and hardest to treat when she wasn’t eating because we couldn’t increase fruit and juice because she wouldn’t take them and wouldn’t decrease anything else because then she wouldn’t eat at all.
At the moment her poor little bum is red raw after a particularly nasty poop. The first night she couldn’t even sit in the bath tub to wash it off I totally agree with the “get rid of baby wipes” thing. We’ve only ever used ones for sensitive skin but I used it on my own sunburn once and OMG it stung!
Amanda says:
I don’t know sh*t. Ok, that was bad, but seriously, I think these sorts of things are the worst and just take time. SO sorry!
.-= Amanda´s last blog ..In another’s eyes =-.
Stacie says:
When My oldest was between 2-6 months he would get terrible constipated and scream and cry because it hurt so bad Our doctor had us give him room temp water with a little pear juice and also when he would strain to go if you do bicycle movements withe his legs it would helps (sometimes) but on the days where it was absolutely horrible we would have to use an all natural enema for infants that you can pick up at your local drug store.
That was always the last resort but it worked the few times we HAD to do it. I hope this helps.
SUsannah Edwards says:
My doctor recommended a half and half bottle-half water, half white grape juice. The rectal stimulation thing with the thermometer never worked for me. But we only did the juice if she hadn’t pooped in like 3 days. ANd about 2 hours after the juice bottle, blow out city!
annie says:
There are probably lots of different things you can try. I used baby pear juice with water (mixed 1/2 and 1/2) for my babies, even as young as Annie. I only had to do it once a day for a couple weeks to work through the problem. Good luck!
Norma says:
I like how she pops her eyes open when you said constipated and diahrea. As if she couldn’t believe you just said that!
cee says:
It’s probably something in your diet, Heather – most likely dairy. A two month old should not consume anything other than breastmilk. No karo syrup, no juice!
anni says:
My son was constipated during his first month or so. his dr. said to give him plain water in a bottle, and if that didn’t work, it wouldn’t hurt him to dillute a bit of prune juice. Luckily the plain ol’ water always did the trick!!
Ohh, and another thing..was to “probe” his little butt with a thermometer, it was sad, but worked!!
MelissaG says:
This is taken from our former ped’s website…my 2nd and 3rd had poop “issues” too, they received only breast milk until 6 mo. or older. (p.s. My period came back super early too….hmmm, what the hey?) My middle went 11 days once w/ no poop! Also, I’m not questioning your authority on your child’s constipate-tedness, just thought I’d pass it along.
another myth…
You have to poop every day
The frequency that you have bowel movements does not indicate gut health. Poop should be soft and formed. If that’s every day, great. If not, no biggie.
If you have concerns about constipation, it should be because the stool is hard. Constipation is not about gas, the work involved in passing the stool, the size of the stool or the number of days in between stools. Kids turn all sorts of shades of red when they pass stool– that doesn’t mean that they are constipated. And the color of the stool, unless it’s red, white or blue doesn’t help either.
And healthy exclusively breastfed infants (older than 6 weeks or so) might only poop once a week and that’s very normal.
http://www.drjen4kids.com
Jacquie says:
Not sure if this has been posted, but similiar to the use the thermometer idea… when my niece was in the NICU my sister was told to use a q-tip with a little bit of vaseling and insert it a bit. Worked like a charm for her, my niece it 2.5 and she still has to do it sometimes.
Lynn says:
Two words: Prune Juice
It’s the only thing that has ever helped our son, Miles, to pass The Big D comfortably. He’s 15 months now and since he was about 12 weeks we’ve diluted some (about an ounce or 2) in his bottles (5-8 oz) of milk every day.
Hope something works soon for sweet little Annabel.
Erin says:
My oldest went thru this. We started with sugar water, then we went to prune juice in his bottle, to pear juice, to peaches when he could eat…NOTHING worked. But we did start using miralax, it’s over the counter and there are no adverse effects and she’s so little that if you did decide to use it, it doesn’t take much.
Constipation is more dangerous than they tell you about, not only can it be septic, but it can affect their growth and the “potty habits” for a LONG time. I just recently read an article on this very thing, if you are interested email me, I will scan it and send it to you.
Thomas is almost 3 and has had this very same problem since he was about 2 months…and we are just NOW getting it under control because of the article I just read on Chronic Constipation
Good Luck!
.-= Erin´s last blog ..Patience at it’s greatest =-.
Erin says:
Oh yeah, as for the diaper rash….we would use only alcohol free wipes and nothing but good old fashion vaseline and LOTS of it…it doesn’t burn when it’s put on like everything else.
.-= Erin´s last blog ..Patience at it’s greatest =-.
Ginger says:
Daiper rash – you might have had to fortify your breast milk for maddie – if you did you may have seen this before, but the extra carbs cause raging diaper rash (did for my preemie before she left the hospital) so they put Maalox on her bum and kept her diaper free. Easier there as they had a warmer, but when she cam home she sometimes went diaper free on a pile of blankets. We always washed her bum in the bathtub just with our hands and water and didn’t use wipes so the friction didn’t keep irritating the rash.
I always thought breast fed babies were never supposed to be constipated but obviously your readers know otherwise. I second, third and again recommend the belly rub and knees up to tummy maneuvers, and that natural gripe water for gas.
She is lovely, if a trifle stinky at times!
.-= Ginger´s last blog ..Going some place where the gum isn’t stinky =-.
Katrina says:
Hey! Dr. Bob! He’s our pediatrician Very cool to see him on this video. I’m going to have to tease him a bit at our next appointment, of course. He seemed a bit out of character. Perhaps he was camera shy? Hmmmm.
Anyway, we have never had trouble with constipation with any of our babies. As for diaper rashes, though, we’ve had some of those and when that happens, we stopped using wipes. We would just give the baby a quick lower-body bath after every poop. And then we let the baby sleep without a diaper on until it’s healed. We would put about 5 towels under the baby and just check every so often for wetness, and then just slip one towel out from under the baby and a fresh clean one was underneath. That has always worked for us.
.-= Katrina´s last blog ..Happy Birthday, Baby =-.
Alisha says:
I am not sure if someone mentioned this being that there are so many comments but my mom swears by this and I was a constipated baby. She says to put dark Karo syrup in the milk or formula. She said it has to be dark, I don’t know why maybe it has molasses or something. She told my friend to do try it and it worked for her too. It is perfectly safe for the baby as well.
SnoozanK says:
May I add to the grossness? Although I only bf’ed Tillie for 3 months, I’ve been through this with other 3 kids too. My mom always told me to eat chocolate. Chocolate ice cream, precisely. I know this will be terrible news for you Heather, but you’re just going to have to eat some chocolate. And Annie will feel a lot better. Good luck!
Dana says:
I’m a pediatric (actually NICU) dietitian and I felt compelled to try and help you out. In our NICU babies we will sometimes give them 1/4-1/2 oz of pear nectar twice daily to help move their bowels along. It’s a good place to start. Good luck!
Becki says:
My little girl has pretty much always suffered from serious constipation, and before she could have anything like pears or prunes to help her, we were told to give her water.
At that age, they can only have a maximum of 4 oz per day, but it really helps add some liquid into her intestines.
I can say that even now that she’s older (14 months) water still does the trick better than any fruit or juice. She gets 1 full sippy cup of water per day and has barely any problems.
I’m sorry, I just skimmed through so I’m not sure if anyone else gave you that tip, but it worked wonders for us (and actually makes a lot of sense)!
Issa says:
I know she’s a bit young for this…but they make a baby food that is oatmeal with prunes in it. Let me find it…okay is Earth’s Best Organic baby food. It’s oatmeal with prunes. Just as an FYI for the future…once she’s had cereal and some fruit. I think I had to start giving it to Harrison at 6 months maybe. Gave him a bit of it for months. Worked like a charm.
For now, I’m sure everyone else had better tips than I would.
.-= Issa´s last blog ..An apology and a thank you =-.
Laura Calvert says:
Both my kids (6yr and 18mths) tend toward constipation despite all the fruit and water they consume. We’ve discovered if they are constipated as babies it likely continues into childhood etc.
Our 18mth old had horrible reflux from the time she was born (stopped breathing in the hospital 3x before we got the meds right) and we also had to add rice cereal to her bottles early. Both our GI and our pediatrician (and our general practicioner) all recommend miralax. Ask you doctor but we started with an 1/8 of a teaspoon once a day everyday and it helps keep the painful poopies away. Our ped also suggests prune juice but it doesn’t taste very good. Miralax doesn’t taste.
Good luck. Will be saying extra prayers for you next week. Tuesday is one year since losing my grandmother. Obviously not the same of course. Hugs and thanks for your wonderful writing, stories, heart and strength.
laura
Paula says:
KARO SYRUP. My baby’s doctor advised me. It works, and the baby loves it. If you were a baby in the 50’s or 60’s, that’s how our mothers made our bottles. Canned milk, water, and Karo.
Stef says:
Give her a little flax seed oil, and try water in a bottle with some bifidus, to keep things regular. You can get both at any health food store, and probably any big name grocery. I second a little massage as well. My little man got a couple of pretty bad rashes, and I made some chamomile tea with lots of honey, cooled it down and used that to wipe his tush, with his baby wash clothes or cotton squares, let it air out for a long time, and would put neosporin w/ pain relief on it. WOrked like a charm.
Dr, Sears has some good info about constipation: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T081100.asp
I hope she feels more comfortable soon.
defendUSA says:
I agree that some kids just don’t poop everyday. Kid one was like that after 6 weeks. She never seemed to be in pain. But kids 2/3 …Yep, prune juice can work. Yep, a little finger cot and rectal jiggling can work…lubed thermometer worked.
For Diaper rashes? I have tried them all, but the most successful was Triple paste. You used to have to ask for it, but now I think you can buy it OTC. If that doesn’t work, beg your doc for some silvadene cream used for burns. My 3rd had a rotavirus and her little hiny was flaming no matter what I did. So, I begged for silvadene. And it worked. Took her three days not to cry before she would poop without screaming bloody murder.
The fourth kid never needed any help! Phew!
Good luck…
Lucy says:
I haven’t had a chance to read the other comments, so this might have already been covered. But the one thing that I know is safe for newborns and babies who haven’t started solid foods is ORGANIC FLAX SEED OIL. You can buy it in a bottle and give her a teaspoon daily to help her little intestinal tract. Not only will it help to keep her regular (without straining) but it’ll make her smart too! (This is the advice of our nutritionist for my DD who also has some poop issues!)
Emily says:
She’s not constipated if she has pasty poops. It’s normal for babies this age to grunt and turn red while pooping – they’re still figuring out how it all works!
.-= Emily´s last blog ..52 Books in 52 Weeks: Echoes =-.
Erin says:
Totally normal for bf babies to grunt and strain. As long as her BMs are pasty, she’s fine. Both my bf babies would grunt and turn red in the face, they seemed to like it when I held them up so they could squat. A lactation consultant I spole with said with bf babies, they frequently work harder to get out the mushier poops and that when solids were introduced, they would seem to go much easier. I found that to be true for my kids.
Please be carefull with any medicinal forms of relief as a body can become addicted to them and will have permanent problems with bms. But truely, she sounds fine! No interference seems necessary.
beth says:
I haven’t read all the previous comments, but if she’s breastfed, it’s probably not constipation…..esp if it’s not “pellets”…..if you’re really worried, give her a little sugar water…….
Lisa says:
As I was unable to exclusively breastfeed both my children I would add a ‘drizzle’ of lactulose into their bottle to help with the occasional constipation. My doctor told me this and I tell my formula feeding moms this too. (I’m an obstetrics nurse.)
Expat Mom says:
My son had this same issue . . . still does, actually, thanks to a birth defect. When he was very small, we roasted barley and soaked it in water . . . then gave him a little of that in his bottle. Worked wonders! Also, the rectal thermometer really does work! You could also try glycerin suppositories, they slide right in and work REALLY fast.
Tummy massages and even a tiny bit of olive oil works, too. Can you tell we’re old pros now?!
.-= Expat Mom´s last blog ..Comfort =-.
MBkimmy says:
I did a dropper of prune juice in babies mouth or would pump and give it to her in a bottle or with water – it helps quickly!
.-= MBkimmy´s last blog ..St Pattys =-.
pillarr1 says:
Rachel, now 2 has always been constipated. When she was 2 weeks old, I started her on water. When she acted like one 4 ounce bottle of formula wasn’t enough, I gave her 4 ounces of water. She probably drank 8 ounces per day and it solved her constipation problem. UNTIL she started eating food at 6 months. At that point, I tried everything, karo syrup, sugar in water, etc. I had to constantly use suppositories on her. One of her problems is she never liked juice. The doc prescribed her lactulose and it worked for a while. Then she went on miralax and it works most of the time as long as she drinks a lot of water and juice (now she will drink it). She is 26 months and she still has massive constipation. She will be doing well for 3 weeks and BAM! super hard stools. She eats fruits and veg. and grain all the time. My mom, a nurse, said that some people do not have bms everyday or even every other day. She told me that I am doing everything right and not to worry about it. My doc also said that some kids have this problem and grow out of it. At Annie’s age I hope adding more water to her diet will help. Good luck!
Alison Adams says:
One of our twin boys had this issue. We tried many things to no avail. Even the stimulation with the thermometer and nadda. We then tried a suppository and within 30 seconds, he was “going” everywhere (the first time caught us off guard, so we had a mess, lol!).
.-= Alison Adams´s last blog ..31 Weeks! =-.
Liz says:
Man, do we moms love to talk poop. I’m sure the comments have given you a whole heap of good advice but I just want to put it out there that Annie may not be constipated.
My guys both pooped very infrequently (the record was 11 days for my oldest!) and our doctor was totally fine with it. He claimed that breastfed babies (as I think you mentioned Annie is) tend not to poop as frequently as formula-fed babies and that unless the poops were ‘formed’ as he called it, they were fine. Something about breastmilk being very efficient and not producing much waste. Grunting and turning red was OK as long as they didn’t seem to be in pain.
Of course, this is my experience – YMMV.
Stephanie says:
Two words: Glycerine suppositories! They are small, and you can even cut them into smaller pieces. Sorry for the graphic nature, but they melt when they come into contact with the body’s temperature, and everything comes right out, like a volcano! My oldest had the same problem, and we swore by those.
Heather says:
We had to start 1/2 oz to an oz of prune or pear juice in a bottle once or twice a day at 9 weeks old for our daughter b/c none of the “normal” solutions worked. We also had to use 1/2 an infant glycerine suppository every 3-4 days if she didn’t go. She was exclusively breastfed, so she shouldn’t have been so constipated…but we have continued to battle it til now (she just turned 2).
Good luck!
Heather says:
I guess I should add that she would grunt/turn red/cry in pain/had a distended belly/etc. I realize it’s normal for breastfed babies to go a long time w/o pooping, but she was in pain. You know your baby – trust your instincts and your pediatrician.
Katherine says:
Is she old enough for some warm apple juice in a bottle? A couple ounces would probably be alright. Both my girls had this problem and warm undiluted apple juice did the trick for them both. They’re both much older so they get 8 ounces.
An when she is backed up, try the pedia-lax bulb with liquid glycerin. Since she’s little you can just squirt in half the liquid. They hate it, but if she can’t get the poop out it will help really quick.
Jenny says:
I haven’t posted before but wanted to help on this topic if you still need it. My little one had this problem too and I couldn’t stand it (watching her in pain and crying). I started putting a few drops of the “Little Tummies Laxative Drops” in her bottles and it worked great. You can adjust how many drops you put in so it is enough to “move” the bowels but not too much to blow out!! lol
Here is a link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Little-Laxative-Infants-Children-Chocolate/dp/B001F0RBDI
Good luck! And thanks for sharing your little girls with us.
Erin says:
The glycerin suppositories were great, however, the large, painful stool that they are forced to pass…not so much. We used the glycerin suppositories on our daughter during her severe constipation days…and as I mentioned above, the Lactulose is what actually ‘softened’ it so it could pass. I HATED just giving her the suppositories…didn’t help much when she was tearing, bleeding and screaming…:( Just a thought…may want to tackle the big issue as opposed to forcing it out of her. Poor baby!
Diane says:
I have nothing to add… that is a lot of advice about how to get your kid to poop! hahaha. Moms love to talk about poop.
Hope things get moving soon!
.-= Diane´s last blog ..Practice for the Easter production at church. =-.
Heather Thompson says:
Since putting my twins on both probiotics and prebiotics, their stools are no longer hard – they are perfect! And both “biotics” are very good for babies, children, adults! We dc’d their Miralax, which they were on daily.
Good luck!
Helene says:
My son was born 8 weeks early and had constipation for the same reasons as Maddie (thickening the bottle, etc..). We had a gastroenterologist (for his severe reflux) who actually told us first to give the baby 1 oz or so of prune juice or apple juice cut with a little water. We also did the baby glycerin enemas occasionally, but what worked the best was Milk of Magnesia. We were instructed to put a certain amount of milk of magnesia into his bottle every day to help regulate. The milk of magnesia worked really well (and if I remember correctly he was pretty little still when he took it). Of course I would ask the doctor about dosages and stuff, but I hope I helped! I wonder if you could call a gastro just for advice?
Shannon Kieta says:
Glycerin Suppositories are safe for babies Annies age. I used them on both my kids who have serious constipation issues. My son is almost 5 and STILL has issues. I now have Miralax that I use for him. I put it in his morning drink and BAM…5 minutes later he is good to go! No cramping, sickness, or annything. It works with your body’s natural rythmn. I even use it! I sound like a commercial don’t I? Hell, they should pay me! My thought’s on the rectal stimulation is that it can weaken the muscles of the rectum and they can have issues later on. Rely on that stimulation to be able to move their bowels.Use your own judgement and talk to the pediatrician. You know your baby better than anyone. Good luck. It’s a real shitty subject eh?
.-= Shannon Kieta´s last blog ..Another day in the Life =-.
Deanna says:
A little of Kayro Syrup (the dark one)in her bottles should do the trick!
Sarah says:
Lucy was right around Annie’s age when she started getting constipated too, our faboosh pediatrician reccomended a tiny sprinkle of Miralax in her bottle. Just a tiny bit in a bottle once a day, the powder absorbs liquid so it makes the poo softer and easier to get out. The powder is NOT absorbed into baby and it is not habit forming because the body doesn’t absorb it, the powder merely holds onto liquid.
Target makes a generic miralax that is magic and 1/3 the price of the real stuff. We also do warm baths after she eats, it results in tub poops a lot of the time but at least she poops right away. Gross, but effective.
Good luck!!
Jenny says:
We used dark Karo syrup, once a day, same time every day. It’s not anything that produces immediate results but it did help with regularity and consistency. Good luck!
.-= Jenny´s last blog ..Rambling Woman =-.
maggie says:
My son had the same problems when he was about that age. Our pediatrician had us put prune juice in his bottles. I would put the prune/apple in one bottle a day. I would put half water and half juice combined with the formula. I hope something works and she feels better soon. Nothing worse than being constipated.
Lindy says:
My son had the same problem. I always used to put a small bit of dark corn syrup in his bottle which always seemed to helped.
Jennie says:
When my Anabelle was just a couple months old, she got really stopped up. It had been days. Our pediatrician said sometimes babies kind of forget how to go. She said we could give her apple juice, but it didn’t help. We ended up using a rectal thermometer (as others have suggested) and it worked like a charm. The glycerine suppositories work as well. Either way, get ready for a big mess but a happy baby!
.-= Jennie´s last blog ..World Autism Awareness Day =-.
Alicia @bethsix says:
Oh my. Poor future teenaged Annabel, with her problem being explained with the word “stool” and the sentence, “If it comes out hard, it’s constipation.”
.-= Alicia @bethsix´s last blog ..I am not Alicia! =-.
Mindi says:
Heather
Poor little girl. My daugheter and son was constipated from the get go. We tired many thingd, but first I started with my diet. I took out the 7 major allergy items that worked for our girl. With our son that did not work, because he has a rare food disorder. Before we found that out we tried Pedia-lax Liquid Glycerin Suppositories, which you can buy right over the counter we started using them when he was 6 weeks, we also use a small amt of Miralax in his bottles. When he was an ifant we used about 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon in a bottle of breast milk twice day. Both items would want to dicuss with your doctor. They sound a harsh but they make a huge difference. Good luck, hope she is feeling better soon.
c.c. says:
i don’t know if it’s been suggested, but my mom would put a little karo syrup in my niece and nephew’s bottles.
.-= c.c.´s last blog ..for heather, for maddie =-.
Mary says:
Karo Syrup–the clear (light) kind. Not the dark.
About a tablespoon per bottle–adjusted more/less per bottle according to the “results”. Works great,babies love it. Had to do this for all 4 of mine until they were 12-18 months old.
TracyKM says:
Exercise is great for adults, and it’s great for babies. Now, I know she can’t ‘exercise’, but you can move her legs in a walking or bicycling motion. You can also do the “I love you” tummy massage. Wearing her upright, tummy to tummy in a sling or mei tai is also good for young ones.
I HATE the Karo syrup suggestion. The American diet is already satuated by corn, why give it to a totally breastfed baby? Perhaps you’re getting a little dehydrated yourself?
My babies all had a period where they would go up to two weeks between poops–totally normal. And straining, turning red, etc, is not a ‘bad thing’—she’s at the age where’s she’s starting to really notice what’s happening with her body, and pooping is a pretty odd sensation for a baby