My 4 month old daughter has been constipated for about 6 weeks now. I haven't changed anything. She has been strictly formula fed on enfamil gentlease since about 2 mos old. Her pediatrician has suggested caro syrup, apple juice and milk of magnesia. Milk of magnesia helps, but gives her diarrhea even in small doses. I have been inserting a rectal thermometer for about a week or so now to induce her bowel movement. Just started her on good start formula today, but my main question is should I continue inserting the thermometer or does her body get used to going that way? She even needs it to help her poop diarhea. Even since she was first born, her bowel movements and gas seem to be somewhat explosive. She usually gets to a point where she is so uncomfortable straining and crying that I use the thermometer. After calling so many times, tge dr's office finally referred me to a specialist yesterday in Dallas. Thought I'd ask you wonderful mothers out there for any advice or if you've had experience with this just being a "normal" baby thing for your baby that they grow out of it. Anyhow, is that normal for an infant to cry when pooping? My older daughter didn't but she was breastfed and had much softer poop. TIA!!
Thanks so much for all the suggestions!! I finally switched formula's to good start, the green can. I also give her a bottle a day of a mix of apple, prune juice and water. This has done the trick for us. Bowel mvmts are now daily and no more rectal thermometers or q-tips. Also, no specialist as she is now regular. Yay! Oh, and I had gone to the health food store where they suggested flax oil. I bought it and called her dr to check if it was ok. She said no flaxseed until they are 2 yrs old. Thanks again for all your help!!
My son had problems with constipation and I used to give him pear juice. It seemed to work well for him.
try a little gerber infants prune juice. Good luck!
I have a 5 month old and we went throught the same thing when I stopped breastfeeding and switched to formula. My pedi, Dr Deborah Bain told me to first start with an infant probiotic(you can buy that at Sprouts or any healthfood store) and then if that does not work do 1/2 tsp of flax oil. Every day I do the probiotic in one bottle and in the afternoon I do the flax in another. He has great poops now! The probiotic is also great for their immune systems.
I would NOT recommend the Milk of Mag. It causes severe cramping. The stool softeners are just not natural and for a baby as young as yours, I would think twice. Also I agree that using the thermometer is okay once or twice but your baby has to learn to go on her own and if you do that too much she will rely on that stimulation.
God Bless...
Maybe her formula doesn't agree with her??? I would think the thermometer isn't such a good thing. I was told their bodies need to work on their own. My daughter was constipated quite a bit and when she was at the right age, I gave her prune juice daily. The PED finally said no more because her system could get used to the aid of the juice and not work on its own. Hope she gets to feeling better.
I would mixsome flax seed oil in her milk or go to Sprouts or another health store and get a powder probiotic (acidophillis) for babies and mix in her formula. We use both on our sons. Much better for her than caro syrup!!
BabyLax infant suppositories work almost instantly, but that's more of a quick fix to help with the discomfort of constipation. I wish I knew what the answer is, because my 9 month old has dealt with constipation since he was about 6 weeks old (and he too was and still is breastfed). We've tried Miralax and Benefiber, but both just seemed like a temporary fix. I highly recommend BabyLax for instant relief, but I would take her to the Specialist to make sure there isn't something internally wrong. I plan to do the same. Good luck!
check out www.jlarkeyjuiceplus.com it is a natural detox, of 17 fruits and veggies and comes in a chewable gummie.
i take care of geriatrics who have these issues too, and it helps with nutritive imbalances, digestion, etc..also prune/raisin/cranberry any fruits in whole grain muffins. also mineral oil in dry foods i give it to my pets. goodluck maybe ill hear from u.
I had to use low iron formula for all 3 of my children. Some people, including myself can't handle it and it binds them up. The low iron Enfamil plus the occasional Karo dark syrup did the trick in my house.
Hi,
Both of my kids (twins) were constipated from very early age and on Miralax till recently (5.5 years old) I stopped giving them cow milk and switched to soy milk. No doctor told me about it till I recearched and found this information online. The kids doing fine now and no Miralax needed.
Try switching her formula to one that doesn't have cow milk but rather soy.
Ask about using MIRALAX. My daughter gets constipated very easily and has since about 4 months (now almost 9). When juice didn't help my doctor told me to use a 1/4 of a dose of MIRALAX. You can buy it anywhere, and I just mix it right into her food (you can put it in a bottle too but she doesn't take one). I have never had a problem with it causing diarhea, and you can adjust the does accordingly. It has absolutely no side effects, and can be used every day for the rest of her life if she needs it.
Also the iron intake is a good thing to look at. Most cereals now include iron so if you are giving her formula and these cereals that probably isn't helping her.
I was also told that constant thermometer use was not a good idea.Best of luck to you and baby
Glycerin suppositories for infants cut in 4 pieces lengthwise. Add more water to her diet.
Gala K has great input, many babies/people have delayed allergies to cow dairy, the result of which is gas/constipation/diarrhea along with severe cramping. Remove all cow dairy from your baby's diet and she should recover, if not, then you should have your baby tested for all food allergies, there could be other factors involved. Soy milk is not your only choice, many are also allergic to soy, alernatives are goat milk (sold in a can in the evaporated milk section of most grocery stores, mix 50/50 w/water to get whole milk), also rice milk and/or almond milk are good alternatives. Good luck.
When my son was having issues I would give him some prune juice. I know she's young but I was doing it at the same age, and it was almost instant for me! It helped a lot!
My son had consitpation issue around this age as well. I was told Karo syrup too. But then when I spoke with dr, he says that Karo works well because it has PECTIN in it. He said other fruits have pectin naturally, such as pear, prunes, and plums. (the Ps). So I started making mashed pear, or bought it at the store. Finally started working. I added pear/apple/strawberry babyfood to his diet. I hope this helps. Perhaps not, I just remembered you have a 4 month old. Good luck. I Hope the specialist helps!
