My 6-week old has a difficult time pooping. We must use a suppository to get him started. He has only gone on

Question

his own about 6 times since he's been born (mostly diaarhea because he was sick with a cold). So far, have changed formula 5 times. Dr. said to add Karo syrup in his formula. This seems to upset his tummy more. His poop starts out hard and turns softer as he goes more. He is now on Similac lactose-free formula. None of the formulas we've tried so far has seemed to make a difference. He very seldom vomits and is gaining weight. He likes to eat, it's just the pooping part that's driving us crazy. Anybody out there with a similar problem???? What did you end up doing to fix it?????

Answer 1

Two of my children would not tolerate any kind of formula.I went back to an older way of feeding them.Canned milk diluted equally with water and tablespoon of Dark Karo Syrup.(that is ti insure the baby does not get constipated)I then went from canned to whole milk ,again with the Karo syrup.Never had a problem with them .They are all grown now and healthy.

Answer 2

I am a mother of 4 and I've got to tell you that it seems that lactose-free seems to be all dr's "so called cure" for anything digestive when it comes to babies. The problem is, your baby NEEDS the lactose. Quit switching formulas. Forget the dr's advice when it comes to pooping, ok? They really don't know everything about babies. I suggest carnation good start, it's gentle. Get some baby food that has fiber, like prunes, or other type fruit, like apricots. add just a small spoon into his formula, but do this gradually so as not to upset his tummy. give him 2-4 oz of plain water each day, and the only change to his formula should be maybe 1 or 2 of his bottles be a low iron one, but buy the same brand carnation. As the pooping gets better wean him off the low iron bottles and slowly raise the fiber intake. If this is hard to understand message me, I can try to explain better in an im or i can call you... i have a 13 y/o an 8 y/o and twins that were 3 lbs when born (2 &1/2 months early) and will be 3 on friday. I have dealt with EVERY digestive issue(normal for preemies) that you can think of!

Answer 3

My oldest daughter had the same problem. We had to use a suppository to get her to start pushing it out. We tried the Karo and it didn't help. Have you tried using a Low Iron formula? Excess Iron can cause constipation in newborns because usually for the first 4-6 months the baby has a build up of Iron from the mother. We used the Low Iron for a few months and then we were able to switch back to the normal formula with no problems.

Answer 4

Im amazed at how many people who have never been throught this think they can give advice on it. Listen to your doctor. Glycerine suppositories only soften the stool, there are no medications in them when we were using them we never had to let them dissolve just the motion of it going in was enough stimulaton for my son. He also started on pureed prunes, just a few small spoonfulls a day but the best solution we has was the watered down prune juice, organic is best if you can find it. It's only been 6 weeks, he'll be fine, discuss your concerns about the Karo with the doc and ask about switching to prune juice.I promise in a few weeks there will be a teething crisis or a sleeping crisis and you'll forget that he ever had trouble pooping.

Answer 5

Try Nestle Good Start. It used to be Carnation Good Start. They have some kind of proteins in it that digest easily and break apart into smaller pieces. That way they wont get backed up. Karo syrup is a good alternative if it doesn't work. Changing formula 5 times in a 6 week period might be doing more damage than good. Changing it so often may make his bowels worse because it takes his body longer to get adjusted to one. All 3 of my kids were on Nestle and never had a problem. Good luck!

Answer 6

Hey, I'm a mother of a 2 year old boy and I have one on the way. My first child had this problem. What I did was put Karo syrup with water not the formula. I also used baby laxative drops. Did u every try breast feeding that's what I did for abt four mths. Ur breast milk might be the best thing for your baby's stomach. Good Luck

Answer 7

I had the same problem with my daughter. We also were told to use the suppositories. She had to change formula quite a few times. She ended up on Soy formula. I also gave her diluted prune juice. Once we got her on the soy and the juice mixed with water she really did better. I do think your doc is switching the formula too fast for a child that young. We usually went about three weeks in between switches. Good luck, everything will work out.

Answer 8

so basically he has been on a different formula each week since hes been born. Is anyone else in the family lactose intolerent? the babys digestive system is still so new...changing the formula so much w/out giving him enough time to adjust...that would be my suggestion...try prosobe...its soy based...give his system TIME to adjust to it. If constipation devolops,yes Karo syrup does help. (also you can rub his abdomen...you can actually feel where hes bound up...also take his legs and make a pedaling a bike motion...that can help get things moving....another thing to try is a bottle of water...docs say they don't need it that young but...adding fluid helps, yaknow? I personally would try to avoid suppositories/laxatives at such a young age...try some of these suggestions...hopefully one will work for him! Don't let your doc. switch formulas again...give him 2-3 weeks to adjust to a formula before deciding to switch...good luck!

Answer 9

You are not alone with that problem. My grandson had that similar problem and he is two years old now. My daughter tried the Karo syrup and it didn't work well. She frequently took him to the Dr. and got suppositories for him. What worked well were "exercises" when he was constipated. These exercises helped him go naturally, but his poop was still hard. He was breast feed so the milk didn't appear to be the problem.

Answer 10

My daughter had a bit of the same problem. Our pediatrician told us that it is normal for a baby to only go once in a few days but I asked her how she feels when she doesn't "go" in a few days but what could I do to help my little one. We tried a little Karo syrup w/water, diluted apple juice, tummy gas drops, and finally a baby suppository (even cut in half). After all that I tried Nestle Goodstart ADA/ARA. and it got her to going once a day regularly. It is gentle on their system and about the same price as other formulas. It was great. Hope this helps your situation.