Is my daughter constipated? How can I help her?

Question

She is 10 days old and has been eating Similac Advanced formula which is what they were giving her in the hospital. I'm not breast feeding b/c it was so painful and I wasn't producing enough for her to eat. So we gave her formula in the hospital but I was giving some breast milk. I stopped the breast milk about 3 days ago and now this started yesterday. Her stool is firm and less frequent - how can I help her?

Answer 1

Start nursing again. It's a natural laxative.

Discomfort is normal in the early days of learning to nurse, but pain is NOT normal. If it was painful, something was probably not right with your latch. See a lactation consultant (IBCLC) or a La Leche League Leader to check your latch and help you re-establish breastfeeding.

If you were giving her bottles, that probably contributed to the supply problem. (It may have even contributed to the discomfort you experienced by affecting her latch. Bottles and the breast work very differently. This can confuse a newborn.) If you even had a supply problem...some moms think there is a problem early on because colostrum only comes in small quantities. That's how it is supposed to be. Baby's tummy is the size of her fist/a walnut. She doesn't need a lot of food and needs to eat frequently. That's normal.

I'd encourage you to take a look at your poor, uncomfortable baby girl and then get some help from an IBCLC or a LLL Leader (she'll visit you at home for free) and give breastfeeding another try. You won't regret giving your daughter the best.

Answer 2

This is normal for your situation. My son had the same problem after switching from breastmilk at 2 weeks old. The formula is different from breastmilk so her stools will be different also. It is normal for them to be less frequent, and a little more firm. She may even go a day or so without any poops at all. Don't worry too much about it unless she goes more than two days without one or the stools come out in small clumps that are really hard. If you notice that she is having pain or real trouble trying to go, then call your doctor asap! Otherwise, just wait and see what happens. It should get better as her body adjusts to the new food. If you notice any other symptoms like vomiting, fever, or a hard stomach, it could be an allergy or lactose intollerance. If it gets worse or persist for more than a week, call your doctor to see if he/she is concerned. Good luck, I know how stressful things like this can be, and how worried you are about it. Just make sure she is not in pain, and wait it out! Remember, you know your baby better than anyone else!

Answer 3

Frequency doesn't indicate constipation in infants, consistency does. If the stool is hard or pebbly rather than mushy/liquid/yellowish it's a sign of constipation. If that's what you're seeing, see the pediatrician. Formulas have a lot of iron which can constipate. You and the dr. can work with a lactation consultant to help your milk supply or work together to find a formula that works for your baby. JBW4132 has got it right, exclusively breastfeeding is gonig to be the best answer. It's not too late, talk to a lactation consultant or a La Leche League chapter.

Answer 4

Formula will constipate a newborn. I had the same problem. I did not produce a lot of milk and my daughter became jaundice so I supplemented with formula. One day she became so badly constipated and I called her Dr. The Dr suggested breastfeeding, she siad my milk supply will come in but I would have to exclusively breastfeed to help with the consitpation. It worked! If you can breastfeed her that would be the best way to help her, better than prune juice or Karo Syrup. It took about a week before I literally became a cow and it wasn't easy but it was worst seeing my daughter in pain with the constipation.
Good Luck!

Answer 5

True constipation is when the baby is in pain and strains a lot to have a bowel movement. When it comes out, it's in hard little round pellets (would remind you of rabbit poop). If her bowel movements are firmer than normal (but not actually hard) this isn't constipation. It's probably just her body getting used to the formula. A breastfed baby's poop is different from a formula fed baby's poop. Generally breastfed babies have bowel movements more frequently, it's a slightly different color, doesn't smell as bad and isn't as firm--it's more mushy/runny than a formula fed baby's bowel movement. All babies are different--some breast fed babies may have 3 or 4 small bowel movements every day and some formula fed babies may have one gigantic blow-out poop every other day.

Answer 6

Mine had this problem. My doctor suggested giving my son half prune juice and half water in a bottle like every other day... or just paying attention how it works. By the way, I had my son on that formula and he didnt do well so I switched to Isomil by Similac... but I also use 1/4 tsp Mineral Oil. That always works with my son. Or I would give him plain water in a bottle.... I have had two children with this problem... and all of those have worked.

Answer 7

This is how it will be since she's formula fed now. It's normal and not something to freak out about. Breastmilk makes their stool a lot more liquidy than formula. I think it's because formula is based from cow's milk.

Answer 8

We had that problem with our newborn. Our Dr. suggested prune juice mixed with water 1oz of each to get things going again. Also since then, instead of just giving our son just powder formula we use half powder(mixed with the water) and half liquid formula in his bottle it has really worked good.

Answer 9

She is fine, being on a liquid diet she won't go very often. If you notice she is having pain during BM's you might talk to your Pediatrician about suppositories.

Answer 10

why are you asking questions about your baby's health here? The ppl that answer these questions hardly ever know what they are talking about. Call your pediatrician and he/she can give you GOOD advice over the phone.