My baby is 3,5 montn old. He doesn't have a bowel movement for 4-5 days. How can I help him?

Question

I've tried massage, warm bath, moving his legs in circular movements, giving water, putting on his stomach - nothing seems to help. He cries while straining, but in a while he's fine again. Then, when he finally pops, it's not hard, very liquidy. Although I'm concerned that it's so infrequent. I have a doctor appointment in a month, though I probably should see him earlier with this problem. Maybe somebody has same issues and knows how to resolve it?

Answer 1

If it is runny poop, he is not constipated, it sounds like he has a really bad case of colic after he eats. Is he breast fed or bottle, if you are breast feeding him, watch what you eat, it goes straight to him. If it is bottle formula, make sure you burp him several times throughout the feeding. When my kids were babies, I would feed them a little, then set them upright leaning kind of over my arm and pat their backs, boy they gave out some giant burps, several times during the feeding. I never had any trouble with them being gassy or collicky. They would be ready to eat again, then burp and repeat! Good luck hon, be sure and check with your doctor, you dont want your little angel to de-hydrate. Make sure you give him some pedialite to keep him hydrated.

Answer 2

Has he not had a bowel movement at all for 4-5 days, or are his bowel movements liquid?

Either way, I suggest giving your doctor a call and asking for advice. If nothing has come out at all in 4-5 days, the doctor is likely to be very concerned and want to see your son immediately.

Regardless, the doctor should be able to give you good advice about this problem.

After this problem is resolved, I recommend getting and reading a copy of "What to Expect - The First Year" by Eisenberg, etc. It addresses a lot of issues like this - what to do when your child has a fever and so forth. It's just plain good to have on hand, especially in the middle of the night when there's no one to ask for advice.

Best of luck!

Answer 3

It's not uncommon for them to only have one b.m. a day but no more than a day should go by. Breastfed babies should have at least two dirty diapers a day and another 6-8 wet diapers. If he is formula fed and on a formula that is supplemented with iron this may make the constipation worse.
One way to stimulate a bm. is to cover a thermometer with vaseline and insert into the rectum. Be sure to have him near a sink or a protected area because it can make a mess. It does offer much needed relief and doesn't seem to bother the little one. Best to lay him on his side for easy access. Good luck and call your pediatrician to make sure there isn't an underlying issue.

Answer 4

My poor baby has this exact same problem. His stool is way too hard for a baby (mine is six months now). When he was 3-5 months I tried Karo syrup and juice. It worked sometimes, but it just wasn't getting the results. He would only have a messy diaper every 5 - 7 days. I just talked to the doctor today. She said we have to get it taken care of now so he doesn't learn to hold it in and subsequently cause many problems later on (potty training etc). She gave me a prescription for Miralax. It is a powder that you mix with some juice. She said you have to tweak the amount a bit until he is having 1-2 soft stools/day. You should ask your doctor if your baby is old enough to try medication. My doctor said it is not something he will have to be on forever. His digestive system just needs to develop a bit more so he can handle harder stools. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Bottlefed, may be an issue. Non theless, get a q tip with vaseline and insert in for about a cm to one inch. The baby's sphincter muscle may not be working, hey they have only been in the world a few months.

Breastfed, no problem. My daughter would go out for a week sometime. Ask the doctor she said not to worry. Breastmilk is so nutricious, that the baby can absorb it all and not produce any waste. There should always be pee pee diapers though.

Answer 6

Like others have said, if your baby is breastfed, it's very normal to go several days without a bowel movement. My exclusively breastfed son once went 12 days without a bowel movement. He was NOT constipated as his poop was soft and liquidy when he finally did go. Breastmilk is so nutritious and so easy to digest that often there isn't any "waste" leftover--baby uses it all to grow!

If your baby is bottlefed, you should probably talk to the pediatrician if the baby isn't pooping at least every other day. Formula can constipate a baby, from what I hear.

Answer 7

Is your baby breastfeeding exclusively? If so, this is totally normal. You don't have to worry or do all of those things.

It is normal for infants to strain when getting a bowel movement out - they are not used to using their muscles yet, and since they are lying down, they are working against gravity!

If your baby is getting a lot of formula, he should be pooping more often. It is always OK to call the doctor, and ask if they want to see the baby earlier than the scheduled appointment.

Answer 8

My son had issue with b.movements. It was the fact that his stomach muscles just weren't strong enough yet. It takes time for their bodies to adjust to the regular functions in life. Keep up what you are doing with the legs movements, warm bath, massage. I would not give such a young child juice, enima, or other extreme measures. THe gas medicine I would recomment also it will not hurt as long as you use the recommended doseage.

Answer 9

Boil 1 cup of filtered water, pour in a bottle. Take 1 light (unpacked) teaspoon of anise seed (can be found in any grocery store in the baking or spices isle), put it into the water you just boiled, tighten the cap and steam it for about 20 minutes. Filter, so the anise seeds don't get into the bottle. Give your baby just a couple of teaspoons a day, every day. It tastes quite pleasant, too! You can add literally just a few grains of sugar so it's not bitter, if you wish, but you have to boil it with the water, otherwise raw sugar itself can give gases. But my son loved it without sugar.

This recipe has been used in my family for generations, it works even for newborns just a few days old. It relieves gases and softens stools. I personally was a lot more comfortable giving this tea to my son than any kind of medication. Good luck!

Answer 10

I would make an appointment sooner for him and make sure hes ok. My son is 3 months and has a bowel movement every other day and the doctor says its ok but if it changes contact him right away. My doctor said at this age they are setting there schedule for bowel movements.