What do I do when my 2 week old babyboy is constipated?

Question

I tryed breast feeding but I couldnt do it, it was too complicated for me so i started giving my baby formula the nurses started me with isomil advanced but that was making my baby have really bad gas and he was using the restroom like 1 minute after eating so I switched him to similac with iron and his been fine but now all of a sudden he cant poop you can tell his trying and he starts crying alittle i dont know what to do.

Answer 1

Take him into the pediatrician for suggestions. Don't listen to anyone here that gives you 'home' advice, every baby is different and what may be good for someone's child could be harmful to yours. The only person who can safely tell you how to proceed would be a professional doctor. Good luck!

By the way, my son had the same problem and I had the same problem with breastfeeding, and his doc gave me wonderful recommendations that I still use to this day.

Answer 2

When a child is constipated, the stool in the intestines has backed up more than it should. What "more than it should" means varies depending on the age of the child and the diet. The longer stool sits in the colon, the more water is absorbed back into the body. When a child is constipated the stool tends to be hard, and passing it tends to be painful. Stool that is hard (firmer than peanut butter) or foul smelling (you'll know) in a child who has not yet had solid foods may represent something as simple as needing more to drink (especially during hot weather), but it may also be the sign of a disease. Contact your pediatrician to discuss the situation. If the baby is otherwise healthy, one teaspoon of light *Karo syrup in 4 ounces of water will often get things back on track. Also, contact your pediatrician if the baby is less than a month old and hasn't gone for 4 days. When kids begin to take baby food, the stools change once again. They may be either softer or firmer, but they will likely smell worse (kids also smile and laugh more at this age, more than making up for the unpleasantness). Most children's intestines are very responsive to the foods they eat. Bananas, rice cereal and applesauce all tend to produce firmer stools. Carrots and squash are constipating for some babies. Pears, peaches, plums, apricots, peas and prunes make stools softer. By balancing the diet, you can often keep the stools comfortably mid-range. If the stools are still too firm, juice is the gentlest medicine to soften them up. Apple juice twice a day is a good bet. If this doesn't work, prune juice is even better. Also, when your son is straining you might want to put him in a tub of warm water. This will relax his muscles and make the stool easier to pass. Glycerin suppositories can be very helpful if diet and juice don't work, but constipation that is stubborn enough to make these optimal should be discussed with your pediatrician. The same holds true for baby laxatives (hint: if your pediatrician does recommend a laxative, unprocessed bran, 1/2 teaspoon mixed with food twice a day is much cheaper than Maltsupex, and about as effective). For most breast-fed babies, a 3-day break from dirty diapers is a reason to celebrate, not a cause for alarm. It's nature's reminder that breast milk is the perfect food for babies -- or more broadly, that giving of yourself is a perfect gift for your child. This normal poop-pause is also a little foretaste of what life will be like when there are no more dirty diapers!

Answer 3

Try using a formula without added iron. Untill that helps, give him some extra water throughout the day. A rectal thermometer can also help but remember to use a little vaseline first. Also, leg excercises mentioned above are good. Or a warm bath.

Answer 4

I would suggest a little prune juice in a bottle for him. It works pretty fast and is quite safe so long as you don't give him too much or else you'll have the opposite problem. Finding the right formula can be a case of trial and error, that's one reason they recommend breast milk as it comes out perfect, but breastfeeding is not always possible. I'm sure you and your beautiful son will settle into a routine, and you'll both be fine.
Congratulations and good luck.

Answer 5

I used brown kyro sryup alot people dont agree to it but if you use a iron based formula a TEASpoon of it in his bottle is ok if you breast feed then put the baby in a warm bath with some menthol baby wash johnson and jonhson make it careful cuz 9 out of 10 times they let it go in the bath lol these our some old time remidys my momma taught me or if your really worried take him to the doctor they will help you

Answer 6

It's the iron in the formula that is constipating him. If he's straining to go to the bathroom then call your dr and tell them what's going on. They will tell you what do do from there. When my son was constipated for 3 days they recommended me using baby suppositories on him for a couple of days until he got regular again. They also said if you insert a rectal thermo in his bottom and hold it there for a couple of secs that will do the job too! Consult your dr before you use anything! DO not use honey, Karosyrup, ect like some people might suggest!

Answer 7

Talk to your pediatrician, there is a possibility he is reacting badly to the similac with iron....I had the same with my first boy and I changed him to Nestle Good Start DHA $ ARA and he didn't have the problem any more! Or you can try about 1oz 100% apple juice with 3-4 oz water to dilute it.

Answer 8

Try giving him more water to assist his stools, or switch to a low iron Enfamil. The prune juice recommended above is good advice, but not for a newborn, because his little digestive system can't handle it.

Answer 9

alot of times baby just needs a little stimulation. Insert a rectal thermometer. this will stimulate his muscle and cause a pushing force in the bowels.

Answer 10

Here are two non-intrusive gentle things that might help.
Lie him on his back and gently exercise his legs, bicycle them slowly several times, then straighten and bend them several times, remember, be gentle.
Tickle him around his rectum with a q-tip, this will sometimes help.
Good Luck.