My daughter is 6 months old and constipated. She has been on cereal since 4 months and is breastfed.?

Question

She eats fruits and veggies and juice. I'm wondering if it is something I am eating that I am passing through the breastmilk that is causing her constipation. My mother in law says it's too much fibre???? Please help.
thanks

Answer 1

Breastmilk is a natural laxative no matter what the mother eats, and specifically NO fibre is passed into the breastmilk. Fibre by definition is NOT digestable meaning it can not leave your digestive tract[1]. You need to be looking for a food source, specifically any new foods.

The other thing you need to consider is that your daughter is not getting enough liquids, it is possible she is not consuming enough breastmilk, introducing solids before 6 months particularly in the quantities you are talking about can cause early weaning[2]. Babies need breastmilk or formula to be the MAIN source of nutrition for the first year[3], breastmilk has far more nutrients, calories, fat, etc than anything else[4]. At 12 months only 25% or less of a breastfed babies calories should be coming from solids.[5]

If your daughter is not consuming enough breastmilk she can also begin to exhibit other problems, such as dehydration, slowed growth even sometimes to the point of failure to thrive, and certain vitamin deficiencies. [6]

If I were you I would severely limit solids for a week and breastfeed, breastfeed, breastfeed. If the constipation goes away you know that was the problem. You may even notice that your daughter looks better and has more energy.

I am assuming that she really is constipated, if she just hasn't pooped for awhile, that isn't constipation. Constipation in babies can only be diagnosed by seeing the hard poop or a medical exam. Regardless your daughter is probably consuming far too much in the way of solids for optimal growth.

Also ditch the baby cereal, it is junk food. Breastfed babies have no need for it and the synthetic iron can interfere with the absorption of iron from breastmilk. It is completely overprocessed with tonnes of added oil, sugar, and chemicals to improve "mouth feel". If you absolutely feel you must offer grains (which, there is evidence babies can not digest until 8-9 months) use whole grains which at least have some nutritional value. You can make your own.

The best way to startsolids, by far, is baby-led. It is safer and easier. http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast_voedsel/rapley_guidelines.html

Answer 2

Stop feeding so many solids!! Your breastmilk is the perfect food for your baby and a breastfed baby should not be constipated. I guarantee if you hold off on so many solids at least 2 more months you won't have this problem. Your babys little digestive system does not need all that you are giving. Every day a little bit of this and that is fine but that sounds like too much rice cereal!! Try oatmeal if you must give your baby all those solids.
Trust that your breastmilk will give your baby all she needs and her tummy will be much happier.

Answer 3

Mystic_Eye is 100% right on this one. I suspect the solids are causing the constipation. Your baby's digestive tract just isn't ready for all that food yet, and you need to back off a bit and breastfeed more to encourage her stools to soften and to give her tummy a break.

The only other thing I would add is to make sure that you are offering the breast before feeding solids, too, to make sure that she is getting enough nutrients first.

Also, someone else said something about giving her solids to help her sleep through the night. This is an Old Wives' Tale, and medical studies have disproven the theory that babies sleep through the night when given solids (see link below).

Answer 4

Definitely not too much fiber! More fiber helps with constipation but sometimes it is just a medical issue. My daughter has this (she is severely disabled) and Milk of magnesia has helped quite a bit...but you really should talk to a pediatrician first. In fact, its better if you ask for a referral to a GI Dr.

Answer 5

Maybe too much cereal. Make sure you are still nursing her enough. At four months she shouldn't be eating that many solids. A little cereal mixed with your breast-milk and a spoonful of fruit in it before bedtime to help her sleep through the night should be all she is eating. All other feedings should be from the breast.

Answer 6

No, no, no. It isn't anything you are doing, unless you are constipated yourself. The iron in the cereal often makes babies constipated. The same thing happened when I began giving my breast-fed baby his first foods, including cereal. All you need to do is feed her prunes (or prune/apple combination) every day or every other day. You can also give her prune juice.

Answer 7

you can never have too much fiber. if anything the fiber should be making her go constantly.
i think that you should limit the amount of cereal you put in the milk you're giving her. if that doesn't work get her checked out by a doctor because that can become a major problem if something get done.
also try not to give her too much juice, try giving her water from time to time.

Answer 8

Try baby magic tea. My LO had severe constipation and this tea did great help.

Answer 9

anything could cause constipation. you could feed her prunes or apple sauce or apple or prune juice those will help her get unconstipated. if she continues to get constipated go see the doctor. hope this helps

Answer 10

okay um..I understand alot of people have concerns about health that they tend to come here first to ask about, before they go to a doctor...but since we talkin about a SIX month old, I dont give a DAMN about what anybody has to say on here, im takin my baby to a doctor.