My 3 month old has difficulty with bowel movements, sometimes we are up much of the night due to pains.?

Question

He is breasfed only and I have eliminated dairy from my diet. We have tried mylicon, acidophilus and gripe water. He strains to make a bowel movement unitl he is exhausted and goes back to sleep for 1/2 hour or so then wakes again.

Answer 1

You should talk to your doctor about this, I was going to advise you to give him some gripe water, but you are already giving him all the tummy medicines I can think of. Are you giving him water, my son had the same problem and I found that giving him a l bit of water helped, you can also try some baby prune juice. Other than that your best opition is talking to your doctor about it. Good luck

Answer 2

Hi, I have had that problem on and off since DS's second week (he is 12 weeks now), and it seems to be a question of what I am eating.
You don't mention whether he has any problems with gas.
If gas is the problem, try staying away from the onion and cabbage families.
My DS doesn't necesarily have any gas with the pain, it seems like the poo simply burns him in some way.
Staying away from spices, citrus fruits etc has helped us a lot.
But yesterday I just had to taste 4-5 strawberries (what harm could it do, right?) - which resulted in LOTS of pain at nighttime.

Do the bowel movements seem watery? Is it green? Mucous? Comes in expolsions?

If you have a lot of breastmilk, it might be an oversupply issue, leading to too much foremilk and lactose and not enough fatty hindmilk.
Letting him have just one breast per feeding / x hours interval or pumping a little before letting him eat might help if this is the problem.

My DS has also had huge problems with his urination - especially if I have been eating spices or acid foods like oranges.
You can check this out by just using some cloth around him, and see if the crying has anything to do with urinating.

I would be extremely careful to give him anything but breastmilk (like juices etc), as this might actually give him more problems if he is very sensitive.

Try eating things you know for sure he doesn't react to, and then add other products one by one.

There are lists on the internet of stuff infants most likely react to in the mother's milk, but this is so individual, so you have to find out for yourself.

I can have dairy products, but not black pepper or asparagus, for instance, which are normally not mentioned on those lists.

A friend of mine married to an italian, had a child who reacted strongly to eggplants...

Good luck, and feel free to contact me by email.

Answer 3

First, if he is that constipated, you may want to check with his pediatrician. The doctor may be able to may recommendations that will ease this situation. He may even suggest something you can eat to help. Most especially make sure the doctor is aware of what is going on.

Have you looked into infant massage? Try using a little sweet almond oil (or baby lotion) and and massage his tummy (gently but firmly in a clockwise motion). This is the direction that the bowels move, and you can help to stimulate the natural elimanation process. This can also help soothe and relax him, which may also help since he is probably pretty uncomfortable (poor guy).

Along with infant massage, you may want to look into some infant exercises. Some gentle movement and stretching may help to stimulate his digestive system.

Try warm baths that may help him to relax.


If this is a situation that is not constant, try keeping a food diary. You may be eating something that doesn't agree with him. May sure you are drinking enough water, as well.

I hope that you find an answer and that he feels better soon.

Answer 4

I'm so sorry to hear this about your little guy - my daughter had the same issue and it was heartbreaking to go through!

What we did was give her (on our pediatrician's advice) a bottle with 2 oz warm water and 2 oz prune juice every day. It really helped and she was soon going without all the pain! It's important to give it to the baby warm, though. Pear juice works too and is a bit more mild and palatable for some children. My daughter loved the prune, though.

Stay away from apple juice, like someone else here suggested, the pectin in it can make a child's constipation worse. And breast fed babies do get constipated - more commonly than some think!

Good Luck!!!

And talk to your doctor about eliminating food from your diet - my pediatrician disagreed with me cutting out dairy. She said there is no correlation...;-)

Answer 5

Well first things first---go to your doctor. Tell him everything you have tried thus far isn't working. Ask him about Caro Syrup---it seemed to help our child, but Caro is not right for every baby, so make sure to ASK.

Also, although you have elminated dairy, it could be any number of things in your diet---coffee, caffeine, gassy veggies (like beans, cabbage, spinach), potatoes, bananas, etc. It is always hard to pin it down. Maybe he just isn't taking well to breast milk---once in a while, a baby does better with a mild formula instead. Though again, make sure to ASK, because breast milk usually is best.

You may also want to ask your doctor about using infant suppositories, which help a baby go easier.

And lastly---don't get too upset. This is SO common with babies. Tummy upsets (even bad ones) are usually par for the course. My son also had a terrible time with bowel movements...and so did many other babies I've known. Just keep doing what you can, and keep talking to your doctor.

Good luck :)

Answer 6

Take him back to the doctor. I would also try giving him a few ounces of water everyday, perhaps several times a day. But take him back to the doctor until they get to the bottom of the problem. He should not be having so much pain, poor little guy! If the pediatrician blows you off see a children's gastroenterologist but do persist until he gets some help.

Answer 7

Have you tried giving him a bottle with 50-60% diluted apple juice? This may help loosen things up for him.
When he does poop, does it come out mushy or hard?
You should definately consult your pediatrician. Breastfed babies typically don't get too constipated. So that's kind of strange.

Answer 8

Are you giving him iron suppliment drops that the dr. prescribed? If so that could be what is backing him up. Try cutting the dose and see if that helps. But I agree w/everyone else, go to the dr until something works. Good luck.

Answer 9

that sounds awful for the poor baby and for you too. my child had constipation issues and we eventually (when he was nearly 3 years old) solved it completely by giving him mineral oil. I don't know if you can give it to a baby as young as yours so, check with the doctor. But, I wish I had given it to my son a lot sooner because it was awful to see him in such pain. I have no idea why no one (including doctors) hadn't suggested it sooner -- so be sure to ask about it.

Answer 10

Try infant-size glycerin suppositories - they're fairly non-addictive with no side-effects and guaranteed to make him do the do in minutes!