My daughter is 7 mo. old and she hasn't pooped in four days, what do I do for baby constipation?

Question

She is a breastfed baby and the problem happens when i give her solid food. I have tried water,diluted apple juice, leg exercises. should I be worried? Is this normal? Should I let it happen naturally or give her small shot of warm water in the bum?

Answer 1

No it's not natural. I would take her to the Doctor immediately. You can die from this you know. The little girl on poltergeist the movie, "Carol Ann" died of this same thing at the age of 6 years old, so I would take her to the Doctor if it were me.

Answer 2

When my six month old is constipated I rub her belly and move her legs in the bicycle motion.
My pediatrician told me it was fine to use infant suppositories, we cut them in half and then hold them in. It usually works in anywhere from a minute to five minutes so put that diaper under her! :) A nurse also suggested that we hold a warm wet washcloth on her butt.
Also, my daughter is breastfed and when we give her certain solid foods we have the same problem.. it's only certain foods.. some are ok. It's normal. I just think their little systems are still getting used to all the new food :)
If she is not irritable and doesn't seem to be in pain I wouldn't worry about it, my baby went from pooping every day to every two or three days.

Answer 3

Does she seem uncomfortable from it? I would worry, because that's how I am. Now, I have heard (but don't necessarily believe) that apple juice can cause constipation--because of the pectin. I would probably try to get her to drink some half and half prune juice and water.

I think it is normal when they start on solids. Did you start on cereal? If you are using the usual baby cereal, you might try to find a whole-grain infant cereal. I found some in a natural foods store.

If you think about it, refined grains make adults constipated, so why would it not do it to babies? Good luck.

Answer 4

My son would not poop regularly either and the doctor told me that it was because he was breastfed and that he was using all the nutrients that were brought in by a feeding. When he started solids it became more regular but still not ideal. Again the doctor was not worried. He advised against juice but something to consider is adding fiber to her diet. They sell infant suppositories at the drug store so have some handy in case she acts like she's constipated or gassy. Sometimes it works to just take a thermometer and massage their little butt hole to see if you can stimulate it that way. Don't rush to the doctor in a panic. Just give them a call and ask them what they'd suggest and they will tell you what they would expect for bms.

Answer 5

Solid food as in baby cereal? My son got horribly constipated on regular rice cereal. I switched to brown rice cereal which has more fiber in it. Nature's Best and Beech Nut carry it.

If you want to make your own, put 1/4c. brown rice into your blender and blend for 2 minutes. While you're doing that, boil 1c water and when it starts to boil, take it off the heat. Add the rice and stir constantly so it doesn't burn. Once the bubbles die off, cover and cook for 10 minutes. I did that for a while until I found boxed whole grain cereal. I got it out of the Super Baby Food book. Also, give her 4oz of prune juice! That'll help with all the fiber in it. I'd give her some in the morning, then again at night. It may sound like a lot of juice, but you're only doing this to help her poop.

This may gross you out, but I had to do it with my son. When you see her trying to poop, get her on the changing table or wherever you change her. Take off her diaper and I would drape a wipe over the top part of her genitals so you don't get sprayed. Hold her legs and push them so her knees go toward her (like you did in labor!). This will help her poop easier just like it helped you in labor.

As a piece starts to come out, I would grab it with a wipe. I did this because when they stop pushing, it'll get sucked back in. You may be doing this for about a half hour, but she...and you...will feel better once she's passed the stool.

Answer 6

I have a 18 month old and a 2 year old and I breastfeed both for the first 10 months. I also had the same issue with them. When it first started happening I would call their pediatrician and take them in - he said that it is common for breastfeed babies to go days with a bm. I still found it odd, but decided not to worry. I was just instructed to give apple juice and water - things always got back to normal. Good luck!!!

Answer 7

Give her prune juice. they sell it alreay diluted (baby prune juice). Give it to her everyday for a while. If you don't see results in a day or two call the doc. My three yr old had the same thing and the Pediatrician told me to do this so it should work. If the baby is in discomfort the I would call the doc now and ask for more advice. I've heard checking the rectal temp may help motivate the bowel too....don't know that one though...never tried it. Good luck!!!

Answer 8

I don't have babies, but I know that getting enough Omega3 fatty acids in your diet is vital when you're breastfeeding.

It's essential for nervous system development, and will be leached away from your brain & nervous system to go into your milk... so you want to make up for that with supplements of Omega3s, like fish oil (make sure PCBs & mercury are extracted!)

This will help your baby's whole body function on a whole.

If possible, it may be a good idea to administer fish oil to your baby orally, maybe with a baby-medicine syringe... that will help grease their pipes, so to speak.

Constipation can be a symptom of many things, some worse than others, so if you have not already spoken with their pediatrician, you should do so before taking action with a little enema. If they think it's a good idea, go right ahead.

but in either case, OMEGA3s should be taken by EVERYBODY! Especially breastfeeding mothers & babies.

Answer 9

Well I have 2 kids and both had constipation problems. Is what I did was bought a suppository and held it in their bums for a minute or so and they eventually pooped. Don stick the suppository all the way in just hold the tip in. Also another trick is a thermometer and Vaseline. Good luck!

Answer 10

My son's pediatrician told us to give him a little (1 tbs) of karo light corn syrup in his bottle. Works like a charm and it sweetens the bottle, too. As a side note, the pediatrician also said it's not so much the frequecy of the bowel movement but the consistency that should matter. A few days w/o a BM isn't as bad a hard little poopies.

Answer 11

What do you mean by "solid food"? If you are giving her foods high in iron, such as baby cereal, that can cause constipation. I was told by my mom and by my doctor to give the baby a tablespoon or so of corn syrup. It does not work immediately, but it does work in a day or so.