Baby Constipation?

Question

Help my daughter is 15 weeks old. She has been on Prosobee now for almost two weeks. She is extremely constipated. The poor thing strains, turns red and cries to poop but allot of times only a tiny little pebble comes out. Please advise what I can do, give her or make to help her? I have already contacted her Ped she said its normal and it should go away in a few days on its own. Please advise as soon as you can.

I have been trying to give her half Prune & Half water at least twice a day, but she chokes up. My first daughter didnt do this. Do any of your babies do this with water or juice? I even use a newborn nipple.

I also recently started adding Karo Syrup to some of her bottles. Which Karo Syrup is better the light or dark color and how much per 5-6 ounce bottle?

Answer 1

Standard answer: if she's straining to do a smelly, put a baby-size glycerin suppository in her and she'll do a big one in a few minutes!

Answer 2

From my experience the doctors tend to underestimate the discomfort the baby is going through in this circumstance and recommend doing nothing when the baby is clearly miserable. I wouldn't recommend doing this without checking with your doctor first but I think the best thing is to give the baby a little bit (a teaspoon or two -- please ask the doctor how much because I really don;t know what's appropriate for a young baby) of mineral oil. It is totally harmless and works really well. If constipation is an ongoping problem then you should definitely change her formula or put her on a regular dosage of mineral oil. Also, even after you give her the mineral oil you could try putting vaseline on the end of a rectal thermometer and putting it (gently and slowly) into her rectum just as if you were checking her temperature. This may be painful for her since she is so backed up right in there but the movement and the vaseline are likely to help.
My son had constipation problems often as a baby and toddler and it was awful to see him in such pain. I hope she goes soon!!

Answer 3

I have a 3 week old and our doctor suggested pear juice. You could give that a try. She does fine with about an ounce 1-2 times a day. I don't mix it with anything even though our doctor said we could mix it with her formula but that sounded gross. Pear juice is supposed to be a little easier on the stomach. I haven't tried to prune juice thing so i dont know if this would be any better for your daughter our not. Good luck.

Answer 4

Your pediatrician should re-think this. Two weeks is too long for a baby to go without a bowel movement. If I were you, I would add a little apple juice, strained fruit and yellow vegetables to her diet in addition to formula. It's obvious that the formula is constipating...does it contain iron?? If so, that would exacerbate the problem. Don't be afraid to give her a few spoonfuls with a couple ounces of juice. At 15 weeks, she should tolerate it well.

Answer 5

Give her prunes/prune juice or pear juice. You can also try corn syrup (note: don't give her pure prune/pear/corn syrup, mix a teaspoon in her formula). You also might want to switch formulas if things don't improve.

Try rubbing her abdomen (gently but firmly) in a clockwise motion to help move it through the digestive tract.

While she's on her back, take her feet and bend her knees towards her tummy (like her legs would be if you were to set her on the toilet). Move them slowly in and out. Also try a 'bicycle' motion. Hope your little girl feels better soon!