The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Constipated Baby
Speaker
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Short and sweet - my six month old daughter started eating solid food instead of breast milk two weeks ago and is having (the usual I'm told) problems with constipation. Any parents with advice other than feeding her prune puree? She seems most uncomfortable.
Speaker on
0
Posts
Don't do this. Best case she just gets pissed off, worst case you rupture her colon. She's not a tube of toothpaste.
What
I think hes going by the fact that if an adult is constipated, they can push down on their pelvic region to "get it moving". It works for me sometimes. I wouldnt advise doing it with a baby though since theyre probably a bit more fragile.
Check out my band, click the banner.
For paintings in progress, check out canvas and paints
"The power of the weirdness compels me."
She's a little constipated. This isn't a rush to the doctor emergency.
I'd also second the juice and warm baths.
You've never squeezed yourself to get stubborn shit out? Try it.
I seem to recall when a relative was very young and constipated a nurse did something along those lines, but without the temperature taking. VERY GENTLE 'Rectal massage' or whatever. So that sounds like it would work pretty well, though most parents nowadyas have teh electronic ear thermometers.
No, can't say I have
but a baby isn't a grown adult, and you could easily damage internal organs
It's bad advice, okay? This isn't D&D, that's all there is to it.
Warm baths are good, the juice thing is good (cut it with water), and always having some containers of prrune baby food on hand is a good idea. When was her last poo? What did it look like?
When my boy was that age the doctor suggested using a spoon or so of straight corn syrup (as in, from the super market) as a laxative.
This. Has it actually been a week? Our baby would occasionally go 3 or 4 days between when it was usually once or twice a day and the doctor told us not to worry unless it was over a week.
Well, there's the point where you should "worry" but well before that is the point where the kid is quite uncomfortable and therefore fussy and waking up a lot at night etc...
That's about as logical as patting yourself on the head to make yourself think.
I laughed.
You can gently rub the tummy sunwards and do bicycle legs to help with the fussiness, along with all the other rational advice in this thread.
I have some friends who's kid would only poop twice a week, it was awesome or terrible.
Yeah I sure have, and that kids is the story of how Szechuanosaurus gave himself a hernia.
Yeah, when we first made the transition and our baby was still on milk + solids, she went for a good two weeks before pooping. We got increasingly worried but the doctor and health visitor kept telling us it was normal and sure enough it passed eventually (pun intended in retrospect).
we gave them apple juice mixed with water and the leg bicycle exercises, and things soon resumed their natural course
also for a while after this they would only poo once a week and it would be ENORMOUS
Pipe cleaners. You know what to do.
Seriously, that's stupid. Never squeeze a baby. A quick search brings up the following solutions:
Get her some exercise. If your baby's a crawler, encourage her to do a few laps. If she's not crawling yet, try pumping her legs: While she's lying on her back, gently move her legs in a forward, circular motion as if she were pedaling a bicycle.
• Massage your baby's belly. Measure three finger-widths below her navel and apply gentle but firm pressure with your fingertips. Press until you feel a firmness or mass. Maintain gentle but constant pressure for about three minutes. (Don't be a jackass and squeeze. Seriously, that's stupid).
• If you feed your baby formula, ask her doctor about switching to a different brand. Some babies are less constipated on soy formula. And sometimes adding a teaspoon of Karo corn syrup to the formula also does the trick.
• Switch from rice cereal to barley or oat cereal, or add pureed fruits or vegetables to her regular cereal, once your baby is ready for them. Read about what foods to introduce when.
• Once your baby is eating a variety of solid foods, ask her doctor if you can boost her fiber intake by adding a teaspoon of bran to her cereal. Cut down on constipating foods like rice, bananas, and cooked carrots, and try mixing her cereal with a little bit of apple or prune juice or a few tablespoons of pureed prunes, apricots, or pears to help loosen her bowel movements.
• Increase the amount of fluid your baby drinks to help keep her stools soft. If your baby is older than 2 months, start by giving her 1 ounce of prune juice diluted with 1 ounce of water, twice a day. As her constipation improves, you can cut back. Talk with the doctor first if your baby is 2 months old or younger.
• Talk to your baby's doctor about treatment options. Ask about using an over-the-counter stool softener to make bowel movements more comfortable for your baby, but never give your baby a laxative without her doctor's approval. The doctor may also suggest you try a glycerin suppository if your baby is severely constipated. The suppository will stimulate the rectum and help her pass a stool. While using a suppository occasionally is fine, don't do it on a regular basis, since your baby could wind up relying on them to have a bowel movement.
• If your baby is passing such hard, dry stools that she tears the delicate skin near the opening of her anus (you may be able to see these tears, known as anal fissures, or a little blood), you can apply some aloe vera lotion to the area to help it heal. Be sure to mention the tears to your baby's doctor.