Constipation - HELP!!!

[nandapanda]

Hi!!! My DD is 6 mo and has been eating solids since 4.5. She LOVES eating but lately she has been really constipated. Not only does she go two days without a poo but it is pretty hard. I have tried prunes in her oatmeal porridge but its not enough.  ANY TIPS?
Thanks!
Nanda

[~inbalance~]

There is a link here that might have more ideas for you to try:  http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=54820.0

[jodesy]

Hi,
I had chronic constipation problems with my 6 mth old when I started her on weaning, and even now at 7 months she is still prone to it unless I'm particularly careful.

I tried prunes, stewed pears, prune juice (didn't like), diluted orange juice (didn't like), lactulose, plus stopped all cereal, unripe bananas and baby food jars (ones that contain apple, which is most).  The only thing I found that helped was a combination of bicycle legs for a few mins several times a day, and undiluted apple juice which draws water back into the stool to soften it.

Even now, if DD doesn't have a dirty nappy for a day, I will offer her juice with meals and water between.  If however, she is straining throughout the day with little result or hard-ish poo, I let her have apple juice in between meals as well until things are back to normal. This usually takes less than a day. She drinks it from a juice box with straw or from a cup.  When she's not constipated, it's only water which she also loves.

HTH.
x

[We Three]

DD has had this issue since birth. I feel your pain..((((hugs))))

 Avoid: cooked carrots, anything with rice (including cereal), banana

 Make sure fluid intake is above norm, give pear/prune mixture as fruit.

[huby]

I found the pear / prune combo a winner too

[nandapanda]

Thanks ladies! I will try the apple juice. Which one should I get? Does it have sugar ir it's better to offer a sugar free one? It's been two days she hasn't had a bm. I will also do the bicycle movements more often. Cheers xx

[trimbler]

Hope you don't mind if I hop on here and ask what's normal for a BF 6mo who's just starting solids? My DS has gone a day without a BM whilst still exclusively BF, so I don't worry if he misses one day. But a couple of times recently he's gone two days - only when it happens, it's still pretty runny, so I'm not sure if he's really constipated or not?? We started at about 5mo +1wk with rice cereal, first just in the morning, then twice a day - but that really seemed to mess up the nights, so we stopped that and haven't done it since, although I was thinking of trying it again at the start of next week - bad idea? Since then we've done pear, apple, sweet potato, pea and carrot, next on the list was banana... is that also a bad idea if constipation might be an issue? How do you know when LO's constipated? Is it the number of days without a BM or how hard the stool is when it happens? Thanks!

[~inbalance~]

It's not necessarily about how frequently (or infrequently) they have a bowel movement.  An LO who is constipated will have trouble having one, and will be straining or in pain.  The stool is often small and hard (kind of like rabbit pellets).  Simply going several days without a bowel movement but then when it happens it is normal, is fine. 

[trimbler]

Ok thanks - it's just when he's just gone 2 days without one I start to worry and wonder whether that should be a cue for pear, pear and more pear? Last time (it's only been twice so far) I only gave him pear until he went - he was only having one 'meal' a day then. This time he's having two meals, we've just done day 2 of peas in the morning with other fruit/veggies in the afternoon. If using the 'laxative' foods at this stage of weaning, would you only give those foods or just make sure he has a laxative food (I think that's pear for us at the moment) for at least one meal?

[jodesy]

I just buy regular apple juice boxes that you take on picnics, so it's apple juice made from concentrate.  However, I read somewhere today that fresh (cloudy) apple juice is better so I'm going to get that next time.  I usually give her a couple of ounces a day.

Today she is very bunged up again, I gave her a baby meal two days ago that has apple in it (chicken, red cabbage & apple).  Shouldn't have done that!  Today she has been straining so hard her eyes nearly pop out, and no poo except a tiny rabbit one. :-(  I'll be upping her juice tomorrow and doing bicycle legs whenever she'll let me, plus I have stewed up a pear and she will have that with porridge for bfast and with avocado for lunch.  She has such a delicate constitution, but hopefully she'll do a whopping poo tomorrow! (and your little one too. :-) 

Good luck with it - let us know how you get on! xx

 

[nandapanda]

Thanks again! Today she had 3 dirty nappies!!!! It was fine, not dry at all... Im giving her lots of prunes and pear and I also gave her the apple juice!
xx

[jodesy]

Ah, what good news!  Funny how as a mother, you're happy when your baby does a walloping big dirty nappy! lol
xx

[trimbler]

well mine just finally passed a BM after 2 days of nothing - it was normal and runny, he waited to do it all over the changing mat