constipation

[Curly Val]

We are really struggling with constipation here.  My LO has been in solids for 4 weeks and has had 2 bouts of constipation.  This one is the worst, her bum is so raw and sore she hates me wiping it. We've tried abdominal massages, bicycling her legs, warm baths (with ab massages).  I've (ewwww) used my fingers to try to help out, we've given her prunes and used glycerin suppositories. She can get little marbles out but with lots of effort and crying.  She is so clingy and cuddly right now, but I feel so bad.  The doctor has suggested to increase her water supply, but I'm stumped at that too... We moved her solids to right after a BF so there is liquid in her tummy, I make her food super runny and we are trying to have her learn how to use a sippy cup (not too much success)  She has never taken a bottle and so has no idea what to do with that either.  I blended an ice cube today and tried feeding her "snow" but she spit it out.  I also started BFing her right after the solids, to top up the liquid, our morning feed takes 1 hour and 15 mins!  I'm not really convinced she is lacking water though because her diapers is very full of pee... ugh poor baby!  I'm so afraid of solids now because we've only found 2 successful foods in 1 month!

Sweet potato - good,
peas -constipation,
avocado - good,
green beans - constipation,
prunes - yukky and haven't helped

Help?

[Buntybear]

Oh no, the poor little mite. Have you read through this sticky?

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=54820.0

There might be some more ideas in there.

[Curly Val]

Yes I have read through it and am still struggling... we tried pears today, so hopefully that helps.  Her poop seems to be getting a bit softer... but her diaper rash is horrid!  Are some babies just more prone to constipation?  Cause I really feel like I'm doing everything I read about.  I don't know what else to do, even if she is prone to it!

Thanks Bunty Bear

[Little toes]

I totally know how you feel!! DS has always had a sensitive tummy, we called him mr.fussy gassy pants from when he was born. I BF, tried to top up with formula but early on saw it made him gassy. So I stuck with just BF and being careful with my diet. At 6.5mo I started solids and had a really hard time, or should I saw DS had a hard time with it. Regardless of the lists of laxative foods, he just couldn't poop well at all, hard round balls, if he even managed that out. I tried giving him raw fruit, canned fruit, laxative fruits, nope, nothing made a difference. I found that with him it just took time for his little belly to adjust. It's quite a change going from BF to solids. And like you I thought that he was getting enough liquid thru my breastmilk. DS couldn't take a sippy cup either, I tried one with a soft nipple and tried to squeez it in his mouth. Oddly after all my struggling with a sippy cup, he grabbed his sister's straw-sippy and sucked water out no problem. Go figure. He recently turned 9mo and for about a month he's had good soft poos. I still only give him fruit but plan on trying to add some veggies to his diet. Going slow, tho. Not going to try grains until 1yo at least.
Have you tried calmoseptine for her rash? It worked great with my lo's.

[Curly Val]

Thanks little toes!

I guess its just a matter of waiting it out!  Her tummy was sensitive when she was first born too, she projectile vomited for the first 2 months... but eventually grew out of it.  Perhaps this is the same sorta thing.  I havent tried caloseptine for her rash, havent heard of it, but we let her go bare bum for about 2 hours yesterday and that seemed to help!

CV

[anna*]

If NOTHING seems to help the nappy rash except fresh air - it may be fungal. Fungal infections thrive in warm, damp conditions... yah. Here in the UK you can buy a fungicidal cream over the counter at the pharmacy, or you can get one from the Dr. If that doesn't help, go back again - when Stan had a really bad fungal rash he needed a fungicidal/antibiotic/hydrocortisone cream. Once we hit it hard enough, it was better within hours and gone within days.

[Buntybear]

Are you sure she is OK with the sw potato? Olly was bad with it and I think it is a common one to bung things up! I think some babies are just more prone to it. A slow digetive system maybe.

[ellen109]

My LO is 8 months and we've been battling constipation for 2 months.  Pears are our lifesaver.  Usually gets things going after a couple meals.  Had the same experience with sippy cups that you did, he loves the straw one and I try to encourage him to drink from it throughout the day. I use one from Playtex that is smaller with a flexible straw but I'm going to be trying some others soon as well.

You can also try a thermometer with vaseline to help lube the area when it gets really bad.  Helps prevent tearing.

Peas were actually good for us, the rest we've tried I'm not sure of the effect.  I suspect sweet potatoes and squash are bad, but not sure.  Peaches and mangos caused him to spit up a ton and I couldn't really feed him enough of them to make a difference due to their tartness. 

[Little toes]

I suspect sweet potatoes and squash are bad, but not sure.

I just recently introduced these two, and yes, they're constipating for DS. I've slowly tried to add it as a lunch meal. The rest of the days is either strawberry, blueberry, apricot or mixed fruits.

It's hard to say which ones are the constipating foods when lo's are all so different. I've learned to just take it slow and follow what works for DS. At the doc office yesturday for his 9mo check up, the nurse didn't listen to what I had said and just told me to give him meat and cereal.    Yeah, thanks but no thanks. He's 23lbs, so no need for steak and potatoes just yet. I'll stick with boobs and blueberries for now! 

[ellen109]

i actually couldn't do cereal cause of all the constipation issues so i have tried some organic chicken pureed and mixed with fruit (doesn't taste so good plain).  hasn't had any terrible effects and i do feel a little better that he is getting some protein and iron as i'm always worried about his slowdown in weight gain- he is only about 16 pounds despite being a super rapid gainer in the beginning.  not sure if the chicken has helped or hurt the constipation.

[Curly Val]

well, we tried peaches and she outright refused to eat them... I havent had her turn her head and close her mouth that strongly for anything!  We then fed her ripe banana and prune juice, together and finally her poos have softened up.  I think we will add prune juice to every meal until her system gets use to things

I'm nervous about trying meat though because I personally have a really hard time digesting it... but I know I need to get some iron in her and am not really excited about feeding her iron fortified cereal.  Guess I gotta just give it a try!  Think a chicken pear combo would taste any good?  How about chicken a la banana?

CV

[We Three]

We are lifetime sufferers here, sadly.  I think my ddjust has a slow transit time...i.e. food sits around in herlonger, allowingthe body time to rob it of moisture. We make sure she gets plenty of water, and also we watch her calcium intake, as too much calcium wil bind a person up (think TUMS).  As a baby, we always mixed baby food prunes with baby fod pears...she wouldn't eat the prunes alone.

 Please avoid banana, ripe, unripe....they are notoriously constipating, in fact Drs tell paremts to give banana to help with diarheah (sp). We avoid them like they are poison.  Also anything with rice as well as cooked carrots. 

 Too much iron will constipate as well....so again try to ascertain how much she needs and how much she is getting.

 In an emergency (if she is crying and/or really backed up)..ask your cdoctor about miralax, it isn't a laxative, it is a stool softener. So while it won't make her go, it will make it easier whan she does. It is OTC, very gentle, and lots of docs reccommend it. If it gets bad, ask your doctor is that could be a way to get things moving.

  HTH!

[Curly Val]

Thanks Amelia!
We started giving her the tiniest bit of diluted prune juice 1 or 2 times a day with her meals (we don't really have an effective way of getting liquid other than breast milk in her), that seems to have helped ...by tiny I mean, she drinks 1 oz of liquid and the prune juice is 1/4 of that 1 oz, but it seems to work to keep her regular!  She doesn't mind it!  Phew
CV