Help my baby is constipated

[Momma99]

So if anyone has any tips on how to get my baby to poo? I have tried the comfort formulas but all that seems to do is make her spit up a lot. I have also tried goats milk formula as I thought she was allergic to cows milk because when I was a baby I was allergic to cows milk but that still doesn’t work. At the moment she is only pooping once a day. I have tried to breastfeed her from the very start but she is a very hungry baby so I couldn’t produce enough to feed her And right now I’m not producing any milk at all And ever since she has been getting formulas only she has been constipated. So any tips would be great thank you xxx

[Octoberbaby2019]

Hi, I'd call your HV as they'd know what to advice. How old is your baby? Is she over 4 months? Because then you could see what veg can help.

Otherwise look up baby tummy massages on YouTube. Try stroking belly clockwise or putting legs up to the belly one after each other, both together.

Hope this helps x

You could also ask the pharmacist if there's something to give

[GraceFace]

Hi, how old is your baby? If over 6 months, try prune purée, and drinking lots of water x

[Rox9797]

Is she in pain with not pooping or is it that you’re worried she’s not pooping enough? If it’s the latter, my little one also only pooped once a day and still does and we were told it’s normal for some babies, though everyone will tell you to expect so many dirty nappies!

If she’s in pain, we tried gripe water to settle any tummy ache but some mums wi tell you it’s a placebo and doesn’t work but did for us! Worth asking a pharmacist if there’s anything more you can give because I’m not sure what there is dependant on age. You can also speak with the health visitor but personally didn’t find mine to be any use, especially when I mentioned I was formula feeding. Definitely try tummy massages, we were always told to rub gently below the belly button - hope this helps and good luck!xx

[Momma99 in reply to Rox9797]

She doesn’t seem to be in pain but her poo is really hard she can only get everything out little by little and she is 6 weeks I just hate looking at her when she tries so hard to push it out

[Andia1]

Speak to gp. However I had the same issue with mine getting constipated in first weeks and I've noticed that giving a little of warm previously boiled water helps. I didn't find infacol helpful. My gp prescribed me with latulose for my LO when it was really bad, it helped however it's not recommended by midwives. It's also helpful to call HV feeding team to get some advice on best milk option. I found out that it was the issue with ready milk formulas as they contain a lot of sugar. Also, how many weeks is she? They say it's normal if baby does 1 poo in 24h. Does she strain and seems like having a belly ache?

[Momma99 in reply to Andia1]

She is 6 weeks old and yes she strains a lot when she is pooping I try to do the bicycle motion with her legs I give her belly massages I have made an appointment with gp but in the mean time while I’m waiting for my appointment I still don’t want to see her struggling like this

[Andia1 in reply to Momma99]

If she looks like she's in pain straining maybe try colief if nothing else works. It made my LO poo more often and I used it every time I had to increase volume of formula as it was too big change for her little stomach. It helps them digest it better. You can buy 7ml and try it out for few days, and then decrease it by adding every 2nd or 3rd feed to stop completely when you see improvement. And by the way, changing milk formulas causes constipation. And apparently it takes babies about 2 weeks to get used to new milk. Hope it helps x

[fridayfever]

My little one is believe was suffering last night 1 month old and previously I was told to move her legs in a bicycle motion to help

[Katja123]

As others asked: are there any signs of pain and discomfort from it? It sounds rather it just bothers you.

Please, do not start weaning before 6 months old, if the baby is really struggling and the poo is hard, you can give some water, but don't overdo it.

You can put the baby on the tummy more often and when the baby is suffering hold her in a chair position: her back leaning on your belly, holding under the knees, legs close to the trunk. That way it is easier for them to eliminate, helps with gas as well.

But as long as the baby doesn't try to push crying and the stool is soft consistency, I would not bother or try any medication or hundreds of different milks.

As for breastfeeding, if you are still wondering if you could breastfeed: yes, you can. If you want to of course, putting the baby on the breast with correct latch before giving a bottle will restart lactation. They are all going through this fussy stage in the beginning. It doesn't mean there no milk or they are particularly hungry. It is how the babies naturally stimulate your milk supply.

[Momma99 in reply to Katja123]

She tries very hard to poo and her poo isn’t soft it’s very hard and she can only get it out little by little and she was always hungry when I was breastfeeding her. I started off doing a combination of both because I wasn’t producing enough but she got comfortable with the bottle so she was struggling with the boob so I was expressing breast milk into bottle and enough milk didn’t come out in one go to feed her I had to express a few time to get enough out for her

[Katja123 in reply to Momma99]

Ok, then for sure she is constipated. Give her some water from time to time, like a teaspoon here and there.

It doesn't make sense to change up formulas, especially to choose the ones which are thickened with some starches or whatever. The doctors in Germany advise to choose the formula with the PRE in the name, up to at least one year old, since it mimics the breast milk the most and is not as heavy to digest. This is especially important in the newborn stage, since their digestive tract is not able to deal with heavier substances. I think all brands have PRE lines. I know that in the beginning I also thought that I didn't have enough milk and daughter was eating poorly, and I had to pump for 40 min to get 20-30 ml of milk. So at first we gave her Hipp 1, the poop was a bit solid. After that the midwife said that we switch to Hipp PRE formula and the poop went to normal consistency.

Thanks god I managed to get her back on the boob and gradually remove the formula later, it's so much less hastle for us and we really enjoy it now.

[Lubaloo]

My HV advised 1oz of cool boiled water with a spoonful of prune juice or a spoonful of pure orange juice. Nice bath might help also. I would contact your HV or speak with a pharmacist for advise.

[Momma99]

My baby is 6 weeks old sorry should have mentioned it