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Constipation Issues
Hi beautiful baby mamas! My lil girl has been constipated on and off for the last month. She is 5 mos old and will go sometimes 2-3 days w/o going #2 she noticeably strains hard and has tummy aches. I am not on iron supplement, nor is my LO and I she is breastfed only. I called our Dr she said to get the glycerin suppositories and try that. Any other advice?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Diane on -
My 9 weeks old baby was having constipated issues also. 3 days without doing #2 so called my doctor and she told me to give him 1oz of pedialyte morning and night and it worked. Now my baby is doing #2 everyday.
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Permalink Reply by tamgia on -
Thank you Diane! I like this option and will try it in the future! Suppositories seem like a dire last resort to me for some reason. Update: My girl finally DID go this afternoon THANKFULLY! It seemed like a normal movement. I had called the doctor again to ask if I had gotten the right kind of suppository, by the time doc called me back she had gone already. Yay! {P.S. I bought "children glycerin suppositories" because I didn't see "infant" ones anywhere on the shelves. Doc told me to ask the pharmacist to order the ones labeled infant because "children" ones are for ages 2-6. Doc also told me I could pinch off 1/4 of the children's dose to use in the meantime. Just FYI for ya'll out there}
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Permalink Reply by skylark97 on -
We do the suppositories occasionally. She hates it, but it does do the trick and it's usually a last resort measure (if she's gone more than four days without a BM, that's usually when we get them out.) And we gave her apple juice to help her out too. No more than an ounce for each month that they've been alive a day. So, a 5 month old can get up to 5 ounces a day...although usually the tricky part is getting them to drink it at all. We warm up a bottle of apple juice and just give her two or three ounces.
We've bought the children's suppositories, and you can use just part of it if you want, but we usually just end up using the whole thing as it didn't seem to make much of a difference either way.
My advice to you though, when you do start solids with your LO, is to avoid rice cereal like that plague. It will make the constipation a thousand times worse. -_-
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Permalink Reply by tamgia on
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Rice cereal, right! Holy Cow! THANK YOU!!! And thank you for the apple juice idea and sharing your experience, such a big help!
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Permalink Reply by skylark97 on
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I was going to say too, that if you are exclusively breastfeeding her, what you eat matters too. So, you could try making sure that your diet is high in fiber and food that make you regular and see if there isn't a trickle down effect.
I was going to add too, before you mentioned that she was straining and was uncomfortable, that some exclusively breastfed babies can go up to 10 days between bowel movements and that is perfectly acceptable and normal. But if she's uncomfortable, than that's a whole other ball of wax...
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Permalink Reply by tamgia on
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I wondered about that! i have noticed that if i eat broccoli she gets gassy, and have read that onions and cabbage are culprits too. Thanks for the tidbit about 10 day stints, most days she doesn't strain or have tummy aches, and skips a bm for days. All very Interesting!
I wondered if there was a fool proof set of bland foods, or something, that breastfeeding moms could eat for optimal digestion in their infants, but I haven't found any information to that effect yet.
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Permalink Reply by EastTexasMommy on -
At 5 months she should still be on just formula or breast milk. Breatmilk has a natural laxative. Some formula's have iron which will cause constipation. Some Dr.s advise a little karyo or watered down juice. But just a small amount. Pears, Pruines, sometimes Peaches... just about all the "P" will make them pooh. For later when she is old enough to start foods. Apple juice always did/does it for my daughter but it's Ph level is so high she eneds up with a rash. Becareful wit the glycerin there are a good amount of people that are allergic.
If you have already started rice cereal or baby foods this might be a good sign to hold off for a little longer. They reccomend 6 months as a minimum age to give the little one's digestive system time to build up strength and get used to the routine of 'going'.
Good Luck.
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Permalink Reply by tamgia on
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Thanks EastTex, she is still strictly breastfed and the doctor was puzzled as to why she was having this issue, since I am also not on iron supplements. This constipation thing is troubling me, and I may not even start solids at the 6 month mark now. I'm going to take it real slow, just like her digestive system!
And you're right, juice is another thing. I don't want her getting hooked on sugary things, I want her palate and taste buds to have a fighting chance when it comes to distinguishing the naturally sweet flavors of carrots and other veggies and fruits when that time comes.
Thank you!
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