7months baby constipated for 7 days now! help!

[yuukalim0404]

My baby was exclusively BF recently till 6.5months. Before she has bowel movement for at least once a day. Since I started solids, congee, fruit puree she suffered from constipation. Once she did not go for 6 days and when she finally did, it was 2 pebbles then rest tube like ( sorry for graphic) now she did not go for 7 days already. She is still happy and active but she keeps passing gas and I think she also trys to strain sometimes but nothing. We tried to get her to go by making sounds but she crys as it hurts maybe??

Below is general idea of her meals
7pm- BM(2-4oz)
11pm congee with fruit eg pear/ apple/ follow by little BM(1oz)
4-5pm congee w fruit or veg follow by little BM (1oz)
7pm -BM (3-5oz)
11pm- BM(4-6oz)
4am- BM (5-7oz)
She does not drink any water or juice. Are the liquids not enough?

I wonder what can be done to help her now???
She is now 7.5mths. Anyone with past experience please help...

 

[anniese]

Last time my daughter didn't go for 4 days and I brought her to see doctor, as the pd. said, as long as she is happy and eat properly, she will be fine. He suggested to put the Glycerine if she couldn't go for 4 days, it will release a bit and make her feel more comfortable. Also, he asked us to feed her more vegetables, so we blend the veg and mixed with the congee. You may try the small banana too, it really helps but apple do the opposite. My daughter don't drink water as well (coz she push away the cup whenever I offer water to her)

 

[shaanmom]

7 days seems long, perhaps you could try to give her a little diluted prune juice. Also, you could try to give her some other grains apart from rice (congee), some baby cereals like oats etc, you can mix with a little BM and maybe a little bit of mashed banana for breakfast. Do you massage her every day? You can buy great massage oil from B2B, and a light rub on her tummy in a backward C may help "move" things along a little.... Hope she feels better soon!

 

[lylee]

my baby was also constipated after i started her on solids. like yours, she seemed to be in a lot of pain whenever she tried to go & the poo was pebble-like. i took her to the ped & he advised i give her ~4oz of water in addition to the expressed bm. my baby won't take water from the bottle, so i either spoon feed or squeeze water into her mouth. besides water, i find that barley cereal works (mixed with veggies, we buy healthy times) & so does papaya. if you believe in the chinese herbs, can also consider 'hoi nai cha' or barley water. hope it helps.

 

[MLBW]

My son also had constipation after stopping breastfeeding. He wouldn't drink water or liquids and it was summertime in Hong Kong.

I started giving him ice chips to suck on and that did the trick--he liked them and thus I could keep him hydrated.

Constipation is almost always connected to fluid content in the diet. It may also have something to do with feeding her cow's-milk-based formula. Cow's dairy is notorious for causing constipation in babies and adults and a good portion of a baby's diet (who is not BF) comes from it.

I suggest feeding her goat's milk formula and see if you notice a difference. Karihome is a good brand to choose in HK. When my son switched to goat's milk he NEVER got constipated again--he had sometimes 3+ normal bowel movements a day and was never uncomfortable. Before he had gone one time about 10 days without a single BM. He also was not seemingly uncomfortable but there is something up when a non-BF baby doesn't poo for over a week!

Also, try giving her things with molasses or natural maple syrup in them--like ginger snaps. Or just go to the store, buy pure 100% maple syrup and drizzle a little over some rice cereal--she will likely love the taste and it will loosen her right up. This is a well known "folk-remedy" where I'm from in the States. Many doctors there would recommend adding a bit of Karo syrup to the baby's diet but maple is a lot better for their system--especially in small doses. (It also has good vitamins and minerals in it.)

I also fed my son pureed prunes but he wasn't a huge fan of them so I mixed them in with his cereal. As another person here mentioned, you do need to get some more grains in her diet because those provide the "bulk" of fiber that moves waste through the intestines. Also try to get her more active--if she can crawl and move around at this point--any type of movement will stimulate a BM.

Hope you can use some of these tips.

 

[MLBW]

Oh, hey, I just realized that you are feeding breastmilk! Sorry about that! If it's breastmilk mostly, don't worry--babies' bodies get so good at processing it so that they actually absorb everything they are eating and don't actually have bowel movements that much--especially after they have been breastfeeding for six months. Just get her some more grains and she really should be fine. Breastmilk fed babies sometimes can go weeks without a BM and it's no problem at all--generally breastmilk-fed babies do not get constipated.

 

[phoenixashburn]

Like many have suggested above - prunes are high in fibre. My doc advised me to eat prunes so it would be included in the breastmilk too.. Maybe you cud try that..

 

[joyofliving]

Although many docs here says its alright for babies not to poo for few days but I think its not alright even for one day. It effects their eating, mood, play.......everything from the physical discomfort. My daughter was constipated for a while after she started solids, for her prune juice or even prunes didn't help much. Papaya and Spinach always helped. Puree the spinach and mix with her regular cereal. papaya you can give mashed. Like others have said include other cereals besides rice, you can give him oatmeal, millet, muselli, wheat etc etc. Dont give up on trying to give him water, try after every meal or after he has been playing for a while. We used to try 5- 6 times at least and even if she drank a few sips it was a good start. Try giving him cold water with a syringe.

 

[Kimmie]

I also had trouble with getting my little boy to drink water when he was constipated upon starting formula and solids. He refused the bottle and cup... I gave him some Japanese rice puffs (found at Eugene club) to get him thirsty then also spoon fed him. That seemed to do the trick then moved to a training cup with a straw - it took a while, lots of tiny sips and splurting out. But eventually, he took a liking to sipping and he is quite happy drinking water this way now thankfully. So try giving him something to get him thirsty in the first place. Good luck!

 

[MLBW]

Geomum, I do think it depends on whether or not the baby is breastfed or fed breastmilk--that is a totally different element. My son also does spinach and it cleans him right out. I blend it together with a concoction of other fruits and veggies that I got from a Doctor Oz book (famous because of Oprah)--he loves that drink and I feed it to him cold with a spoon. It sounds nasty when you read the ingredients but it tastes really nice--for adults you just have to get over the green color--otherwise it's a refreshing, lightly sweet drink that is really filling. At 16-months my son could literally eat this every day--sometimes two full-cup servings a day! I make sure he has at least two doses of it a week just to keep him regular.

To make a batch you blend:

2 apples
1 cucumber
2 stalks of celery (this is optional in my opinion)
Juice from one juiced lemon
Small piece of ginger (or more--we like to add more)
2 handfuls of raw spinach (or you can add a few chunks of the frozen kind you can get at Park n' Shop too)
Water
Ice

I also add:
Ground flaxseed powder (omega-3 and also good fiber)
Barley sprout powder (get at Green Dot Dot organic food shops)
1 pear
1 kiwi