Hello Everyone - My 6 month old son has pooping drama. He is breastfed and just started cereal last week. He has always HATED pooping. His poop is usually soft and I do not think he is truly constipated. He only poops once every 3-4 days and I feel like he is holding it in...you can tell when it has been a couple days because he will be fussy and gassy. Whenever he does poop its like he is misrerable and in EXTREME pain. He cries unconsolably and will fight it all day. I will sometimes give him a suppository if he is extra miserable for a prolonged period but I am afraid he won't poop on his own if I always do this. He is medicated for reflux and his doc said he would outgrow this but it is still going on. Has anyone had a similar situation or have any advice for "teaching" my baby boy to poop.
This may sound strange, but it worked with my girls. We have an exo-saucer and they always seemed to have an easier time pooping when they were playing in it. So much so that we call it the "poop-o-saucer!" :)
Our pediatrician recommended Miralax after our infant daughter continued to be constipated even with all my efforts of prune juice, karo syrup, eating fruits. She used to be in horrible pain trying to poop and often I would have to use "babylax" glycerin enemas to get her to go. Now with the Miralax she goes everyday with nice soft poops.....now I am often surprised by poopy diapers b/c she doesn't cry when she poops. She has been on it for 3 months so far and I am hoping as her diet expands she will no longer need it. I was instructed to buy it (it is over the counter).....Mix 1 capful with 8 oz of water and start with 2-3 oz of the Miralax mixture mixed with what ever you want to mix with (I often mixed it with formula or when I prepare her cereal. You can adjust the amount up to twice a day or lower the amount depending on the results!!! You can store the Miralax you mixed with water in the fridge to use over the next 2-3 days.
Is it possible the acid reflux meds are causing his constipation? Meds usually have some side affects. I don't believe a 6 month old can consciously "hold in" his poops. I second the prunes idea, a little is all it should take..you can find prunes with all the other baby foods. I would also suggest Aloe Vera Juice. I buy mine online at www.marketamerica.com/2bewell. My kids like the Strawberry/Kiwi flavor. I gave it to my son when he was an infant and used a dropper, 1 tablespoon is plenty. It helped him when he seemed gassy or just needed to poop. Aloe is very soothing in the thoat, stomach and digestive tract and has been used in healing for a long time. It would also help his acid reflux. Natural products can be just as effective as meds and are much more beneficial.
Take care,
V.
I feel ya. My LO will only have diarrhea or constipation. Nothing in between. So aggravating. She's also being treated for reflux and we're seeing the specialist next week.
I know I'm no help, just wanted to say you're not alone!
A., My oldest had a constipation problem when he was an infant and his doctor told me to put a half teaspoon of Karo syrup in one bottle a day to keep him regular. You could also mix it in his cereal.
M.
I had this same problem with my daughter. I tried a lot of things, prunes, massages, etc. What worked great was putting her on a little potty. I found that if I put her on the potty every morning after breakfast, she would go with no problem. That's also how I got my shower! I figure it would be hard to poop standing or laying or even sitting in certain positions, the little potty worked wonders for her (and I had no more poopy diapers to change and she potty trained very easily at 19mo!)
You might try it (I did because I had nothing to lose). The Baby Bjorn pottys worked well, because they're so small.
K.
first of all... welcome home to kansas city! if you feed your babe just a touch of prunes in his cereal, he won't be bale to "hold it in" i had the same problen w/ my eldest. i'd love to tell you that he outgrew it... 13 y/o now and STILL holds it in!... hopefully he'll still grow out of it.lol...meg
My SIL just dealt with this with her newborn. He ended up having double hernias and that was why he avoided it/was constipated. He just acted very uncomfortable. Might be something to check out.
Dear A.,
A 6 month old won't consciously be able to hold in stool. However, if his stools are pasty or hard it can be uncomfortable to go. It sounds like he is a normal breast fed baby (norm for stools is several times a day to once in 10 days) but given his reflux you may want to be sure all dairy is eliminated from your diet. Cow's milk protein (not the sugar, lactose) can cause acid reflux in babies and can also cause difficulties/discomfort with stooling. Eliminating cow's milk from your diet and adding in a nice softening kind of solid food (like prunes or pears) to his diet will likely eliminate the problem. remember also that cereal can firm up stools....be on the lookout for this and if rice causes hard stools try oatmeal instead.
Hope that helps!
