Constipation Causing Formula

Try putting teaspon of prune juice in the formula. My son has a new baby 16 weeks old and they had a terrible time with contipation. The doctor changed formula, told then to use a glinerine supository and once that worked her told them to put prune juice in the bottles. It worked great. Good Luck

i would change the formula in a slower manner, i had to do this when my son was first born also, for he was 3.5 months early and they mixed my formula with the breast milk half and half, maybe you should back track and try that one. It works and if that doesnt work you can try changing the formula to nutramigen, this formula is very good for that, however i strongly recommend that you still mix this half and half for two days then go to 3/4 and 1/4 and then full. At that point there should be no problems, they told me that it was because we didnt do that at first and they had us give him apple juice that was watered down to only 1/8 apple juice to the rest of the bottle water. Good luck.

The first time I tried formula it was with iron and the same thing happened. Then I tried Infamil Gentlease and never had a problem. It was a few dollars more, but worth it if it didn't cause any problems. I used that successfully until we switched to whole milk. Good luck.

Iron is the culprit! Try a formula without iron.... you will see a difference, we did with my daughter within 1 1/2 weeks.Congrats on your first baby! Relax and don't worry....also, try the gas drops, worked like a charm on all 3 of my kids!

I exclusively breastfed for the first 9 months and my daughter would get constipated on occaision, as would some babies of friends of mine who exclusively breastfed (one would go up to 10 days between poops multiple times). They say breastfed babies don't get constipated, but I don't believe it. So I'm not so sure that the formula is the culprit and maybe its just the way her little digestive system is working right now. I did find that a little apple juice helped (just a few ounces), although one month might be too early to try that.

my daughter went through the same thing. her dr told me to mix 4oz of water with 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar. it really works and they love the tase. you may need to do it every other day or so but try it and see what happens.
M. mother of 10 month baby girl

When our daughter was a week old, we needed to supplement, and we used Alimentum. It's way more expensive than reular formula, but it is easier to digest, and I found it never interfered with her poop.
Some advice based on my experience (daughter also has had weight gain issues): reduce and eliminate the supplementation from her diet gradually if you can. I found I wasn't making enough breastmilk simply because I wasn't breastfeeding enough because of supplementation. I don't say this because I am anti-formula (which I'm not), but it was really frustrating to me to never make enough milk. I now DO make enough milk and it's because I've stopped supplementing. I know it's necessary sometimes, so if it's necessary for you, ignore my advice.
A.

Hi there!

Reading your posting was like reading my own at one time! My son (who is now 10 months) had the same thing. We had given him Enfamil with Iron. Did your Dr say she needed an iron fortified diet? If not, perhaps just loosing the iron will help. Also, we put our son on vitamins - that could be an option as well. When he would get constipated, we would give him an ounce of prune juice with 3 oz of breast milk. It worked well for a while. However, once we started introducing him to solids, he bound right back up again and was on miralax for a while. One thing that we did was switch to Similac. It was like a dream....no problems at all. No gas, bloating or constipation. Can you switch to Similac? Give it a try and keep going with the breast feeding! Good Luck!

Iron is your culprit. Talk to your peditrician but even in adults, too much iron will constipate. See if Nestle makes one without the extra iron.

Good Luck!

I am a pediatric nurse and mother to 4 breast fed babies. You should discuss this w/your pediatrician. If you've already had the baby's 1 month physical then you can call and speak w/a nurse or leave a message w/the MD. I've never heard of giving a baby Karo syrup. How do you know the baby is constipated? all babies grunt when they're bearing down to poop- is she crying? acting fussy before or after pooping? You can stimulate her rectum w/a thermometer- this usually works well. Glycerin suppositories- over the counter- are also an option (only half the suppository is needed). I would definetly discuss anything w/her MD first. If she is only taking a small amount of formula it really shouldn't be a problem.

DO NOT USE ANYMORE KARO SYRUP!! That can cause infant botchilism (sp?) where the infant can stop breathing. That came directly from my pediatrician. I breastfeed til my son was 6 mo. and then did formula and had a similar problem with constipation and gas. I used the similac isomil. It helped! Good Luck!

Hi

I believe its because of the Iron - Iron will make her stool dark and can constipate her - you need to call your pediatritian and ask if she needs the added Iron - if so my friends daughter had to give her son prune juice a few times a day in a bottle - but before you do anything call your pedi....

Hi S.,

I too exclusively breastfed for the first three months while i was home with my little one, and when she began receiving some formula as a supplement when i returned to work, she too became a bit constipated. Our pediatrician said that puting a little prune juice in the formula can help, but that Soy formula can actually aggrevate the constipation. You can also try to take some probiotics which will pass to your daughter and help her 'gut' get stronger to aid in digestion. They even make probiotics for babies now and I have many friends who swear by it saying it helps with both constipation and watery poos as it's made to aid in digestion of all kinds. The Kayro syrup sounds a little heavy for a 1 month old, but I'm not a doctor. I just know that i attempted to go with the most gentle and all-natural remedies for my daughter for her collicky symptoms and any digestive issues.

Good luck to you!
T.

It is probably either the iron in the formula or if you are having difficulty staying hydrated enough while you are nursing. I had this trouble with my daughter while I was strickly nursing and had to significantly increase my fluid intake.

Hi S. you could try 10z of prune juice and or pear juice mixed with one ounce of water. Or you cou;d try taking her temperature rectally and that may stinulate her. Congrats on your new bundle pfjoy.

I am so sorry to say that we are having the SAME issue on the soy! We are also doing a little prune juice twice a day ( per the DR) I am thinking it might be this formula :(

Did the doctor prescribe the formula with iron? My best guess is the iron is the culprit. Also, why Good start? Due to the costs? Most physicians prescribe Similac or SMA , Enfamil (Infamil?)or other types of brands. Ask your doctor which he/she would recommend and definetly if little one does not need iron to NOT go with iron. I wouldn't give her prune juice or anything else unless the doctor advises it. At the same time, why not breastfeed full time and forego formula altogether? Please do discuss with your little one's doc. Take care, C.

my son was very constipated in the beginning. You can try different formulas to see what works best.. Soy will produce some pretty noxious diapers andgas! We tried it and it helped him more with his reflux than constipation.. keep using the Karo and if she is really backed up, try inserting a rectal thermometer (stand back and watch the show when you do that! LOL). Bicycle her legs, lots of massages from top of belly down to thighs and keep her legs moving. Iron will constipate though... good luck..

Hi,
I also had the same problem with my daughter who is now 2. I had called the doc and he told me that unless she hasn't gone for more than 3 or 4 day than she should be fine also something that I would do too was adding a little more water to the formula, or just giving her water, just a couple of oz. of water everyday until she adjusts to the formula! The water is good for them, so there wont be a problem with just plain water. Hope one of these works for you!

Ten to one its the formula, but look for one with low iron. Ask your pedi for samples, theres so many different ones to choose. You dr can also suggest one to help w/ the constipation versus giving syrup. Good luck.

My daughter is now 4 years old, and whenever I give her too much dairy, she gets bound up. I would talk to your doctor and see if your daughter may be lactose intolerant. If that is the case, a soy formula should help.

Hi S. -

Congrats on your new motherhood status (I'm in my 40's too - with a 15 month old son!) We gave Pete the Infamil Lipil AR (added rice); we had no problems with it, and he liked it better than the Nestle's. I don't think it has a lot of added iron (which can sometimes cause the problem you're experiencing), and the rice starch helped keep the formula down (we had a problem with projectile vomiting - so glad we're past THAT stage!!!)

Good luck!

B.

My 2 month old has the same problem - his doctor said that not to go with a lower iron formula though b/c it was more important for him to have the iron than to be consipated. I tried every single formula out there and honsetly none made a difference. The only thing that has helped at all is 1 oz of prune juice and 1 oz of water twice a day and when things get really bad, 1/2 teaspoon of karo syrup dissolved in 2 ozs of warm water. You can also talk to your doctor about the right size of glycerin suppositories.

I am a mother of two children, My daughter was 5lbs when she was born and I could not breast feed so I had to do formula. I know its a little more expensive but i would try the enfamil low iron formula thats what i did. My daughter was always constipated when i had her on the enfamil with iron.. The doctor told me to try the low iron she did do well on it. If she has a hard time pushing it out try holding her legs up closer to her stomach bending her knees that could also help.. You have to remember your daughter is getting enough iron with the breast milk so if you go formula with iron also it could mean shes getting to much iron. Good luck......Dont forget you can always ask your childs doctor..

Hi S.,
If you are going to feed you baby formula, I recommend feeding a high quality formula such as Baby's Only organic formula, made by Nature's Own. I used this for both my boys and neither ever had constipation problems while on this formula. I was unable to nurse and through reseach and talking with other moms in the same situation I found Baby's Only by Nature's Own to be the best choice. It is the next best thing to breast feeding. You can find it in Whole Foods, there's a soy formula and dairy based formula. Please check it out- even if are able to go back to nursing, it is a great product to know about if you need to ever use formula in the future.
Hang in there!
Best of luck!
L.

Hi S., My guess is that it is the Iron in the formula. Iron can be very constipating. Have you contacted your pediatrition? I'd call the pediatrician to see what he/she suggested. One other peice of information I can tell is that I've used Enfamil formula with Iron (not the soy based one). I liked the Enfamil. It seemed to work well.

Hi S.,

I am also a first time mom in my 40's and facing the constipation issue with my daughter although we did not put her on formula until around 6 months. I understand it is the iron in the formula that is the main culprit. I would first try giving her just some warm water to drink, this seemed to help. Also, try adding a little flaxseed oil (maybe 1/4 teaspoon) mixed into her formula once a day. This may give her system a little lubrication to work with. My daughter is now 27 months but still likes her formula (although diluted) as she has never taken to Cow's milk. I give her a does of the product MiraLax to help when she begins to have problems. As your daughter gets older make sure she drinks enough water and eats her fruits and vegetables.

Hi S.,
I had the same problem with my daughter. Is there a particular reason that she is on iron, because that is probably what is causing her consitpation or at least that was the reason for my daughter.

I also gave her the Kayro syrup. If I remember correctly it took a while but it eventually helped. I wish I coould offer more advise.

Good luck with your little one.

My son was very gassey and constipated when I switched to regular formula. We tried the Karo but I noticed that his sleep patterns were even worse than before we had switched (Hmmmm, too much sugar??) I then switched him to the Similac Soy (with no iron, as it increases the density of poop) and I changed bottles from the Avent to the Playtex Ventaire (he was older than your daugher is at that point, about three months). I also added mycelon (not sure of that spelling) drops to every other bottle for the gas.

Good luck! Motherhood is not for wimps!

It's the iron causing the constipation -- I went throough this with my son. Once I switched to a formula with a normal amount of iron, he was fine. As always though, talk to you're pediatrician if you are going to change formulas. Good luck!

Hi S., congrats on your little bundle of joy. From my own personel and my daughter's experiences, it's the Iron doing the constipation. It's horrible. Formula does normally do this but the Kayro should help, it did for my dauther. Try a formula that has the normal amount of Iron. Soy will do the complete opposite, but to the extreme. My daughter had tons of gas and discomfort with the soy, not fun. Also, my daughter drank watered-down prune juice to help with the constipation, I would talk to the Pediatrician 1st on that though. Good luck and enjoy. : )