Daughter Having Trouble Pooping

Hi S., my 6 month old has had the same problem and it is the oatmeal cereal. It can be very binding. I went back to feeding him just rice cereal and lets just say that everything is now coming out fine :) I still feed him oatmeal every couple of days for breakfast but not every day. Hope this helps! Good luck.

Hi S.,

I had the same issues and it just tore my heart out watching her strain, her little face would get red and tears would form in her eyes. I hated that! My doctor 'poo poo'd' me about my concerns and advised fruit even though my daughter (not unlike me) is not a fruit fan. I take Benefiber to help me with my own problems and asked him if that would be ok for her. He said it was so I give her about a teaspoon mixed in water per day. This has helped quite a bit. I can only assume that each child is different and more or less may be needed. Also at that time, I took my little one off of all solid foods and strictly breastfed her for an entire day just to get the pipes working in her again. That helped too. Finally, my awesome baby book suggests foods that start with a "P" such as prunes, pears, pees, (this is all I can remember off the top of my head).

Best of luck to you and you're little one!! A.

Hi S.,
My youngest had this problem, it went on for far to long unfortunatly. We found out that it was dairy products all kinds that bound him, rice, bananas and apples. I was shocked about the apples, the doctor told me it has the reverse effect on small children then it does on adults or older kids. he said anything that started with a P would do the trick. Pears, prunes, pinapple and porcupines, no wait...
Dev was impacted when I took him to the E.R. and we had to wait it out. Do not give her any kind of laxative, her system is still too fragile and these can be very harsh and cause severe pain in craming and gas. Be careful how much iron she gets in her diet as well.
Dev is fine now, so long as I introduce dairy in small amounts and follow up with fiber in bread and cereals, juices and what not. He is also mindful of all this as he remembers the trip to the E.R.
Good luck
W.

S.,
My son has issues also. I started giving him some flaxseed oil (mixed in some yogurt) every day and that seemed to help when he was about your daughters age (the oil will loosen her stools). He now takes Cod liver oil daily and loves it. He is currently 2yrs old. If I forget to give it to him 2-3 days in a row he has constipation issues again. Hope this helps. J.

Another thing that binds kids up sometimes is bananas. You are on the right track, but maybe you can limit the iron-fortified cereals a little more and limit bananas a little if she eats them too. Strawberries and blueberries are good for moving things along as well as the prune juice (and apples some too). Also, is your daughter drinking much water yet? Adding more water may help too.

I massage my son's tummy when he tells me it 'hurts' or I notice that he's "bound-up"... IF you do this, make sure you use a safe oil (like a virgin olive oil - so it is safe for them... baby lotions have too much mineral oils that actually blocks the moisture barrier on the skin/ clogs the pores.) You want to lightly massage in a 'clock-wise' fashion... starting from the ribs, making big circles... (you are encompassing the whole belly here, take it down to the diaper area!) Make the circle smaller all the way to the belly button... Like you are making a "Snail's Shell" design almost...

Make sure you allow enough time to pass after eating, also (like an hour - to two...). Great for relaxing at bedtime. My little one loves and requests it.

This really seems to help unblock alot of things for them. Call if you need any help. Sometimes working the feet in the middle of the foot works wonders, also - but there's more to the technique to clear it just right than can be explained clearly! ;)

It's a great way to do things without resorting to other stuff.

Hi S.,

Have you tried Gerber Prunes? My 10 mo. old son has to have them every morning, or he will not poop either. He resisted at first, but now he loves them. If I start his day with anything else, he has a fit. Try it...

C.

A friend of mine has a son with the same problem. Her pediatrician put him on Miralax and he's like a new kid. You can get it over the counter too! My daughter also had the same problem when she was older and I got her Magnesium drops after reading alot about it on the internet. They helped alot, but I don't know about using that on an 8 month old. Hope this help! :)

pear juice and pears will help her poop.

dont give her rice cereal or bananas as they are binding..

she can have alittle bit of water to drink that will help also.

A lot of children, after breast feeding are allergic or can't tolerate milk or wheat. Try substituteing for this see if this works. A.

Our youngest was always getting constipated like this, we were told initially by the dr. to use a glycerian suppository (I apologize for my spelling) or to "take her temperature" - all of these made her want to push them out and would help her poop. The suppository also worked like a laxative (which it was supposed to), only use a very small portion though on one that young. The down side to how often we had to use it - she forgot how to poop on her own (that's how the dr. put it) so we always had to help her. The next trip to the dr. resulted in us throwing away the suppository's and forcing her to learn how to go on her own. It was painful to watch, but she figured it out. I don't know what changed at that point, but we didn't have a problem after that. It might have been that as she got older, her body adjusted to all the iron. She had reflux so we had her on formula and baby cereal (rice only) at 2 weeks old just so she would keep down her feedings - plus two meds. I would recommend seeking the advice of your dr. as well, that way they can note it in her chart, tell you what to do, and follow up at the next visit.

Bran muffins.

Sounds like she might need some more fiber in her diet or you need more in yours. When my daughter hadn't pooped in a few days I would make a batch of home made bran muffins, I would eat one and give her a half of one... she would poop and get it all out. She had issues with the cereal too so I stopped giving it to her, we gave her a variety of other foods she is getting most of her nutrients from you so don't worry about that part.

L.

My daughter is 16 months old and I have been very fortunate not to have the issue that you are referring to. I have found that if I mix prune baby food with her cereal that she does go poop more often. I actually gave her some prune baby food this morning and she is has pooped 5 times today. I figured I would mention it to you because it can't hurt to try. I hope this helps your little one.

S.

Hi S.,

I have a 9 month old daughter and she has had problems with constipation since birth. I have been mixing 1 tablespoon of prune juice into 2 bottles per day. Since you are breastfeeding, maybe you could mix it into her cereal. I've found though that you have to do it everyday. You can't just give it to her for a couple of days to clear it up and then stop. It's an ongoing things, but 2 tablespoons per day seems to do the trick for my little girl.

Hi S.,
My daughter also had a very hard time with her bowel movements. I would make sure there is no bleeding. My daughter had a "weblike" growth about an inch inside her anus. The doctor broke through the "web" (for lack of a better word) and everything was much better. I would talk with your pediatrician about your daughter...I'm sure they would want to know...straining so can't be good for her. Good Luck!

2-4 oz of apple juice did the trick for my boys when they got backed up. As she is laying on her back exercise her legs in a circularr motion as if she's riding a bike. The movement will help, too. Good luck - S.

Two of my three children experienced extreme constipation. We used the Dark Karo syrup as well, or you can use brown sugar in water.

HI S.,

The same thing happened to my children as well. Are you using the low iron formula? I had to with my children and that helped. Do you every give her water? Also, good bacteria Acidophilus/bifidus) helps. Right now it sounds like she has a build up of bad bacteria in the colon. Getting the good bacteria in the colon will help the stool as well as her immune system.

The raw fruits will help, staying away from bananas which can bind her up. Are you taking prenatals? The iron in the prenatals may bind her up as well, since you arew breast feeding.

If you have any questions about this information, you can contact me at ____@____.com a great day!

M.

Dark Karo. I know it sounds like a wive's tale but it has worked for my kiddos. Put a Tbs or so in EVERYthing she drinks and even in the cereal. Doc says that the sugar stays in their gut and won't cause them to consume excess calories. Give it a shot, even if it doesn't work for your baby, it's harmless to try.

On a side note, my middle son has to be on Miralax daily because his constipation just never improved once he started real food.

Good luck to you!
~L.

Hi, i found that introducing canned black beans (like Meijer store brand) with NO flavorings help a lot. drain and rinse well, and heat them gently by filling a coffee cup full of hot water and letting the beans sit a few minutes until soft and warm. My kids still love them, and they have never been constipated. Great healthy snack at any time of their life. That was one of their first "real" foods at about 8 months. another bonus--she can eat these herself without a big mess.