Sorry in advance if this is TMI, however, if I can't ask here, where can I? :) My 7 month old daughter is having a very difficult time passing bowel movements. I feel like she spends an hour trying to force out a very compacted and small poop. The size of a grape. She does this numerous times in a day and her bottom is irritated because of it. My son was, and still is, quite the opposite. I've called my pediatrician for advice and they suggested putting prune juice in her formula, but said that the formula I'm using and/or what I am feeding her isn't the issue. It is just her body. Do any of you have other suggestions for nutrition other than prunes? It doesn't seem to be enough.
Well, well, well! I received such wonderful suggestions, Thank You. We added an ounce of prune and/or pear juice to her morning bottle, and added a jar of prunes during the day and voila! she is back to normal. It just had to take a bit to begin working, I guess. But, the floodgates have opened up! Man! Have they! We went down to visit my family yesterday and while my mother and I were at the store grabbing some things, that is when the girl decided she needed to "let go." We got back and came into the living room to find my father holding my daugher at arm's length, and she was wearing my baby sister's "Misfits" tee shirt around her little body... they couldn't locate the diaper bag. Ha ha ha! such a sight. Between the two of them, (my father and my 22 year old sister), I think they have changed 3 diapers in their lives... and that is after having 7 children himself... Thanks again for all the suggestions. Fortunately, we didn't have to resort to any extra medications.
I would go ahead and try the prune juice. My daughter, who will be 4 this month, had similar issues when she was an infant and we put 1 oz. of prune juice in her first bottle of the day for months and months. She is now perfectly fine and goes #2 regularly.
Good luck!
Hi J.! This is from a few years ago, my daughter is now 15. When she was experiencing similar problems the doctors had me add Karo syrup to her formula and it fixed the problem! Don't remember if it was a teaspoon or tablespoon. Maybe you could ask your peditrician and they can give you more info.
Good Luck! M.
Both of my children (ages 2.5 and 1) have had similar problems since BIRTH. They have been followed closely by a gastroenterologist due to the severity of it. They were both taking prescription MIRALAX since shortly after they were born. It is now sold over the counter. That is how safe it is. There is nothing harmful or addictive about it - you can add a small amount of MIRALAX in her bottle and it will make a world of difference. You can ask your pediatrician if you arent comfortable with the idea, but both of my children were in such discomfort and this mild form of a laxative has helped them both emensly. Best of luck!!!
You can use any kind of juice or fruit at 7 mos, just make sure you water it down. Pears are a good laxative too. You could also try giving her lots of water throughout the day. If you're dehydrated, you can also get constipated. I know there are laxatives out there for kids too.
We had that problem for several months with out son and in the end decided it was the formula. He got reflux from Similac so we switched to Enfimil and had no problems. My parents would keep formula at their house and always got the Target brand because it was cheaper and whenever we used it at home he would be really constipated. In the end we switched to Nestles Good Start and didn't have any problems after that. We tried the juice and it never really worked for us. Also, we would give him some of the Little Remedies gas drops from time to time and it seemed to get rid of the gas which in turned helped him go better. I hope you find a solution that works for you!
They tell us that iron does not cause constipation, However....we as moms know better. Similac has a formula that is low iron(maybe other brands also) I would try switching to a low iron formula. Give prune juice--diluted(i.e. 2 oz. juice & 2 oz. water). You can also add 1 TBLS of dark karo syrup to formula. My dd is 6 mo. and a breast fed baby until recently. I have just started some formula and baby food. I noticed a difference when she ate sweet potatoes--her stools were very soft. Another idea is pear juice. Some of our children have really responded to that other did better with prune.
My nephew is 8 months and he has had a terrible time with his bowels. My sister started sitting him on the potty when he started acting like he was trying to go. Now he whines, whimpers and she takes him to the potty and he goes(at 8 months) I can't believe it. He still wets in his diaper.
PM me if you would like or want to bounce some more ideas around.
God bless!
S.
HI
I would try putting a little Flax Seed Powder in either her formula or mix it in with her cereal or babyfood.. whatever you are giving her...It works like a charm with my 3. I sprinkle it on whatever I am giving them... it keeps them all regular and their stool soft. You can get it at Trader Joes or Whole Foods. Good luck!
One of my kids did the same exact thing!!!We too ended up at a pediatric gastro- doc and gave us miralax. Which someone said before is over the counter, VERY SAFE, and tasteless.Even now at 7 years old we still use it whenever we need too.It's really great.Other suggestion is going to a natural food store, they have all kinds of kid stuff that is very safe and effective.
J.,
My daughter had the same problem. I was also told by my dr that it was not the formula but I changed her from the regular similac to the soy formula and it made a diffrence. It started again when she began eating baby food so we put 1 oz of prune juice in her fist bottle of the day. It is just enough that she does not have to strain and she has one big poo a day and not a bunch of little ones. So I would suggest changing her formula and/or prunes even if they do not seem to be working right now. I hope you find something that helps your daughter! R.'
Try Nestles Good Start they are for sensitive babies. I had to put my youngest on this after her surgery.
Apple juice, White Grape juice, prune juice.... I used to get the green grapes and pill the skin off of them and feed them to my kids. pears are a wonderful fruit that will help clean the system out.
I agree with the posting on the Iron... Lower the Iron and you might be okay.
Mylcon drops (sp) in the formula 3-5 drops in an 8 oz bottle works wonders also.
Good luck... If you feel like there is something wrong and your doc says "aww the baby is fine." Just remember Mothers know there babies better than anyone!! I had to deal with a doc telling me everything was okay with my lil' girl at the age of 6 1/2 weeks old. She spent a week in the hospital and then had a major surgery done!
Stick to your guns!! If you feel that your child is sick or something is just not right bug the heck out of those doctors!!! I did and it saved my babies life!! :o)
Water is always a good thing for lil' ones. People forget to just give them straight water.
Good Luck!!
Hi, J. --
I'm a "firm" believer in prunes :) They're one of my daughter's favorite snacks, starting from around age 1 (though, of course, you have to make extra sure there's no pit in there, since they are sometimes missed during processing!). She's as regular as can be.
One thing I NEVER thought of when she was in her first year was the importance of water! I was so fixated on breastfeeding and not giving her juices and overly sweet things that it did not occur to me that she might sometimes just be thirsty and not hungry. Liquids are, of course, an essential component of good elimination, so I'd make sure your daughter's not low in hydration.
And, hey, don't ever be wary about sharing TMI. Excreting is a part of everybody's life! It's awful that she's having such a hard time of it. I hope things improve soon. I think the prune juice will be GREAT!
H.
It's just her body...but we are what we eat. We have a similar problem and our pediatrician said we can give 2-4 oz./day of any fruit juice except white grape juice. You could also try giving 2-4 oz/day of water. Good luck.
Hi,
I've had constipation problems with my 4 year old since she was a week old. One thing that really really helps is Karo Syrup, light, mix about a 1/2 tsp to a teaspoon with her bottle. This has always worked. Don't put it in very bottle though, try one, if that doesn't help in a couple of hours, try another. No more than that though or you will be up to your elbows in yuck!! (know this from experience) You might want to ask the pediatrician about milk of magnesia too. It is very safe and what the body needs anyway. They even give it to newborns in the nurseries I've been told. I hope these work for you. Karo is very safe, I always recomment asking the doc before you give MOM, just to be safe. Hope this helps!! It's not TMI, it's a problem a lot of Mom's deal with. If you don't ask, you never know!! Good Luck,
L.
