Infrequent Bowel Movement 3 Month Old

HI! My son had the same issues when he was a newborn. He was mainly breastfed....100% breastfed 1st 3 months. When he got formula at daycare he would poop. It was nestle good start formula. Try that brand. It made him go A LOT! I did not want to give him juice at such a young age.

My son has the same problem. He is almost 4 mos old. I have been giving him 1-2 ounces of prune juice in his bottle per day.

I know this may sound weird (especially if you are a first time mom) but take her temperature rectally. It works like a charm!!! It just stimulates the natural muscles to do their job. I am a mom to 3 boys and had this problem with one of them. You can also add a little water to her formula....it will hydrate her more.

Hey Jennifer,
I second the rectal thermometer idea...My pediatricians office told me to do the same thing and it worked great...a little scary at first but it will stimulate her to go. Hope this helps!!
Meg :)

if the rectal temp doesn't work, you can try 2 TBS of brown sugar in 2oz of warm water.. this is what i gave my girls at 1 month old when they were constipated.. helped within a couple hours..

Jen, count your blessings, and keep track of what she is doing - that's one of the ways you'll know if she is sick.

I too had this question, only when my DS was 4 or 5 months. The doc said count your blessings and enjoy the respite from the messy diapers!

She is just digesting most of what she takes in, which is good for her, and you get the diaper-less dividend! Her body is able to make the most of your milk (when you start even water, it goes back to being more frequent, though not absolutely.)

DS is now on 2 meals of fruit/veggies and oatmeal a day, and he sometimes skips a day, sometimes has 2 a day. So that isn't so bad, either.

Good luck! and Good for you, questioning! :)

M.

PS: she isn't constipated! Just don't worry about what you're not seeing. She is constipated (if the doc didn't tell you yet) if it is hard or like a stiff paste (has shape).

Thermometer will do the trick, but generally, just wait for it. She'll do fine. So will you!

This is an old time remedy. I was to put a teaspoon of light caro syrup in my daughters bottle. After two feedings she finally had a bowel movement. Check with your doctor to see if this is still feasable.

My daugher had the same problem. The thermometer trick didn't work. We called the Pediatrician and they said to use a teaspoon of dark brown sugur for every 2 ounces of formula or breast milk. We did this and it started to work pretty quickly. The doctor said we could also us caro syrup but we didn't try that cause the brown sugar worked so good.

YES! I have had the exact same problem! I am also breastfeeding a 3 month old and supplementing with about the same amount of formula as you are. My daughter went 6 days and when I took her to the doctor's office, she pooped right after they took her temperature. Before that I had been giving her 1 TBSP of dark karo syrup 2 times per day and had been giving her warm baths and taking her temp rectally to try to stimulate her to go. Everything I've read says that breastfed babies poop less frequently because breastmilk does not produce as much "waste" as formula. My daughters stools were also soft so my doc told me not to worry. I've discovered that she goes in cycles where she poops once every day for like a week and then waits 5-6 days before pooping again. There are also glycerin suppositories that you can buy, but I've never used them. Hope this helps. I know what it feels like to be eagerly awaiting a good poop:)

My little one suffered from this as well. I would do a bit of rectal stimulation (either massage around the anus or take the temperature with a rectal thermometer). After that lay the baby on her back and push her legs back so her knees are toward her tummy. This always worked for us! Good luck!

My baby had problems about that age...I gave her a little water in a bottle, I moved her legs in a "bicycle" motion...with her on her back - that seemed to do the trick every time! Maybe some baby prunes wouldn't hurt?

HTH,
J.

PS...what does the ped say if he thinks it's not constipation? Oh, someone also told me a little sugar water could help...(I didn't use sugar for my daughter).

jennifer,
i dont agree w/ your ped on this not being constipation escpecially w/ your daughter having some formula. my peds always has me give my infants gerber pear juice mixed w/ their formula to help them go. they would have me add 1oz of juice to 2 oz of formula. just be prepared for an explosion in her diaper! the first time i did this with my almost 5 year old i was bathing him at 4am! hope this helps

My son is 5 months old, breastfed and pretty sporatic with his movements. There are days when he'll go 3-4 times a day, and then other times when he won't go for 4-5 days, or worse. I use a naturopathic pediatrician. She told me that something I'm eating is doing that to him and we are eliminating a few things out of my diet for a time to see if that helps. She also gave me some dairy free bifidus in powder form to give to him. Since you are supplementing with forumla, I bet you could just put some in his bottle. She has me giving my son 1/4 tsp. 2x a day. Since my son is just nursing, she said to put the 1/4 tsp in a little bowl (or leave it in the measuring spoon), and put it on my pinky and let him suck it off, repeat until he's had the 1/4 tsp.

Don't know if you can get bifidus where you are... If you have a health food store I'm sure you could find some.

Best wishes and happy pooping! :-)

YES! You are describing my daughter exactly up until recently (she is approximately 4 mos.). I actually took her to a GI scpecialist because she also has acid reflux. The GI was not concerned with the amount of days between bowel movements and said that it is expected for them to go longer between bowel movements when nursing as opposed to when they are exclusively formula fed. She said it could be up to 3 weeks!!! I have to say I have seen her become a more frequent pooper once I switched exclusively to formula. Anyway, I was giving her some fruit nectar mixed with water everyday to help her go, but the GI specialist said that would only keep it soft - not make her go, so I stopped that. The doctor also said that she would only get concerned when the bowel movement was hard and then I would need to give her Mylanta to soften it up. Needless to say - she is now pooping every other day, it is harder for her to go and sometimes painful so I am giving her Mylanta to help that and it looks like we are on a good track. As long as your child is not uncomfortable or cranky, and the bowel movement is soft, she just may go many days between bowel movements. If she is cranky - then you need to see a specialist to find the right solution. Hopefully she will grow out of it like my daughter did. Good luck!

My daughter had this issue as well. I not only did knees to tummy, but bicycling, and knees to one side then the other (these yoga twists stimulate the bowels too.) I made it fun, and my daughter loved it. As long as your little one isn't in any pain this will eventually change. Its easier when they start running around and getting excersise to stimulate their own movements. My daughter still only goes 3-4 times a week.

check with her Dr. first but try prune juice (an ounce or 2).
Good luck!
: ) J.

my 4 month old has a BM 2-3 times a day, my sisters 4 month old goes every 4-5 days, both EBF and mine daughter used to have gas all the time, but the last month hasnt, while my sisters baby still does and its stinky!!! all babies are different. keep in contact with the dr, and if she becomes concerned, go from there.i wouldnt worry, it is very rare to be truly constipated while breastfed(i know your daughter drinks that little bit of formula but for the most part is BF). i wouldnt think it was anything serious without any other symptoms. just dont confuse advise from formula fed moms as that time for formula fed would be more concerning. i wouldnt give her anything without your dr recommending, at 3 months and pretty much EBF, you could really upset her stomach.
but just so you know, when she does go, it will probaly be a messy one:) good luck.