I think that my two month old son is constipated (if it's not one thing it's another, isn't it?). He is EXTREMEMLY irritable which is very unlikely for him and has not made a bowel movement in about 24 hrs. His last one was very firm and almost like clay. My question is, what can I do for him? I can't give him juice because he is too young. Would water help? He is currently on Enfamil GentleEase formula...would a bottle of soy help any? He is just misserable! He has been crying off and on since two this morning and just can't seem to get comfortable. He is passing gas but nothing else. Thanks!
Hi Katie,
I know this can be frustrating I went through this with 2 of my kids. First try taking his temp rectally. It will force him to push and they usually poop during it. Another thing you can do is move his legs like he's riding a bike. That helps alot. If neither of those work.....get some Karo syrup the clear not the dark and put a tablespoon into his bottle. He'll be pooping in no time!! Good luck!!
Kim
Hi, Katie. My DD went through when she was about the same age. Her doctor discouraged me from using the Karo syrup.
I talked to my local Walgreens pharmasist and he told me to give her an infant suppository.
The first one I gave her, she pushed out a steel bar in about 1/2 a second. It took about a day-in-a-half to resolve the constipation but it worked like a dream.
Go to your local pharmacy and ask you pharmacist about an infant suppository. It should really help your little one.
OMG! Whatever you do, DON'T give him SOY. That is the worst thing ever. My daughter was on that for a week and it was awful. The bm's got real runny and they smelled so bad it was enough to clear a room. They had to take the kids outside at daycare for a walk after she pooped. She had to be put on Nutramigen after that. You should ask your ped. about that kind. It's Enfamil and it works wonderful. You need an rx for it though if you have WIC.
DO NOT give him Karo syrup. It's in the same category as honey. It's a HUGE no no for kids under 1. There's something in it that can cause botulism in kids. You could try a gently tummy massage. Just make sure to always rub the belly clockwise. That's the direction the intestines go in. If you rub counterclockwise you can make the problem worse. You can also use the flat of your palm and rub downward from the sternum to the pubic area. I took some wonderful massage classes when my dd was an infant. It's totally safe to do on children of any age.
A warm bath and a stomach massage. Make sure the warm water comes up to his belly button. Let him play ans soak for a little bit, then lay him on his back on a towel and massage his belly, you can even try bicycling his legs. You basically want to gently squish his intestines to get whatever it blocking him up moving again.
This worked for me, I hope it works for you.
Fortunately you won't need a prescription for Nutramigen - you can buy it at Target, BRUs, etc.
Try Gripe Water. It's a great remedy we used for our son for all kinds of stomach issues. Not sure if Walgreens has it yet, but an herbalist or vitamin shop should carry it. I think there are now a couple brands on the market as it seems to be becoming more popular here in the States (it's been used for ages in Europe). If you can't find it locally, order it online at smallflower.com (or you can call them; they're a great resource)
Don't give him soy formula, it is constipating.
Hi Katie,
I had the same problem with my son, at about the same age (2 months). I could see him straining to try and have a BM, then crying because it hurt. I called my pediatrician and she told me to give him prune juice mixed with water. I suggest 2 parts water to 1 part prune juice. It worked great.
Good luck!
Cathy J
I second Gripe Water....it works wonders. Great for tummy problems and teething. I used it for my daughter who is now 4 and am using it for my 6 month since he was a month old. You can buy it at Walgreens.
Good luck
Try a Tablespoon of clear Karo syrup in the bottle of formula or in 4 oz. of baby water. Give it some time to work. NO, it will NOT cause any side effects, unless your baby is diabetic. Just don't abuse this remedy (as anything else). Baby suppositories work well too. Good luck. From a "Grammie" in Crown Point, In.
FYI-My 3 week old was on soy for the first 2 weeks of his life. I experienced similar irritability as you are with your 2 month old. Mine has a bowel movement about every 2 days. I spoke with my doctor about this and he said that the soy formula tends to "bind" babies up and put him on Similac Sensitive. So...not sure if it is true for all...but my doctor thought the soy was the problem.
As gross and aweful as it sounds lub up a thermometer and insert (yeah there) it sometimes manually forces the "pooty" out. It is a natural instict.
Stephanie B.
EMT
Talk to your doctor about giving him a little bit of prune juice watered down. This helped my son when he was two. Be very careful about not letting the constipation go for too long. I know that I let it go for too long, my son is currently 9 and has to take daily doses of Miralax for the next year. Because he was colicky and constipated from the time he was born until age 2 1/2, his intestine grew and now his bowel movements are quite large. Doctors say that this isn't normal, so we have to shrink his intestine down to a normal size. He's been on Miralax for about a year and it's working, but it's quite costly. I would try the prune juice watered down - but ask your doctor first if this is ok.
Chris K
[email protected]
Have you tried doing tummy massaging to help his digestive system flow? Start at the right hip and work your way up his right shoulder across to his left shoulder and back down to his left hip. This follows the flow of the digestive system. When my daughter (now 6months) was trying to go, I would give her a tummy massage and then push her knees into her chest, now I do the massage every night before bedtime as part of her wind-down routine. If you are B/F you may want to avoid dairy, if I have to use formula I use Nurtragimen, the powder is broken down than most and is easier to digest. I would not do soy formula, too much bad info out there on them. Good luck.
A bottle of Water with Karo syrup. He is old enough for it. He is also old enough for watered down juice bottles...Water always helps constipation!! Karo is a natural laxative for babies. Next time do not wait until this point, when he has the clay like stool, give him a Karo bottle:) He will love the sweetened water! Just do not give them to him all the time, it is not good for them.
I have three children 18 (in the navy) 16 ( social butterfly) and 6 ( our little wild man ) I used Karo bottles on all three of them!!
I put 3-4 tsp in an 8 oz bottle.
Good Luck!!
just use a lubricated themometer into the rectum and sometimes that gets things going. otherwise use 1 oz a prune juice in am and pm.
My son is 6 months old and at about the same age we had an issue. The Pediatrician suggested using vaseline around the opening of his rectum and to use a Q-tip. I actually did this ONE time and within 30 minutes there was a stool. I mixed white grape juice 50/50 with water and warmed it up and gave that to him (2 oz). It worked the next day. When we introduced baby food we had the same problem and once he has some of the 50/50 juice we are OK. Good Luck and I hope this helps.
Hey Katie,
You're right. He is REALLY little to be giving him much. What I'd do is make sure he is getting plenty of fluids (formula). The more hydrated he stays the better.
What I might recommend works quite well for my collicky 3 month old. I use a palmful of almond oil and a drop or two of lavender oil and massage his belly (the lavender is very soothing). When you rub, do it in a clockwise motion (That is you are starring down looking at him and its YOUR clockwise, not his). After that, lay him down and push his knees into his chest, then stretch them out. Repeat this. You can also take his legs and put them together, push them against his belly and rub in a clockwise motion as well. Give it a wing. I've had a lot of success moving air. My little boy has not been constipated. But gas hurts just the same, and your moving the same pipes. :) I also saw where someone recommended Gripe Water. I love the stuff personally!! Use it ALL the time!
You could also try a little rectal stimulation. Not the most exciting thing to do in your day... I know. But, if you check his temperature rectally, sometimes that will trigger peristalsis (contraction of the smooth muscle in the bowel). Might work.
Last ditch effort, if it has been more than say 3 days and he's absolutely miserable, obviously consult your doctor. But they make glycerin suppositories for children. Check with your pharmacist. It's not the most pleasant thing, but it typically induces a bowel movement fairly quickly. Best of luck to you!!
Jaime