Constipation - Irving, TX

More water always helps, and I was given colace drops for my child, only she was walking, so that much older, but the Dr. said her last intestine was secreating too much water, was what was making her bowls so hard, and that she didn't need a laxative, just this stool softner that kept the last intestine from secreating too much water, an that did the trick, she was o.k.

Mineral oil or Miralax works wonders. You need to use either one on a consistent basis. Miralax is a tasteless powder you can put in any liquid. Mineral oil will help get you moving, but I wouldn't use it long term, only about a week.

Water is good too, lots of water, it keeps things from binding up. Good luck!

I was always told by my pedi to add prune juice to some water. It worked everytime! I would dilute it 2 parts water to 1 part juice. Then, you can make it stronger as needed. It is a lot safer than using the medications. I've learned that adding new foods can irritate the stomach as well. Whatever you do don't give him rice cereal because it causes constipation too. The poor little guy may have developed an allergy to the formula. I hope any of this helps! I know how frustrating it is when they are so little and you feel so helpless.

Warm Regards,
C.

Ask your doctor about adding some milk of magnesia (sp?) to his formula. My pediatrician told me to try adding some to my sons bottle when he was about a year old. I was adding karo syrup to his formula but my dr. told me there is a risk of botchalism (sp?) same reason you don't give babies honey. The milk of magnesia worked. Another to try is Miralax. Its a powder you would add to juice or formula that is a non-stimulant laxative. Again ask your doctor before using it with your 4 month old. Hope your little man gets some relief and bless your heart having to see him go through this.

I feel your pain. My daughter has had the same problem since she was an infant. She just turned 4 and the only thing that helps her is Miralax. She saw a Cook Childrens specialist: Nicholas Ogunmola, pediatric gastroenterology - ###-###-####, 750 8th Ave., #200, Fort Worth, TX 76104 (I think he has a Hurst office now) and that was what he recommended. I used to get it by prescription, but now you can buy it over the counter. Also, I have been giving her "Plum Smart". You can buy it in the juice section. It works great and it taste good too! Not like prune juice. I tried to wean her off of Miralax 7 months ago and she ended up in the ER because she was totally impacted. Not a fun visit. Be aware that they can get fissures from constipation and or diarrhea. It is very painful and my little on got one when she was only 9 months old. It truly traumatized her for years. I realize that it may seem harsh to give a natural laxative to a child, but I tried everything and it was a better alternative then watching my baby suffer with pain.

Best of Luck to you.

We have had the same problem with my daughter who is now 2. And she has been on Miralax since she was 6 months old it works wonders... Also prune juice and water work really well.

It's the solid foods that are contributing to the constipation, as is the formula if it's milk based. Babies digestive systems as a rule cannot handle solids until 6 months of age, though many moms choose to start earlier, most have problems. In addition, cow's milk is very h*** o* their system and very constipating. Have you tried a soy formula? Or better yet, a breast milk bank if you are unable to breast feed? Another thing that will work is to mix baby acidophilus into their formula as that will help get things moving in the intestines.

S. I have 2 remedies for you. You make the choice. 1. good old fashion Caro syryp try 1 Tablespoon in his mix of formula (not per bottle) monitor his bowel movement and you can increase of decrease based on what you see. It may take a few days for you to see results since he's so constipated. Try not to put more that 2 tablespoons in his in his batch of formula. 2. You can buy castor oil and rub it in his soft spot in the top of his head and the bottom of his feet. These are two areas that are open to his body. that will help with his bowel movements as well. These remedies have been passed down for years and years from my mother and grandmother. Doctors will tell you no but I have not seen or heard of it harming anybody, these are natural remedies that work. Anything is better than a drug that going to cause possible trauma to his throat and possible long term damage to his esophagus. I used it when my daughter was a baby and she had the same issues and she was fine. You may also want to give them more water or pedialyte to help them as well. Please let me know if this works for him or them. Good Luck T. G.

Hi S.,
We had the same problem with my 1st daughter. She went 10 days without have a bowel. Like you, we tried everything. What worked the best is using prune juice instead of water when I mixed her formula. If it was 4oz of water to 1 scoop I would do 1oz of prune juice and 3oz water. You can also use a teaspoon of mineral oil in every bottle. It got the to point where I would only give her the prune juice mixture 1 or 2 times a day. Definately in the morning and sometimes before bed so she would hopefully have a bowel movement in the morning. The suppositories didn't work for us. Another idea that tons of people are raving about is the Natural Cellular Defense from Waiora. Give him 2-3 drops 2-3 times a day and you will see amazing results. You can to go http://my.waiora.com/products/ to see the products if you don't know of a distributor. I wish this was out 10 years ago when my daughters were little. Let me know if you have any questions.

Sorry to hear your four month old is constipated. My son didn't poop one day. I checked on the internet and found that you rub the tummy starting at the navel and make outward circles bigger and bigger moving clockwise. Also, they suggested apple juice and right after he drank it he pooped. The difference is that he was much older, 17 months. He never had any problems before that and I never gave him food before 6 months. So I know I'm not much help-but maybe try the massage.

Hello S.,

perhaps you need to switch to a milk-free formula. I just posted this link a few minutes ago. Read on... Milk sometimes does NOT do the body good....

http://www.google.com/search?q=milk+%2B+constipation&...

Good luck!
~C.~

I have been told to use a rectal thermometer which might stimulate sonething for him to go.

My first thought is that at 4 months, maybe he's not doing well on the food and should stick with formula only. Most Drs. suggest waiting until 6 months to try solids. It wasn't clear from your post if he started with when he started food or if it just started happening, but I would stick to formula only and see if that is better. If it is, maybe he's just not ready for solid foods yet! My 6 month old didn't do well on Rice cereal at 5 1/2 months even though he was showing all the signs of being ready for solids. I waited a few weeks and then tried again and finally went to oatmeal for his first food...he's now doing great. Just remember that when they start solids, their body has to adjust to digesting this new thing.

S.,
I understand your pain. My daughter went through the same exact thing as a baby. You may need to push more fluids. Water helps a great deal along with all that you may be already doing. Good luck. I will be praying for the little one.

My little one went through the same thing. I was told by her pediatrician to use Baby Lax for each age group. Do you think maybe you started using the cereal a little early?

I gave her cereal around the same age as your baby and I noticed the bowel movements decreasing. I stopped the cereal and waited until much later to start with the cereal. I felt it was a little too much on her digestive system.

When I did start the cereal again, I mixed it with applesauce and that seemed to work. Also, eating too many bananas can constipate the little ones too.

I hope you are able to find a resolution.

Jecookie

Increase the amount of prunes you give him. I would double it if not more.

Hey S. the best thing for constipation in infants is Karo syrup. Go the store and get you a small bottle of the white kind and put a little bit in there formula when you feed them. I don't know why or how it works, but it does. All of my kids had problems when they were babies. It won't hurt them or anything. As far as giving them more baby food go for it, mine were having it by the time they were 2 months old. They are healthy today.

I hope this helps you in your time of peril.

What type of formula are you using? The iron can cause constipation, so you may want to start using a low iron version. As for baby food, at four months you have probably just started introducing baby foods, so probably put more of your focus on fruits that promote bowel movements (no bananas!). I have to agree w/you on not giving your baby the prescribed medicine . . . I believe there are natural laxatives that would be safer. And I wouldn't wait until next month's doctor appointment . . . make an appointment now and be insistent that this problem needs to be addressed. Seven days is too long . . .

You can try the refrigerated probiotic Culturelle sold cold from refrigerator in health food stores like Herb Mart, Whole Foods & Sprouts, also Abrams Royal Pharmacy. You can pour out the powder (maybe start with 1/2 capsule daily) and mix with a little formula or water.
When my son was about 12 mos old, he was constipated for 7-10 days and I tried other probiotics that did not work.
This one worked within 1-2 days.
This website tells you about it. Keep it in your frig.

http://www.culturelle.com/about_culturelle/how_to_take_an...

My son also went through a little constipation "phase" when he was about the same age. My dr. recommended a suppository, but I don't remember now what it was. I know I got it at CVS. It worked great! I nursed my son at the time, and it was right before we started solids. It didn't last long, and never had a problem after starting solids.

Is he taking iron supplements or drinking formula with iron? It can cause constipation. None of my children ever got so bad, but we did occassionally use glycerin suppositories. They usually work pretty well and don't have any side effects. Good luck.

hi S., i know this is going to sound weird and kind of gross, but my son was exactly like that. my inlaws are from india and are believers of weird things..at least that we would feel weird about...but i will say it worked great. my son would just be so uncomfortable each night and we would walk with him for hours soothing him..he was gassy but couldnt pooh. so my sister in law told us to heat mustard oil and dip a q-tip in it and put it up his butt a little ways...basically to oil the passage..lubricate it if you will..i will say as gross as it was...it worked everytime. it may help! good luck...and congrats on your double blessings.

Hey there. My daughter has constipation issues also. Her pediatrician told us to give 2 oz of prune juice (not diluted). She also said to feed Oatmeal (I mix with apple juice) and then add half a jar/cup (Gerber) of prunes for breakfast. She almost always poops after her prunes and oatmeal. IF for some reason she seems to still have problems and hasn't pooped by mid day I give her the prune juice too. Dont feed the prunes/prune juice in the evening, it may upset his sleep. It doesn't hurt to give the glycerin suppositorys any time you think he is constipated. They just "grease the pipes". When you insert it you have to get it a good ways in there, not just barely put it in and you have to hold his cheeks together for about one minute.
good luck!

Hi S. -

So much information. I read about 30 and didn't see anyone mention this:
castor oil applied EXTERNALLY. About 1 tsp should be enough for an infant. Rub in your hands to warm it up, then rub on the navel in a clockwise direction.

Good luck!

Hi S., You should try giving him several oz. of water throughout the day. Try giving him fruit from a jar rather than juice sometimes there is too much sugar in juice & that can constipate. I know this sounds really strange but try a couple of oz. of chocolate milk. Don't know why but this helped my little ones.
Good luck & God bless.

Try this: Take about a 1/4 cup of grapeseed oil (you can buy it in the oils section at Tom Thumb and probably other stores) and mix it with 2-3 drops of Chamomile oil (you can get this at a health food store). Every time you change his diaper, massage his stomach with two fingers. Starting on his right side by the hip/thigh joint, rub in a clock-wise circular motion up to the bottom of the ribs, over to the left side, and back down with some pressure (certainly not enough to hurt). The grapeseed oil penetrates the skin carrying the chamomile down into the bowels to relax and lubricate; and of course, the massage helps things keep moving. My son had terrible constipation, but after I started doing this every time I changed his diaper, he quit having problems. I did it until he was about a year old. Good luck!

Check out my website: www.discoverlimu.com/jcarden.
Original Limu is a seaweed in a bottle and does seem to help with bowel movements as well as so many other great things. It is a superfood that gives the body the nutrients it needs to take care of itself. It is a vegetable from the ocean and it's great for newborns to mature people. Fucoidan is the main ingredient in the plant and has over 730 studies done by independent researchers. See www.pubmed.org and type in fucoidan/(whatever medical problem you want.)
Hope you'll check it out for your whole family
J.

omg! that poor child. my son went through this at the same age and at four months i started him on fruits. try one fruit a week to make sure there is no allergic reaction. mix 8oz of water and apple juice warmed. this helped my child poop. also, try putting a drop of dark karo syrup in every bottle. this will help i promise! its used for cooking so its not going to hurt him if a drop is in there. i didn't do any of the dr.s meds b/c of the side affects. use the home remedies that have worked for our mothers and so on. i promise that if you try this it will work! i didn't do it at first when my aunts and my mother in law told me to and i wish i had b/c my son started pooping after i did. it will go away. also cereal usually has something to do with constipation. keep in mind that even though at four months, your child is small he's growing and bottles alone wont fill his needs for food. i would def start thinking about jars of fruits. good luck and i hope your son feels better!!!

My son had the same problem at about that age - he was only breastfed - but would strain so much he would vomit. He was on Lactulose 3-4 x a day - he is 9 and still deals with chronic constipation - he is seeing a specialist now -

4 months seems a little young for baby food?? There are other natural remedies I would try first.

J.

Switch formulas!

We had this problem too and it's so painful for the little ones!! We switched formulas - we tried soy and nestle good start (both worked great at getting things moving!). I think we settled with Good Start because she liked it better, but when she went to milk (at 12 mths old) she got constipated again - so we used soy milk which, again, got things moving. She never had a problem after we switched formulas.

Best of luck!!

Does the formula you're using have iron added? That could be the problem, I don't know why but iron can cause constipation.....I would think if you give him some prune juice it would help for sure in a day or 2.....please consider changing formulas, it could be the iron or it could be an intolerance to the type you're using....perhaps try soy or gentlease formulas....good luck to you hon, twin boys on your own, I'll pray for you!

Miralax is a powder that helps with constipation and it is available without a prescription, but I would talk to the doctor about it before giving a 4 mo old anything. I am so sorry for you that you are dealing with this. It is so hard to see the little one in pain and not know how to ease it. Good luck.

If you are feeding cereal, STOP until this problem subsides.

Give baby apples. Apples are a regulator. If you can't poop, they help. If you have diarrhea, they help.

I hope it helps. :o)

Blessings,

P. <><

S.,

When my 19 month old son was around six months old he would get constipated at times and my grandmother told me an old wives tale that worked everytime. You get a bar of soap and cut off a sliver, about the length of your pinky and alittle skinner too. You use it like a suppository, but just probe the anal area a few times. Be sure to get the piece of soap wet enough to go in gently. After a few times of probing, no more than a minute or two, put the diaper back on and within a few minutes get ready for the diaper to be filled. I know it sounds so uncomfortable, but it really worked. I did ask my pediatrician about it and she said the samething would work with a rectal thermometer. I never had to take my son to the dr. for constipation because this always worked. I did this everytime he went more than three days without going. Shortly after I switched him from the rice cereal to the oatmeal cereal which seemed to make a difference.

Firstof all, God bless you for surviving this long with twins as a single parent! I also have twin boys who are now 7 months. I used glycerin suppositories-cut longways into 1/4ths- insert just 1/4th of it rectally and waited less than an hour for his bowels to finally move. My guy was only2 months so we didnt try baby food but did try different formulas and ended up using Similac Alimentum which kept his stools regular and soft plus helped with his reflux. At 6 months we were able to switch to "regular" formula. Lots of moms said try Karo syrup but the doc said it can contain something that can make them really sick, especially before they are less than 1 yr. Good luck- it really does get easier every week. You are doing a great job I am sure and you will all survive somehow!

Are they on formula or are you nursing?? If formula, maybe you need to switch formula?? My child was constipated and I switched formulas and she was fine. God Bless!

I agree that you should start with changing the formula, not starting solids. Your dr. should have given you a sample of a new formula to try. Argh...change pedi's!

Ask you dr. if you can use Pedi-Lax for those 30 minute struggles in the meantime. It for 2-5 yr. olds, but it's glycerine to lube it up and help it out and when my son is crying and pushing, I put that in (NOT a suppository, but a liquid you squirt to lube it up) and it helps ease it out within a couple of minutes. That's my emergency help only when he's crying and pushing and struggling. Again...ask the dr. first since it's not for babies , but there are exceptions.

I have used Milk of Magnesia in the past per the pedi and they have to recommend how much to use since this is not for babies either. Now I've switched to the Mirilax everyone has mentioned b/c you can't taste it and my son would start to refuse the Milk of Magnesia. Again...your pedi will have to recommend a dosage since it is not for babies. This will take at least 24 hours to get a bowel movement, so you can't use it at the last minute...use at the first sign of hard stools.

SO...#1, get a new pediatrician, #2, change formulas, #3 use pedi-lax not suppositories to ease it out until you've made the correct dietary change, #4 Mirilax as per your pediatrician

Is he on regular formula? perhaps it is the dairy protein in it, maybe her needs a non milk based one.
You can try mixing his formula in juice instead of water, I have heard of some people doing this, but have no experiance as I have BFed all my kids. As for needing more "real" food NO not till 6 mos do you really need to worry about that, but better to feed him prunes then give him meds. Good luck. Hope you get a doc you like this go round.

Try prune juice....a little goes a long way. Once he starts cereal, I recommend mixing the cereal w/prune juice. We started this when my son started cereal and now he is almost one and we still feed him "pruney cereal" every day for lunch. Let's just say it keeps everything moving along. Good luck.

My son was like that as well and we made every formula bottle with 2 oz of pear juice inplace of water so for a 6 oz bottle we would use 4 oz of water and 2 oz of pear juice.

then we NEVER gave him RICE cereal but instead would give him oatmeal baby cereal (more fiber) we also gave him pure prune juice. also we used the soposotories. Warm baths seem to help also. we tried the karo syrup thing and that never worked for us.

Good luck!
A. J

Try Dark Karo Syrup! 1/2 teaspoon maybe. No kidding! It really works, doesn't taste bad and helps w/ the straining. It's all natural and harmless.

S.,
You can try different baby foods that have that extra fiber in them for him to eat. Use prunes, sweet potatoes, squash, banans, apples, and if you have them or make them home made, try pinto or red beans mashed up really really good. That usually will help my son when he really needs to go, but strains and doesnt have any relief. I hope this helps, or that you at least find a solution that will help you and your baby. Good luck!

Well I'm not a mom but my grandma used to tell me when I was babysitting. She always told me to fill up a bottle with water and then put 1 Tbsp. of Caro syrup in. She always said it worked on constipation . and it always worked for me

Hopefully this helps

Read this article:

http://www.drgreene.com/21_118.html

-L.

my son did the same as yours at that age, we also got the x-rays which did show an extreme back up. We were given medicine which worked but before we tried any of that...we went to the chiripractor which helped some....we did suppositories also and even did a "rectal reading"....all that worked once maybe. Prunes worked well however...jar food! You may want to change the formula to either another type or another brand. Not sure if any of this was helpful..sorry but i hope it gets better for you, i know how you feel...helpless and sorry b/c i'm sure he's miserable as my son was!!
S.

What kind of formula is he on? If you don't mind me asking. My son had the same problem and his pediatrician ended up putting him on Nestle Good Start Supremem Soy formula. He said it breaks down a lot easier and is easier for them to digest. Just a suggestion.

I am a Nurse - please do not give your small 4 month old Milk Of Magnesia or Miralax. These are for older kids = not a 4 month old. I had this same problem with my daughter - we used Prune Juice in her formula or straight Apple Juice - pasteurized and it worked. We also switched her to a low iron Formula. I would try this - it works well.

Try apple juice. And, more jarred fruits or veggies.

Good Luck!
Frances

Breastfeeding prevents constipation.

Have you tried giving him any of the baby food prunes? That use to work like a charm on my son. Also there is something about putting him in the bathtub that seems to make him go. Maybe you should try putting him in a warm bath for a little while to see if that helps any. Good Luck I feel for you. That is horrible to watch your baby go through that.

I used pro-biotics, acidophilus with all the bifida strains of good bacteria, with both of my kids and it worked well to keep them regular. My mid-wife had suggested I take them while I was nursing and then when food and formula was used they can be mixed into formula, juice or swirled into cereal or applesauce. If you have questions you can give me a call at ###-###-####. Blessings, J.

If he's on cow milk based formula that is a likely culprit. Constipation is a side effect of cow's milk. The reaction can go either way. There was an article on this topic published in the New England Journal of medicine over a decade ago (Volume 339:1100-1104).
It's unfortunate that doctors get all their continuing education from the pharmaceutical companies, thus know very little about the relation of foods to human health.

I would definitly give more baby foods to help bulk up his fecal matter. Also a bit of a soak in warm water and baking soda can sometimes help. A nurse also suggested I take my baby's rectal temp to "stimulate" a movement (I never tried that)

At four months, I don't think babies NEED solids at all. We started solids at four months too, don't get me wrong, and we also had constipation issues. Her issues would clear up with fruit. Juice has alot of sugar, so I would be careful how much to give him of that. If he has never had solids, I wouldn't start them since they can just complicate things.

My doctor would always tell me to try not worry, and that if the constipation was not resolving itself, then we needed to go to a low-iron formula. He said that the iron is what causes the hard stool. Maybe you should ask you doctor about that option. It seems to make more sense to me to fix a baby's tummy by taking out what's causing the problem than by putting in different things that you're not sure his system will handle.

A.
www.greenbabydiaperservice.com

I had the same problem with my son, didnt like giving him an enima?? (misspelled) so my doctor suggested giving him more applesauce.. everytime i introduced him to a new food I would make sure he ate at least 4 to five bits of the applesauce also or would give him atleast 3 ounces of apple juice

I am of the firm belief that you do not start "solids" until 6 months, it can harm his digestive system, then you do not start with fruits or they might not want the other. But then again, both my children were breastfed so I didn't have constipation issues and I don't know what formula does to kids systems. Good luck.

S.,
I have a 4 month old little boy and he is eating a jar of fruit a day. We went thru this constipation battle a 2 weeks ago and I began to give him fruits. Applesauce and prunes helped loosen his stool alot. Every child is different I wish you the best of luck.

J.

I wouldn't use a suppositories on a 4 month old. I would either cut out solids for now or just give him oatmeal. My son (3 yrs old) has had constipation issues since he was a baby, we gave him prune juice till it was coming out his ears, and appricots. now he is on miralax and it is wonderful. My daughter (now 9 1/2 months) started on solids a while ago I would give her rice cereal and she had not had contipation issues until then, so I switched her over to single grain oatmeal and she has not had an issue since. Please try other things before giving your baby suppositories. I really think that should be a LAST resort and even then shouldn't be given to a 4 month old. Just my opinion. :)

I have a 15 yr old that has had issues w/this since he was an infant. Glycerine suppositories do produce a bm but you've got to stay on this. My son started 'withholding' at about 2 when a bm was painful. The cycle of w/h, many days between bm's, difficult bm/s, more w/h began before I was aware of the severity of the pattern. It was a terrible combination of physical issue and psychological one. My (former) pediatritian's answer was mineral oil--very nasty stuff to get down a toddler. We went to a g/i specialist about it who suggested the whole reward/incentive to poop chart thing. Our medicine cabinet was filled w/every fiber product you can imagine. This was in addition to diet. New pediatritian finally told us about Miralax, mixed w/even water without grit etc and easily taken. I realize you are dealing with the front end of this and I just want to encourage you to stay on top of this before it becomes a compounded issue--it ruled our household for awhile there-exhausting. Don't let the docs blow you off, be persistent about finding a solution that works for your little one. GOOD LUCK

when our baby was constipated, our dr. told us to use a rectal thermometer. Use vasaline on the 1st inch and she was relieved right away.

You might try a little Gerber rice cereral, the flakes in a box. (50/50 w/formula)

I remember what a painful ordeal this was, so I would suggest having the doctor work you in right away.

P.

Please don't wait another month to take your little one back to the doctor!! Actually, I would clear the use of the suppositories with the doctor before even giving them to your baby. If your current pediatrician doesn't help you solve the problem I would seriously consider changing doctors. Having been through a similar situation myself with one of mine I know that the consequences can be serious if the problem is not taken care of properly. I know you don't want your little one to have to have surgery or other medical intervention unless it is absolutely necessary.