6 Week Old with Constipation and Spit-up Issues... I'm at My Wits End....

When my son was constipated we would always insert a baby rectal thermometer with vaseline (as if we were taking his temp rectally) and push his legs up. Even when he was really constipated it seemed to work. Good luck!

I would also suggest you to stopy using the syrup, and go to soy formula, to me it sounds like he has an allergy to dairy.

First I am so sorry you and your baby are going though this. It's no fun I'm sure and you are doing the very best that you can right now. You are CAPABLE, be gentle with yourself. Go within and listen to your inner wise mamma, she (you) will know how to take the next step.

Ok..."advice". Please do NOT give your son Soy formula. Soy is so much worse for us than we are led to believe. It really is only fermented soy that is ok to consume. Soy Formulas are horrible for babies. Formula in general are not the best for babies. (this is not a lecture on nursing vs formula feeding :) You feed your baby with love and attention. Ok...so in general formulas are not ideal. Try goats milk. Most babies who are bottle fed with goats milk instead of formula do much much better at digesting it, and goats milk is as close to human milk as it gets. I've heard of trying hemp or plain almond milk too...but I would suggest giving goats milk a try first. Do NOT try cow's milk until he is at least one year.
I'm not sure what the karo syrup and juice will do..but I'm not a Dr. It just doesn't seem like it will help, and it obviously hasn't, so what does your inner wise mamma say to that prescription??
Another thing that can help your son is taking him to a chiropractor that has ALOT of experience working with babies. Sometimes it takes just a few simple adjustments and ailments are drastically reduced or go away completely. It really is worth a try, and a GOOD, REPUTABLE Chiropractor will not hurt your baby. One you could try is Dr. Goudarz Vassigh, D.C. at 4503 N. 32nd st (1 bl south of Camelback). ###-###-####. www.backhealthusa.com. He even adjusted his own newborn baby!
Also try Ed Sheridan at ____@____.com is a Myopractitioner who works alot with pregnant woman and babies. He's very gentle. His home office is located near 56th st and Sweetwater in Scottsdale.

Another thing you can try is to let your son sleep in a semi reclined position instead of laying all the way down. If you "wear" your baby, great! Keep doing that. If not, then I highly encourage getting yourself a really good wrap/carrier to "wear" your baby as much as possible. The constant closeness to you will help soothe him. Not to mention your arms won't be so tired after a while and you'll be hands free to do other things that call your attention. Research baby wearing and you will get TONS of info and good wraps to purchase. Many women make thier own wraps/carriers and you can buy one locally and quickly. The ones sold in stores like Target or Babies R Us aren't usually that comfortable or easy to use. If you go to motheringmagazine.com, you might be able to find some great articles on babywearing in their archives.

Best wishes as you navigate through this. Luckily, I think this is something he will outgrow, but it will take alot of patience and determination on your part. It seems like you know how to do that already!

In peace,
A.
mom of 4. Birth and Parenting Mentor
www.birthingfromwithin.com

If your milk hasn't dried up yet (or if it has, you may still be able to bring it back by pumping and allowing the baby to suckle) the best thing to feed him is your own milk. Personally, I would NEVER give him Karo syrup and juice the mix of the sugar and the juice only makes things worse (TONS of gas). His new little system is not ready for that. When my baby is constipated I give her a tiny enema ( no more than 20 ml.) which breaks up the stool and allows her to pass it easier, not to mention it helps relieve gas. If he's still spitting up with your breast milk, it may be something you're eating, try eliminating allergy foods like cow milk, eggs, yeast and wheat from your diet. And if you try breastfeeding, stick with it for at least a month (breast milk only - no supplementing with formula) before you decide that it's not working. I know it's hard when you feel like your baby is suffering and it can get frustrating, so make sure you're taking turns with a family member or friend and getting plenty of rest. Good luck and congratulations on the new addition to your family!

My daughter, who is now 8 months, went throught the SAME thing, and luckily, we have a wonderful pediatrician. We went through the karo syrup, a stool softner prescription (which she is still on and WORKS), massage, you name it. When things were really stuck for her, the doctor said to get the glycerin suppositories at Walgreens, cut them in half, and insert....I know, nose crinkle! But my squeamish stomach managed it easily b/c it helped my daughter get relief, and she didn't even feel the suppository...didn't bother her. Dr said to use them anytime b/c they were perfectly safe and quickly got things moving.

As for zantac, my daughter is still on that as well. I try to ween her off of it, but her reflux shows up again; she's just not fully into solids enough (though she's eating 4 solid "meals" a day) to be done w/reflux yet.

My daughter is on soy formula, Baby's Only Organic Soy, which was our 3rd formula. Also, we have found an alternative doctor that has worked miracles. If you are open to this, I can share his info. It's noninvasive and gentle. He had us crush digestive enzymes in her bottle, which I think helped too.

They're little mysteries for sure! All of those things have significantly improved w/age for her. I recommend the stool softner, suppository, keep up the zantac, and try to keep your cool. It's VERY trying to not be able to soothe your baby! I'm so sorry!

.

For my kids I used to boil some water and leave it to cool and then give them a drink before every feed , throughout the day they usually drank around 3 or 4oz , I found this helped to keep the stools softer as formula can cause constipation , as for the reflux , I don't have any personal experience with that , but I have read that keep the baby at a 45 degree angle after being fed helps , so put him in the car seat or bouncy chair , you may have tried this already so sorry if I am suggesting something that has not worked for you , other than that I don't know , maybe do what a PP suggested and get second opinions and see different doctors.

Good luck & I hope you work it out soon

My 4th child was so fussy and needy from birth! I had never had a child that I couldn't soothe or fix what was happening. I ended up trying a lot of things, but here are some that helped. Gripe water, mylicon, Hylands homeopathic tablets (they have a ton at vitamin/health stores for teething, some for colic, some for sleep etc). I bought a wrap called a Moby wrap that just about saved our lives....mobywrap.com....he was able to be wrapped on me, on my chest upright, that helped his reflux. I put blankets underneath his mattress so that he was at an incline while he slept (and he always slept on his tummy...i know, bad mommy, but it was the ONLY way either of slept). I would also talk to his pediatrician about uping his dose of zantac or trying another kind of reflux med...should be giving him a little relief! I ended up going to a specialist for his reflux because I didn't feel like his pediatrician (whom I love) was doing all they could for him. The specialist told me he was on half the dose he would have prescribed and he told me about the incline sleeping as well. Once I uped his dose of meds and tried all these other things I've suggested, he was a much happier baby. He turns 2 next week and he is still a very needy boy, but he's healthy and not in pain anymore! Oh, and the specialist said that 95% of kids grow out of the reflux thing once they are 1 years old and upright (walking) more. Good luck and God Bless You Momma!!!

Prune juice will help with constipation, we had to do this with our daughter when she was that young. I put up to 1 tbsp in her bottle once/day, works like a charm.

I had the same extact issues with formula, I switched my daughter to soy and noticed a difference but she also has a sibling with a milk allergy so I was comfortable switching. I have been exactly in your shoes, my daughter is finally 11months and doing much better. She was also put on prevacid which helped tons, maybe the zantac isn't working. that could be...I would talk to your pediatrician about that.

Hang in there, it does get better. I promise! My daughter would just cry and cry and cry and cry, so I know what you are going thru. good luck!

Sounds like a milk allergy to me. My daughter had one. Just so you know that around 50% of babies who have a milk allergy don't tolerate soy formula. My daughter did not. She was just as unhappy on soy as she was on breastmilk and milk based formula. We had to put her on a hypoallergenic formula. She was like a different child on the hypoallergenic formula. Rest assured that if it is a milk allergy he will most likely outgrow it. By one year my daughter was drinking milk, eating cheese and yogurt:-) Good luck I know how hard it is.

HI K.,

I'm seconding several of the suggestions:

NO more Karo syrup. It's terribly dangerous to a little one. IF his digestive system is to the point of reflux, then he's not able to handle it. Botulism is a possibility.

Prune juice is what I used and it worked wonders for my little one. It's full of fiber and does things the way God intended.

Formula constipates. PERIOD. If you can't breast feed, goat's milk is the closest to breast milk even more so than formula. Formula is full of sugars and chemicals and that's what can start the cycle of digestive disorders. With the goat's milk you may be able to take him off the zantac. Zantac can also give you a rebound effect and cause the reflux to get worse.

I understand your dilemma. My youngest went through the same thing and I felt helpless. The prune juice is what helped turn the corner. Hope this helps!

M.

If you are giving him iron supplements - STOP. Iron will cause stomach pain, constipation, vomiting. sometimes also shortness of breath, grayish skin, and rashes. Iron plays a part in many Gerd problems. Some babies cannot process iron normally!
Iron is a heavy metal, which builds up in tissues, especially small babies-they are very sussceptable to poisoning, even the ones who dont have processing problems with it. 30% of pediatric deaths are from iron overdose. Many of these were being dosed by a physician. In fact, NO one should ever be dosed with iron without a clear test showing iron deficiency. That is how dangerous iron is.

Iron is plentiful in formulas. too plentiful. Another problem is it will deplete magnesium stores. (vit D supps also deplete magnesium). Magnesium deficiency can cause vomiting, pain, nausea, headaches,difficulty swallowing and choking on food, and irritability. You can give him "babycalm" (find it online) it is SAFE and it will also help ease any constipation. Magnesium oil (magnesium chloride)...also found online, will have an immediate effect on pain when applied topically.
http://www.mgwater.com/benes.shtml

Zantac stops the absorption of minerals. Very few Gerd drugs are approved by the FDAa for use in children. That is why the doctors give them "off label".

If you can stop all mulitvitamins, iron supps, and Zantac, and give magnesium, I think you will see a big improvement. If that doesnt work, the other thing that can be a cause of GERD is h. pylori, a bacteria that causes stomach ulcers. The dotor can test for this bacteria. Or food allergy to something the breastfeeding mother is eating: most notably soy/grain, and milk products and not enough animal protien.

ps..goat milk might be a good option- i dont think they put iron in goat milk !RAW goat milk has the enzyme in it that people need to digest the milk lactose, whcih gets destroyed when pasturization occurs.

Maltsuplex has apartame in it. It also carries warnings that it can cause bloating and discomfort. This does not happen with magnesium.
http://www.endowsec.com/pated/barley_malt_exctract.htm

talk to ur dr before u change formula, i've been told and i've heard its bad for some babies. maybe its colic? try mylicon. i would give my baby mylicon when i noticed he was struggling... no with constipation but with gas.. when he would twist and move and looked very uncomfortable. i don't know if it was gas or not but i would give him a lil mylicon and would calm him down. its very hard to guess, Good luck.

Oh yeah and if your ped dr isn't telling u much or "caring" enough, go to another dr. there is no time to waste.

With my daughter we have to give her a fiber additive so that she does not get constipated. Ask your pedi about that. Your baby may be too young. None of the things ever recommended to us for the constipation ever worked so we had to try something else. As far as the spitting up goes...my son was the king of spitting up and we tried every single formula ever made and nothing ever changed....he stopped the massive spit up parties around 6 months....is your son in pain when he spits up? our son wasnt so they told us he would grow out of it...i hope things start looking up for you......i know exactly how you feel!

I have lots of ideas...too much to type can we talk? My daughter was born with a bowel obstruction and after her surgery she had "slow gut syndrome" She was constipated all the time and I agree it is the worst feeling in the world. We have things under control now, but it took me a while to figure it out...my home email is ____@____.com email me there and we can schedule time to talk.
I hope I can help!
A.

Hi K.,

My little one who is now 3 months old has been constipated a couple of times and I was told to use a Tablespoon of Prune Juice (do not dilute it) and it works. I hope that your little one feels better soon!

I.

This sounds just like my second child when she was born and to me, unless there is an underlying medical issue that you don't know about, this really sounds like colic. Colic is rough and really takes the life-breath out of mother's and father's too. The babies cry and fuss and scream and stiffen up in a vicious cycle. They are gassy and often have trouble with bowel movements. We ended up going through this with our second baby and I thought I was going to lose it. Here's what we did......I switched her to a lactose-free formula. Not soy, but lactose-free because the milk sugars are too hard to break down. Then, our pediatrician put her on a stool softener called Maltsupex. It is similar to Miralax but it is NOT a laxative. It contains fiber and stool softeners that helped our baby finally have normal bowel movements each day. All we had to do was put this in her formula at each feeding in certain doses. She stayed on the Maltsupex until she was five months old and then we slowly took it away and she was fine. Once the formula changed and the constipation eased, we got a calmer and more agreeable baby back in our home. It was a Godsend. I know how you feel and what you are going through. DO NOT feed your baby Karo syrup. I cannot believe this pediatrician told you to do that because it can cause Botulism in infants. OMG. I would not go to this doctor anymore....find a new one. Also, gassiness is easily remedied by putting Mylicon drops into each bottle of formula at each feeding. Mylicon in the proper doses works wonders and helps reduce gas in baby's stomach when they feed. It works! I used that too with my daughter. I hope this advice will help you as your son really sounds exactly like what I went through woth my child. The good news is that she turned out healthy, happy, and we got through it with a bit of help from Enfamil Lactose-free formula, Mylicon, and Maltsupex!

Karo syrup?!?! Uh, not too sure about that one.

You may not know this, but if you are up to it, you can probably re-lactate (get your breastmilk back). You can also get a prescription for breastmilk! There are actually "milk banks" that screen and pasteurize donated breastmilk (women are tightly screened and have to go through blood tests to donate). A child like yours with such difficulties should be able to qualify for it. It is VERY expensive, but if your insurance can cover it, I would do it. Here is the link: http://www.hmbana.org/index/served

Either that, or try getting your milk back. That is something I can guide you with.

Best of luck!
:)

Okay, I agree with Erika B on #'s 4 & 5 (the chamomile and the warm oil) but I have one more to add. From my mom. It's olive oil. For a baby that small just put your finger in the olive oil and let him suck it off your finger, maybe 2 times. Rub his little belly clockwise on his body, gently pressing his tummy. You are getting a lot of advice so take it with a grain of salt and really think about what you are doing. Slow down with switching all the milks. My son was a little noisy grunter from birth and always had gas and could never work it out. I would give him that olive oil and voila a little while later he was calmed down and tooting or having a bowl movement. I don't know about the prune juice-especially too much of it-sounds a bit harsh for his little intestines. Relax and try to stay calm the baby can sense when you are all stressed out and it's not helping. Drink some of the chamomile yourself to calm yourself too! Don't worry you'll figure it out!

My older son had this when he was a newborn - we found out he has allergies to dairy and wheat, so the soy formula helped a lot. I also put Karo syrup in his bottle to help with the constipation, which did help.

For an alternative medical source, my suggestion is to go to a kinisiologist or a chiropractor.

First of all, stop the karo IMMEDIATELY! It can cause botulism in children under the age of one. Second of all, get a different pediatrician.
Can you define the constipation for me? Is it infrequent bowels or hard bowels? If it's infrequent, then it might not be constipation. Have you tried Mylicon for the gas? My other suggestion is to take your son to a chiropractor. My niece had horrid problems with reflux, colic and all kinds of other stuff when she was born. My brother took her to a chiropractor a handful of times and her problems pretty much all went away. My girls are 3 and 9 months and they both see a chiropractor on a regular basis. I see one every few months as well. It has helped me so much with ear problems, heartburn and migraines. It's helped my oldest with her constipation problems as well.
In the meantime, get some Mylicon drops, make sure you are burping your son often during feedings and that he's not gulping a lot of air when he's drinking his bottle. Give him time to get used to each new formula. Wait at least two weeks before switching to something new.

Here is a link to an article on the Mayo Clinics website about using Karo Syrup in infants.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/karo-syrup-for-constipat...

What kind of bottles are you using? Glass is the best for babies that young. Make sure he's not getting too much at one time. Try the soy (they have one for digestive and spitting up). Face it, this one may be lactose intolerant. Also, you may never know what type of long term effects the zantac may have on the little one...so let it go. Try a little prune juice and let me know how that works.

Is he taking iron vitamins might want to lay off, constipating.