Constipated 4 Week Old

Hi...when my little lady was around 7 months old she was dealing with constipation. So the doctor suggested putting a tablespoon of prune juice in her bottle and it worked for her. I haven't heard much about the Karo syrup. I hope this works for you because I know how you feel(smile)!

I had the same problem when I swithched my son from breast milk to formula. I did talk to the pharmacist about suppositories and they recommended that if I do only give half and wach out it will work almost instantly. But in the long run you might have to switch formulas. The Similac is very hard on them b/c of all the iron and breast milk is much more mild. I found that Carnation Good Start was the best formula for that transition. I didn't even try Similac with my daughter I automatically used the Good Start and she never had the problems my son did. The Karo syrup is hard on their developing system.You might try some plain water sometimes that helps to make your bowels move. You might also try doing half and half if you are set on staying with the Similac. I did that when I put my kids on regular milk but i didn't have to with the Good Start. It has all the same vitamins and minerals(DHA) that Similac does but the proteins are broken down into smaller pieces to be gentler on their belly. Good Luck with this I know it's hard to see your baby in pain.

Please call your doctor about watering down her formula, this can be dangerous in babies this young. I'm sorry I don't have any advice to give you because I didn't have this problem, but I do know that water can be dangerous, so I wanted to make sure you knew that. Same with the Karo syrup. My doctor was adamant that we never give it to infants. I would always check with my pediatrician about something like this in addition to getting other mom's advice.

Edit*

All I said was to please check with your doctor about doing something that I had been told by my doctor NOT to do, in no uncertain terms. Yes, you will hear lots of differing opinions when you post on here, that is the great thing about it. I just wanted to give you the same information I was told to hopefully encourage you to get a doctor's opinion as well. I see *opinions* on here all the time that are expressed as fact, when actually, I and other mothers have heard the exact opposite.

So to answer your question- water can be toxic in young babies if they have too much of it. Actually it can be toxic to anyone in very large quantities. But what counts as a large quantity in a 4 week old is a lot different than a large quantity for an adult. It is called water intoxication. I have absolutely no idea what quantity would be harmful to an infant, but I bet your doctor does. All I know is my doctor cautioned me against giving water at a young age. Also, if you dilute the formula too much the baby doesn't get the nutrition they need. Again, a doctor would know what is "too much".

As for the Karo syrup, it is not intended to be a remedy for constipation in infants. It can cause diarrhea. I'm sure some doctors suggest using it, yours did. But mine did not. If I was going to administer this I would want to make sure I had the dosage right, and I wouldn't trust that info from anyone but a doctor. Since you didn't say in your question that you had asked your doctor, I was just suggesting that you do.

I would rather give her some breastmilk than a suppository, even a small amount will help. If you just don't like nursing her you could pump or hand express some.
If you switched to formula because of convenience, you may want to consider offering her the breast at least once a day (or some pumped milk) so she can still get some of the benefit...
If breastmilk is not an option, call your pediatrician before trying anything else.
Other that that some gentle movement can help too. Do some gentle bicycle with her legs or bend her legs slightly and gently move them from side to side.
A gentle tummy massage (clockwise) may help as well.
If it has been more than 3 or 4 days, for a formula fed baby, call your pediatrician.

Hi L.,

I know the doctor told you to use Karo but it is dangerous. It has the same dangers as honey does for a little one. A four month old cannot digest any kind of botulism which is what may be present. Google it if you don't believe me. Your doctor is being too loosey-goosey with your child!

Formula will always constipate so you have to find other ways for the body to work right.. Straight undiluted prune juice will do the same thing (4 oz a day) and is perfectly safe. Your little one will love it to!

Hope I helped!

M.

try massaging her tummy in clockwise motion. Also water works really well - give it in between formula feedings. Ask your doc about Miralax-over the counter, tasteless, dissolves in any temperature liquid.

I really would not be comfortable using a suppository on a newborn baby & find it quite shocking that so many doctors tell mom's to do this. Constipation is one of the cons in formula feeding , some formulas are worse than others but I don't know which. I used Similac sensitive for my 3rd child and my first 2 were born in England so we used British brands. Anyway something as simple as giving the baby some cooled boiled water as a drink daily will help keep her constipation at bay. I did this with all my kids , over a day I'd say they would drink around 3oz (a little before each feed). It has to be water that has been boiled and left to cool as this kills all the bacteria in it.

I hope she goes soon!

I would definitely stop giving her the Karo syrup and just give a suppository. At 4 weeks old their little systems aren't able to process anything other than formula or breast milk. You could possibly do more damage in the long run than good with adding anything else to her system.
Suppositories work like a charm!!
(also, if you are still producing milk, try to give her half milk and half formula so her system can ease into the transition of full formula)

I would use suppositories as a last resort, they work great but you want her to be able to go on her own. Her system just needs to adjust to the change in diet. I am surprised your doc didn't suggest you ease into the formula, by doing half breastmilk half formula. Even when my kids went to whole milk I did it gradual. If you still are producing milk maybe go half and half and then gradually add an ounce at a time more of formula until you are doing all formula so her system can get used to it. Did your doctor suggest the Karo syrup? If he feels it is okay than you can give another bottle with Karo syrup in it it will not hurt her. I would also try to give plain water throughout the day to help her to go on her own. If it continues then call the doctor. Babies do not have to poop daily, especially if they are not breastfed. When my son was little I had to put something into one bottle a day to keep him regular. My kids are older so we used, karo syrup, fennel tea for gas, an chamomile tea as well. Things have changed so much so I would check with you doc before you do to many changes at once. Although, my kids grew up just fine LOL!!!! Good luck on your baby girl.