Constipation - Santa Fe, NM

I had a child in my care that was breast fed and his poops changed to an almost constipated stated when he started solid food. His MD told us to give him OATMEAL cereal rather than the rice which can bind kids up and also stear clear of the bananas and apples give peaches, prunes and pears instead.

My daughter is 4.5 months and was only going once every 8-9 days - the doctor says it's not a problem unless they are hard. I tried just prunes on her which didn't work. However, the last couple of times I took the prunes and watered them down to extremely runny consistency with apple juice. I then spoonfed them to her. Both times she had a BM within 5 hours or so with no trouble. You might want to try that - I think the mixture of the fiber in the prunes as well as the water in the apple juice really helps - it seems to be a magic combination! Hopefully it'll work.

Since you're nursing it's hard to make sure he's drinking enough. Call your doctor and see if you can come in and check. You weigh him and then feed him a normal feeding and then weigh him again. Don't change the diaper or clothes in between times. The amount of weight he gains is the number of ounces he's drinking. When our son was constipated, it was simply from not drinking enough. Your doctor can tell you how much he should be drinking by how much he weighs and how old he is. Very simple and natural solution if that's the issue.

Y., one of the things that our husband and I did when our twins were smaller was massaging their second toe which at the top. Part of it relates to the colon. Got this from a reflexology book that we have.

Then when our son had a real constipation problem and we had tried - baby fleets and other things. When we talked to the pediatrician, they recommended a mineral oil tonic. If I remember correctly it was an ounce in 8 ounces of juice or milk. Be prepared for the blow out. It will happen and flush their system. You can check with your peds. Hope your baby gets relief really soon.

Then

My daughter was that way and the PED said as long as it was not hard it was okay...nerve racking I know. We still offer her about 80% applejuice and 20% prune. She has to drink it every day or at least 5 days out of the week or no poopies.

HI Yogimea,
Is your son really struggling to have a bowel movemnet? Next time he does poop watch him. Is he straining or in pain, does he cry afterwards? When my son (now 3) was an infant I also breastfed him and right up until he was a year old, maybe even older, he pooped every 5 days. Its was like clockwork. No poop for 4 days and I would be frantic and worried and then the 5th day he pooped, sometimes he would poop all day that 5th day, several dirty diapers. He was never in any pain or strained at all that was just his schedule. His Doc said that since he was breastfed that was perfectly fine. You might check with your doc just to be sure too but if you've tried everything like you say you did then it might just be how your son is. I hope this helps you. Good luck!

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Hi, Y.,

The only thing I used when DD was constipated was a product made by "Little Tummys" - it was a natural remedy and I found it in Walgreen's. But that may not be appropriate for a 6 month old - I only used it after DD started solids.

Maybe add bananas? Is there a breastfeeding group or forum you can visit to ask?

Hi Y.,
Sometimes babies won't go for that 5-7 days at a time. Some babies poop multiple times a day. Personally I wouldn't do anything unless it looks like he is in pain, crying out, etc. You don't want to cause him a problem by doing/giving him something unless it's really clear that he's hurting/beginning to hurt.

As for his diet, apples, rice and bananas can all cause constipation. I didn't know about the apples but I have a friend that is a retired Ped. Physician Assistant and she said that apples can cause constipation in some kiddos.

Another thing that can cause problems is if you start solids and give him a lot initially. When breastfed babies go from liquid diets of milk, they poop liquidy poops. :) When they start eating solids, they need to have them introduced a little at a time so that their systems don't freak out and wonder what's going on. I very gradually eased in to solids w/ my first and he didn't have a painful first solid movement. However, I was lax with my second and forgot this tidbit and the poor little guy had a really hard time pooping with his first solid movement. So I don't know how much food you have given him to start with but if he started with more than one feeding a day, it could have caused his system to need to catch up...that might be another reason it is hard for him to poop. If it feels like it's going to hurt he might be keeping himself from going.

I think that a tummy massage and the reflexology that someone else posted about would be a good start so that he isn't thrown off if his system is ok. Good luck! :)

A mixture of apple juice and water usually helped my son. Abdominal massage may help, too, if you can get some instruction. I would switch to oats instead of rice, too, or one of the mixed grain cereals. You can even make the cereal with apple juice instead of or with whatever you usually mix it. We started giving my son probiotics and goat's milk yogurt around 6 months, and that seemed to help, too.

i'd like to second Brandy L's advice. see what you are giving for solids. apples, bananas, rice...all constipate! your baby is too young to be given anything (IMO) unless you're told by your pediatrician. since this started when you introduced a more solid diet it is obviously the culprit.

Here's what I suggest. Probiotics are very useful. Make sure you are getting an acid resistant strain so they aren't killed of in the stomach before they can reach the intestinal tract. I use a capsule and it doesn't have to be refrigerated either. Better for storage and even travel. I buy direct from the manufacturer and get a discount.

Friendly Helpful Bacteria Probiotics for Babies Health
Probiotic used successfully for Infants & Children

An article published in Prevention Magazine as early as 1993 reinforces the benefits of friendly helpful bacteria or probiotics for babies health. They report that the effects of friendly helpful bacteria such as L. acidophilus in the intestines have been well documented. Not only are they said to have a positive effect on our health and well being but also, they are implicated in the denaturation of certain carcinogenic compounds, reduction of serum cholesterol and in the production of vitamins and hormones.

The article goes on to say that not only adults benefit from these friendly helpful bacteria. Breast-fed babies generally have a lower incidence of colic and other digestive disturbances than bottle-fed babies, and this has been attributed to friendly micro-organisms in the digestive system whose growth is encouraged by mother's milk.

The acidophilus-type microorganisms that predominate in the intestinal tracts of healthy, breast-fed infants are called Bifidobacteria. These beneficial microorganisms account for up to 99% of a healthy, breast-fed baby's intestinal flora i.e. babies probiotics.

Bifidobacteria or bifidus are now believed to be very important to a young child's well being. Research has shown that bottle-fed babies have far fewer Bifidobacteria in their stools than breast-fed babies; and after breast-fed babies have been weaned, the type of Bifidobacteria specific to infants and small children, called Bifidobacterium infantis, is found only in small numbers. These numbers continue to decline as the intestinal flora shifts towards what is normally found in adults.

Prevention Magazine reiterates that research and scientific interest in Bifidobacteria has continued to grow as it is shown that breast-fed babies are much less susceptible to infections than bottle-fed babies.

For example, a study of infant intestinal flora was conducted in a rural area of Guatemala. Out of 210 babies born in the village, 109 were breast-fed. The breast-fed infants showed high concentrations of Bifidobacteria - nearly 100%. Only 4 of the breast-fed babies developed Shigella infections that can cause severe diarrhea. But the rate of Shigella infection for the non-breast-fed infants was much higher.

Bifidobacteria (Bifidus) inhibit the colonization of the intestine by invading disease-causing bacteria through competition for nutrients and attachment sites.
They also produce anti-microbial substances that inhibit growth of common pathogens.
Nutritionally, Bifidobacteria encourage better weight gain in infants through nitrogen retention.
These babies probiotics also assist in the absorption of calcium and other vitamins and minerals and help to produce lactose, the enzyme necessary for milk sugar digestion.
Babies are naturally inoculated with Bifidobacteria infantis and other friendly and helpful microorganisms as they pass through the birth canal. These friendly bacteria enter the baby's intestines through the mouth and feverishly attempt to attach themselves to sites on the gastrointestinal wall before other not-so-friendly microorganisms from the outside world try to do the same.

Breast-feeding then fosters the growth of Bifidobacteria, particularly Bifidobacteria infantis. Babies delivered by Cesarean section do not receive such a healthy head start with these friendly microorganisms. If they are then bottle-fed as well, they end up with adult-type microflora that are not optimal for their health.

Even in healthy, breast-fed infants, however, the babies probiotics - intestinal flora - is relatively unstable. Small changes in an infant's environment may upset the balance of these friendly microorganisms, sometimes leading to bacterial "overgrowth" of the small intestine and stomach, reducing nutrient absorption and causing other types of problems.

The article goes on to say that

sudden changes in diet,
vaccination,
common infections and
even sudden changes in the weather

may cause such imbalances.
Antibiotics,
steroids and
certain other drugs

may also cause major imbalances in the microflora, with resultant diarrhea, thrush, or other problems.
Probiotic supplements may be administered to infants and young children to aid in the control of diarrhea and colic.