Five Week Old Baby with Painful Gas and No Bowel Movements for Three Days....

My daughter did this too, she was in so much pain. I tried everything to get her to go! My doctor told me to get an adult suppository (sp?) and lay her down where her little bottom was at the edge of the sink and stick it right in there just until it was right inside. Then massage her tummy. I was soooo scared each time that it wouldn't come out. Not only would that come out but so would everyting else. I did this every night until her body got used to doing it by itself. It was an absolute life saver!!

Hey S.,

This is not something you should do often - and I'm almost positive it will be a very unpopular comment on here - but I'll tell ya, a very old southern tradition down here is to put a little bit of Karo in their bottle. My son did the exact same thing and I hated seeing him so uncomfortable and upset. It worked like a charm. My grandmother told me to do it... it just one of those old school things that might not be the healthiest thing to do but hey - it works and if you have to try anything, give that a shot. Just don't do it all the time. If she keep having this problem and it doesn't get better, then try something else b/c its not something you should do on a regular basis.

Good luck - but don't worry, it really is normal, as much as it sucks to see her like that, it really is okay!

Best of Luck!

i don;t know old she but my son had similar problems. I gave my son alittle gerber prune juice to help the bm along. But my peditrician informed me also that sometimes when you breastfeed their bodies absorb EVERYTHING so they don;t have BM's . my son went twelve days with one that's how i found these things out. she also told me to give hin an infant supository but they are so big even for infants, so i just broke the top half off and put that up "there" and eventually he had one. but if you still feel uncertain take her back to the codtor until YOU feel comfortable about her situation. Because i feel like it's better to be safe then sorry. I will call and take my son to the doctor everyday untill i fell like he's better. so maybe try the things i mentioned and i wish you good luck.

Normal, normal, normal. My 5 1/2 month old went through the same thing. He always gets fussy prior to a BM.

You can try Gripe Water too...it is all natural and works well with gas. I would stay away from the Mylicon.

Keep doing what you're doing.

Hi first time mom,

These are my suggestions (mom of 3 adult kids). First, it is normal to feel like she isn't getting enough to eat with BF but try taking the Similac out of her diet. The first 3 months we recommend powdered formula without iron unless your physician feels there is a need ofr iron. It can be irritating to the gut. BF babies need to feed every 3 hours, bottle fed can go 4 hours. You make milk every 2 hours. If she is requiring feeding more frequently, try a pacifier. She may just need comfort from sucking reflex. Bottle fed babies can go up to 4 days without BM. Breast babies usually have one with each feeding but can go longer. If she goes longer than 4 days, take her to another Dr. for your peace of mind. The smelly gas is not uncommon when bottle fed. Was she premature? What are you eating? I know we teach that what you eat shouldn't affect baby but actual experience says differently.
If you know there are foods that tend to cause you gas issues, avoid them.
Avoid anything with caffeine like tea, coffee, chocolate (includes cake, etc.)
Make sure you are drinking plenty of water and resting.
If you are tired and on edge, she will sense this. Do what you have to in order to relax. Also, this type of stress can affect milk production.
You sound like a very attentive mom and you are doing great! If you ever have questions about your infant and your physician "blows you off" feel free to search for another one!!! It is important that you are comfortable with your baby Dr. Don't hesitate to change if they don't listen to you! You know your baby better than anyone!!
Try putting her skin to skin. Also, riding in a car sometimes helps.
Hope this helped.

I would ditch the formula... its likely either causing her problem or making it worse.

How is your letdown? If you have a forceful letdown (sprays out like crazy) she may be gulping too much air and it will cause her to be gassy. If this is the case, let her latch until your milk lets down, then unlatch her and let it spray out into a towel until it slows or stops. When it does, relatch her and let her nurse ONE BREAST ONLY each feeding, then use the other breast for the next feeding. A forceful letdown will slow quickly as long as there is no stimulation, ie let it spray itself into a towel instead of having her nurse, will tell your body to ease up on the letdown.

Breastfed babies can go up to 2wks without pooping because your milk is perfect for her body, makes what she needs ,and her body uses almost everything in the milk because its perfect. Giving her formula, even a little bit, messes with this perfect food combination and confuses her body, especially this early on. So breastfeed only, you ahve plenty of milk for her and there is no reason to supplement. And relax, it will pass (no pun intended) and she will be fine.

Exclusively breastfed babies can go more than 7 days without pooping. It is very normal, as is stinky poops (my breastfed son was super stinky!). My pedi always said that is simply means the my son is well matched to my milk and he absorbs most of it.

You say "almost" exclusively breastfed. I would strictly breastfeed her and ditch the formula (which can cause tummy issues). Supplementing her with formula will decrease you milk supply. Boobs work on supply and demand and will make as much as your child wants, as long as you nurse on demand and for as long as your daughter desires.

Get rid of the chemicals and just do the breastmilk.

Ultimate aloe is the best. It's all natural and safe for baby. Also try laying her on her back and pushing her legs up to her chest.
:)
Hope it helps.

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Becky W. I believe is onto something -- if you have a strong milk supply, and if you switch breasts when you nurse, she may be tanking up on "foremilk" which is more sugary and causes more gas than hindmilk. I would follow Becky's advice and see if that helps.

Your doctor is right on. This is totally normal at this age as her system adjusts to getting a little older. The good news is, it will pass! Hang in there!

you don't mention if you are breast feeding or formula feeding. If it is formula, I have had two boys with the same problem. Switch to sensitive stomach (it will take 2-3 weeks for the babies body to adjust to the new formula.) Put a tbsp of prune juice in with the formula 2 times a day. The baby will relax from the gas pain because of the sugar in the juice- a good thing. A few hours later, sometimes longer- POOP! :) When she gets older and has rice cereal always mix a couple of times a day with fruit. I have two constipated kids, 2 1/2 years and 4 months- fruit is your friend, get them to like it, and prune juice until you can switch to the fun stuff- good luck!

My suggestion would to look at your own diet first. After a similar episode occurred with my daughter in her first week home, I was told that the Bean Soup my neighbor had brought for me most likely was the cause.

I breast fed my daughter for a year. Usually the foods that (might) cause gas in myself passed through to the breastmilk and therefore to my daughter. NOTE: Not all foods that cause gas may cause gas in YOU, yet perhaps in your young infant child. I would suggest looking up "foods that cause gas" on the web and maybe keep track of foods YOU are eatting and see what kind of reaction your child gets.

Of course, check with her pediatrician before doing anything drastic, yet this may simply be a phase of development that the child is going through.

I know how hard it is for us parents to see a child suffer in pain and we feel helpless in how to help them. Good luck!

A.

It's always hard to see our babies in pain. This is totally gross, but it worked for my baby similar issue. Put a little KY or oil on your baby finger, make sure your nail is short and filed, and put it 1/4th to one half inch into her bottom, move it around a bit. I know it's gross, but it helped her go.

Well...what's the point of removing dairy from mom's diet if baby is being fed formula, which is milk-based?
Becky and Kate are right: ditch the formula FIRST. Feed from one breast per feed (top off with the other, if baby is still really hungry). Give that a couple of weeks. If baby still has this problem, THEN eliminate dairy AND beef from your diet - because it's the bovine proteins that cause the problem, nothing like lactose intolerance. Give that a couple of weeks and see what happens.
What you describe doesn't seem abnormal, though. I doubt you'll need to eliminate dairy. Just ditch the formula and things will probably get better in short order. Also, try drinking some chamomile tea - if nothing else, it'll make YOU feel better:-)

A., BA, IBCLC, CD/PCD(DONA), HBCE

It is not healthy for your young one to not have bowel movements every day. The toxins build up in her system and she will have other challenges later from it.

How is your diet? Are you drinking enough good water? Are you getting good nutrition? All of this is important for your little one. I am a wellness consultant and can provide information that will keep you and your baby on the right path if you are interested.

Just let me know.

N. Marie
____@____.com

I would be careful of what you are eating and drinking as well! I know that there are things that you eat or drink that will affect your breastfed baby in these ways. I could not drink apple juice or drink any carbonated drinks because it would bother my babes. My only other advice would be to ask the doctor about the formula that you have her on. My sister had to switch her babies from the iron fortified formula because she was getting so much iron. I would keep a close eye on her mommy's definitely know best. I believe its okay to worry since you are the one with her all the time you know what is the norm. Good luck to you and I did find the mylicon drops extremely helpful for my kids!

most likely they will suggest a soy milk yukky but it worked regardless your newborn has not passed a bowel in 3 days you need to bring her in and forget any further guessing. Best to be safe then sorry. Anytime you are not sure you take your baby in most er's understand first time mommy's .in this case however it is necessary.good luck

My son did this too. I think the gas is smelly now because there is actually something accumulating in her colon instead of pooping every few hours. My suggestion for the gas was going to be everything you have already tried, so I can't help there. But I wanted to tell you mine definitely did this, right about that age. My sister's did too, and she told me it might happen, but I still worried and called my doctor, and they said it was normal too. That first time he went after it had been days, it was Christmas Day over at my parents' and it was a huge blowout that not only ruined his clothes but mine too! All we could do was laugh. After the initial time that he stopped going, he started going every 4 days like clockwork. I called them blowout days and we wouldn't even leave the house until it had happened. Blowout day was never the same as grocery day. I did not want to deal with that. :) Don't panic and start giving her water or juice, not at this age without a doctor's supervision. That can be very dangerous, and it really is completely normal. Talk to the doctor again about the fact that she seems to be in pain. Sometimes mine would grunt and turn purple and it hurt to go, but he wasn't uncomfortable all the time. It is hard for them to learn to use those muscles and I think it is probably uncomfortable at first for them to push. But if she seems to be hurting all the time, I would talk to the doc again. I hope you find some relief for her gas. Baths were what worked best for me there.

Hello S.,

Congrats on your new baby! Well, like mentioned already, you have watch your diet too. any bubbly drink will affect your baby's tummy (alcoholic or not). also dairy, certain vegetables, etc. think back 4 days ago... what did you eat/drink...? I hope your baby is doing better by now. you may need to switch formulas. Good luck and follow your instinct! ~C.~

This may be caused by something that you've eaten. But no matter the cause, magnesium for babies is wonderful. There is a brand you can get at health food stores or online called Baby Calm by Peter Gillham. All it is is magnesium and you start with the recommended amount and increase little by little if you need to.
It works beautifully with no side effects because magnesium is what's missing when these things happen.
Good luck. I'm sure she'll do well. You probably only have to use it occasionally for these kinds of moments. Some people use up magnesium faster than others and need extra all the time.
Take care,
C.

I had the same problem with my newborn, he was on Similac Advanced and from what I hear it alot of other moms have the same problem with this formula. I switched to Similac Sensitive and that relieved the stinky gas and stomach problems. Now the constipation my pedi. advised even at the young age of 5 weeks to add a little prune juice in the bottle and it worksI started with just one teaspoon. She said if that didn't work an ounce or two of water.

I know there are a lot of answers already, but can't seem to see them until I post something. So, have you tried not just massaging but massaging in circular, clockwise motion, with a gentle and slightly firm pressure? There is the Star of Anise, a.k.a. Anise Seed, that if you make a tea from it, it is perfectly safe to feed her a couple tablespoons of it, or dilute it in an ounce of water, give it to her warm. Basil is also good for upset stomach but not for babies/young children, so if someone recommended that, I wouldn't do it. Then there is accupressure (maybe you can look up the points online - you wouldn't have to press too hard since she is so young, but I used it since day one with fevers and it's amazing, nothing medicine can do). Also, lay her on her back, take her ankles and push them towards her unmentionables so the knees bend to her chest. Only bring back the ankles a little, and keep repeating the knees to chest motion. This pushes out farts and poop. Finaly, you can take her knees, again while on her back, and move them around in a circular motion, clockwise. This is like a massage except it works the intestines.

There are several responses but I didn't see my answer on there. Ditch the formula for a little while, yes, exclusively breastfeed for a little bit. BUT change your diet. The culprit is either the formula or your diet. Never eat chocolate, caffeine, or mexican food when breastfeeding. Make sure you drink a minimum of 8 oz water for every time you nurse, the more water you drink the better your breastmilk will be. Dairy, carbonated beverages, broccoli etc you eat can make your baby gassy and constipated. Get to know your baby by what foods you eat and what he can tolerate. And when he gets constipated, you drink the prune juice and eat prunes, lots of water, and lots of fruit (no bananas, even cut out apples and apple juice-they can make babies worse). You'll notice a HUGE difference in your baby if you are eating good stuff!

My son had similar symptoms and was always a very happy baby - try cutting dairy out of your diet completely for a week and see if it helps. I didn't eat dairy until he was about 4 months old and then he tolerated it fine. I think he just had to "grow into" digesting dairy products via my breast milk.

My 3 mo old son had the same issues, but he was on formula from day 1. It ended up that he has a milk protein allergy, basically like lactose intolerance. We finally had to put him on Simalac Alimentum. Very expensive, but its working. He goes once a day now. For almost the first 6 weeks of his life we had to do infant suppositories. We would just cut the top 1/3 off and stick it up there and he would go fine. Now that he is regulated a little better he seems to be fine. My ped also told me to try the gripe water, cant find it in our town thou. Also she told me to add a small amout of pear or apple juice to his formula, that resulted in erectile vomit. So little scared of using those. Maybe its the supplimental little bit of formula you are using that she is not tolerating?! Definetly call the doctor if it worries you, i did and still do!! That is what they are there for!