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Glenfelik 
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Location: New Zealand
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 Topic: Constipation in Breast Feed Babies
Posted: 23 November 2006 at 4:29pm |
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Does anybody have some help for me?
Olivia is 5 months old and she has been on solids for around 3-4 weeks.
She never used to go poos very often but now only goes once a week. But she has started really pushing hard and when she does go it is as hard as a walnut and the same size! She just screams with pain. I have tried so many different things, but just wondering if anyone here would like to offer some advice?
The doctor has given her some stuff starting with L to try and loosen her up and she has been on that for two days - the only difference is that now she goes every nappy change so it hurts her more often.
My main worry is that she will learn that going to the toilet hurts and will stop trying to push!
Any advice would be greatly accepted!
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Katherine
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Posted: 23 November 2006 at 4:47pm |
Awwwww, poor baby! This sounds terrible! I remember Emma Rose going through a similar phase where she would only poop every couple of days or so... And when she did poop, boy, was there a LOT of it. She only had a couple of instances where it really hurt and she'd strain and strain. I tried upping her liquid intake (she was still breastfeeding a couple of times a day as well as eating some solids) and that seemed to help. I also tried her on Pedialyte a couple of times when I was desperate, which seemed to clean her out (although those poos were pretty runny!).
What solids do you have her on? It might be that her little system needs to adjust slower to some foods. I found that giving Em lots of fruit kept her more regular too. Is she still breastfeeding before having her solid meals, or after?
Poor wee thing! Constipation sucks!
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emeldee
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Posted: 23 November 2006 at 5:01pm |
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IS she drinking water? Increase the water that she is drinking and try some lactulose (available from the chemist). It's a safe softener that the paediatrician had Andrew on when he was bunged up. Also a warm bath helps - apparently it's easier to poo after (or during) one.
Good luck!
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Glenfelik
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Posted: 23 November 2006 at 5:21pm |
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Thanks everybody! Lactulose is the stuff that the doctor prescribed for her, but maybe it just takes more than two days to work?
I did have her on baby rice but stopped that a week ago to see if it made a difference and changed her to fruit and veges!
She eats pumpkin, apple, pears, carrots etc.
It is just absolutely heartbreaking every time she screams in such agony. Not fair really!
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ellabellame
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Posted: 23 November 2006 at 6:21pm |
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i know exactly what you mean, mikey did that when he first started solids as well. i think it just took his system a bit longer to get used to the solid food than most babies. he had a really bad few weeks and then it all came right.
i really feel for you having to watch your wee one scream every time she tries to poo, i know how hard it is! just try to get her to take more fluids. i never gave mikey anything else but if the lactulose works then go for it!
i hope it all gets better soon. good luck!
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luna
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Posted: 24 November 2006 at 11:55am |
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I've been BF and formula with Amelia and last week she was really constipated - trying to go and not, and getting upset.
I was at my mum's, so we boiled up some prunes in water (about 1 cup water to 2-3 prunes) and gave her 2 tbsp of that, twice daily. It worked really well, so I'm just keeping up with that, but just once each day or once every 2 days. She's going poo's every 2 days at the moment, and just last night I started her on Farex, so we'll see how things go
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emeldee
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Posted: 24 November 2006 at 12:18pm |
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Just remember that lactulose works by absorbing more water into the gut - so you really do have to make sure that they are drinking lots of extra fluids and water. Also, phone your doctor to check the dose of lactulose - if it isn't working, you can increase it.
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pepsi
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Posted: 24 November 2006 at 12:22pm |
The prune juice sounds like a good idea...This is an extract from another site regarding baby constipation...
• Once your baby is eating a variety of solid foods, ask her doctor if you can boost her fiber intake by adding a teaspoon of bran to her cereal. Cut down on constipating foods like rice, bananas, and cooked carrots, and try mixing her cereal with a little bit of apple or prune juice or a few tablespoons of pureed prunes, apricots, or pears to help loosen her bowel movements.
• Increase the amount of fluid your baby drinks to help keep her stools soft. If your baby is older than 2 months, start by giving her 1 ounce of prune juice diluted with 1 ounce of water, twice a day. As her constipation improves, you can cut back. Talk with the doctor first if your baby is 2 months old or younger.
Here's the full link;
Baby Constipation
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Constipation in Breast Feed Babies