What Can You Do If Your Newborn Is Constipated

Constipation In Babies: Signs Causes And Cures

If your newborn is having difficulty pooping, she could be constipated. Find out what to look for and how to help.

As new parents, you will always be looking for your baby’s next smile, laugh, and coolittle reassurances that your baby is happy and healthy and that everything is okay. Poop, although not nearly as pleasant, is another thing parents should monitor.

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When your baby is pooping regularly, it’s likely a sign that she’s taking in enough food and disposing of the rest, says Jennifer Shu, M.D., an Atlanta-based pediatrician and coauthor of Food Fights: Winning The Nutritional Challenges of Parenthood Armed with Insight, Humor, and A Bottle of Ketchup. So it’s understandable that the absence of poop can be a cause for concern. When you think it might be constipation, consider the following.

What Are Gas Drops

Gas drops contain simethicone. This active ingredient breaks up larger gas bubbles into smaller ones, which are more comfortable for a baby to pass.

Caregivers can give the drops directly to a baby or mix them in with formula or expressed breast milk.

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggest that gas drops are safe to give to newborn babies, and adverse side effects are rare.

However, if a baby is also taking thyroid hormone medication, do not give them gas drops as simethicone

How Long Can Your Baby Go Without Doing A Poo

The frequency and consistency of your babyâs bowel movements can vary from day to day, and every baby is different.A baby who is consuming formula may fill anything up to five nappies a day when newborn, which can decrease to once a day after a few months.Breastfed babies may poo after every feed in the first few weeks, then after about six weeks things may get less predictable: Although your breastfed baby may average two or three bowel movements a day, he or she could also sometime go for as long as 7 to 10 days without a poo, but still not be constipated.Keep in mind that sometimes a baby can be straining or crying while trying to do a poo, but still not be constipated. If your baby grunts or gets a little red-faced in the process of passing what turns out to be a soft, perfectly normal stool, this is just because he or she has not yet learned to properly relax the pelvic floor muscles to let the poo out.In this case, holding your babyâs legs up and bending them at the knees may help.

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Causes Of Newborn Constipation

The most common cause is a change in the diet. Infants who are moving from breast milk to formula might suffer from the problem, as do children who are just starting to eat solid foods. Sometimes a baby might even develop constipation when you introduce a new food, such as a new vegetable or meats.

Other causes might include dehydration if your baby is not getting enough liquid, her stools will not be soft enough to pass.

Medical conditions or certain illnesses can also lead to constipation in newborns. This is uncommon in a healthy baby.

How Is The Constipation Treated

Treat the Cause

What to do if your 5 month old constipated? First treat the underlying causes. Note that you should not give your baby any medicine for constipation unless your doctor has prescribed it.

When you are breastfeeding your baby, constipation is very rare. If constipated, you should feed your baby more often.

If you feed your baby with formula milk, there is a greater possibility for your baby to get constipated. Here are some tips how to solve this problem:

• Choose another brand for formula milk, instead of the one you are using so far.
• Make the formula milk correctly, by making sure it contains enough water.
• Use the scoop which comes together with the milk tin. Do not use the scoop of another brand or do not use a teaspoon or tablespoon.
• Dont pack the powder too tight on the scoop as this could lead to thicker formula milk than desired, leading to constipation.

If your baby eats solid foods or if you are just introducing solid food to your 5 months old, there is a great possibility of getting constipated. Here are some tips how to solve this problem:

Constipation in 5-month-old babies also results from dehydration, so make sure to give your baby water between two meals. Prune juice or peach juice can also help.

Seek Medical Help

Talk to your doctor or midwife about your babys problem with constipation and the treatment available.

Other Ways to Help Relieve the Constipation

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How To Tell If Your Baby Is Constipated

Newborn bowel movements vary from one baby to another depending upon their milk intake and body. Some babies pass stool many times a day while some can hold the stuff in for as long as 3 days. If you are breastfeeding, you may notice a frequent newborn bowel movement as compared to that of a fully formula-fed baby.

Your newborn is constipated if…

• He hasn’t had a bowel movement for 3 days or more.
• Even if he has passed stool, the stool is dry and harder than normal and the baby finds it difficult to pass it. You may find your baby making disgruntled faces while passing stool.
• Sometimes after days of “dry spell”, you notice a watery stool and may confuse it with diarrhea. It is actually one of the symptoms of constipation in newborns, i.e., liquid stool seeps out of the blockage in the small intestines and end up in the diaper.

What Is Constipation In Babies

To understand baby constipation, itâs important to know what stools are like for infants. Although every baby is different, and thereâs a broad range of whatâs considered normal when it comes to pooping, many babies will poop after each feeding in the first weeks of life. Then, after about 3 to 6 weeks of age, some breastfed babies will poop less often, even as little as once a week. That’s because breast milk creates almost no solid waste that has to be eliminated from the digestive system. Formula-fed babies tend to poop once a day or once every other day.

In terms of consistency, your babyâs stools should be soft, like peanut butter, when everything is normal and regular. Your baby may be constipated if she experiences hard, dry bowel movements, which can be difficult or even painful to pass. And, if your babyâs constipated, her bowel movements may be more infrequent than whatâs typical or normal for your baby.

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How To Treat It

A change in formula or in Mom’s diet could help combat constipation in formula and breastfed babies, respectively. Solid foods, which are often the cause of constipation, can also be the cure, Dr. Shu says. Several kinds of fruits and veggies, such as pears and broccoli, can get things back on track, along with fruit juice and water.

When a change in diet isn’t doing the trick, talk to your pediatrician before employing other methods. The doctor might suggest rectal stimulation with the use of a cotton swab or rectal thermometer. This usually produces a bowel movement within several minutes of stimulation, Dr. Shu says. Another possible is a glycerin suppository. If it works, it could take about an hour to produce a poop, Dr. Shu says. Other suggestions may include Miralax, a tasteless powder you can mix into a drink senna, a natural vegetable laxative and lactulose, a synthetic sugar used for treating constipation.

Causes Of Constipation In Babies

• formula is too strong if your baby is bottle-fed, make sure the formula is made up correctly, so that there is not too much formula powder for the amount of water
• using a different formula changes to the milk formula
• not enough drinks in warm weather, bottle-fed infants require extra fluid such as cooled, boiled water between formula feeds. Breastfed infants may require more frequent feeds
• solids that are not right for the baby use the correct solid foods for the age of your baby. Be aware that excessive use of legumes and high fibre cereals are not appropriate for young infants
• difficulty passing poo sometimes a hard poo can cause a little tear or crack in the skin around the anus and this can hurt the baby. The baby seems to know that it hurts to do poo and so holds on. Then the poo becomes even harder and will be more painful to pass.

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Change Formula Or Diet If Breastfeeding

If you suspect your baby has CMPA as mentioned above, changing your diet if youre breastfeeding or trying baby on a different formula could be a game-changer.

A non-milk-based formula may help alleviate some constipation. There are also gentle formulas that have the milk proteins that your baby may be sensitive to already broken down, reducing the incidence of constipation.

If you are exclusively breastfeeding the first thing to cut out is dairy as this is the most common cause. If this doesnt help, a strategic elimination diet is the next step.

Read more about dairy and other food sensitivities and how to deal with them here: My baby is gassy. Is it a sensitivity to dairy or something else?

How Can I Treat Newborn Constipation

Constipation can be a hard cycle to break, but when the poop gets tough, the tough gets going! Here’s how you can get rid of the constipation in newborn babies:

• If you have introduced bottle, make sure the formula milk is luke warm when you feed your baby. Breast-milk already has the perfect temperature.

• Hold your newborn’s feet and move them gently as if s/he is riding a bicycle. The pressure between his/her thighs and tummy may trigger the bowel movement.

• Massage the tiny belly gently in circular motion, ideally with some warm baby oil .

• Measure three-fingers’ width down the newborn navel area. Gently press it till you feel a firm spot/ mass. Continue pressing it for a couple of minutes, then release. Your baby may fart and/or pass stool after this.

• Brown sugar works great to relieve newborn constipation . Whether your baby is newborn or is few months old, dissolve some brown sugar in one ounce of water and give it to him/her through a dropper .

• Glycerin Suppository is the 100% proven way to get the poo moving! I tried it with my newborn . It is inserted in the rectum and within half an hour a bulk of stool is out! However, only use it if you have tried all the things stated above. If you make a habit of giving a suppository every time your baby is constipated, the tiny body will get used to it.

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When To Seek Help

Very rarely, constipation can be a sign of an underlying health problem. If a baby under 6 weeks is constipated, you will need an assessment by a doctor to exclude an underlying condition.

Take your baby to a doctor, or seek help from a midwife or child health nurse if:

• your babys poo is dry and crumbly or like pellets, or they seem to have pain and discomfort when doing a poo
• your baby is constipated and they are gaining weight slowly
• they have blood in their poo

You can also read more about constipation in children.

What Causes Constipation In Babies

Constipation in babies is primarily caused by diet. Here are some things you might want to discuss with your pediatrician:

• Baby Formula: The intestines of some babies just seem sensitive to a particular brand of formula .
• Dairy or Soy Allergy: Babies that have a milk allergy can experience constipation, excessive gas and other discomforts. A doctor can determine if your baby has a dairy or soy allergy.
• Change in Diet: Sometimes when babies are given the green light for baby food they can struggle with regularity. Many first-time foods are very starchy and if he isnt getting enough water this can lead to poop troubles. Check with your pediatrician on the best first foods to help avoid constipation and how much water he needs in a day.
• Iron Supplement: Vitamins with iron can make poops into hard little black-green colored pellets.
• Dehydration: If a baby is not getting enough to drink, stools can get drier and harder. Its super easy to check for this problem: The inside of the mouth will get dry and sticky your baby will pee fewer than six times a day the urine will become much more yellow and a bit smelly.

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Try An Infant Glycerin Suppository

These have a laxative effect, usually relieving constipation temporarily and allowing a poop to pass in 10-15 minutes.

Glycerin suppositories are available over the counter, but only meant for occasional use dont use more than a few times without checking with your pediatrician.

STEP 1: Again, gather supplies needed to minimize poopy mess, plus the suppository, and wash your hands.

STEP 2: Lie baby over your lap, with one hand supporting and holding the chest and arms, other at the ready with suppository.

STEP 3: Insert the suppository into the rectum, as far as itll go, and move it around a little, to help the rectal muscles relax.

STEP 4: To help dissolve the suppository so it can do its job, hold your newborns buttocks together.

STEP 5: Wait for the action! Move baby into a different position if you like, but she may find this front-lying position more comfortable than others if constipated or gassy.

Can Babies Fart When Constipated

Babies can also fart if constipated. Sometimes you might even notice an increase in farting as your baby attempts to push out the bowel movement but only passes gas.

Trapped wind and excess gas is not necessarily a sign of constipation, baby may just be exceptionally gassy. For gas causes and remedies check out:

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How To Help Your Constipated Baby

It can be very stressful watching your little one struggle to poo. Heres a few things you can do to help your baby5.

• Make sure they have plenty to drinkIf youre breastfeeding, offer plenty of feeds. If youre formula-feeding, check youre using the right amount of powder. Formula-fed babies can also have drinks of cooled, boiled water between feeds.
• Try baby massageTry rubbing their tummy in a clockwise direction using smooth, circular motions. Or lay your baby on their back and gently move their legs in a cycling motion.
• Run a nice warm bathNot only is this very relaxing for an unsettled baby, the warmth can be very effective at soothing an achy tummy. Make sure its not too hot, or it could have the opposite effect. Below 38oC is ideal.
• Offer some fruitIf your baby is over six months old, fruits like apples, pears or prunes can help get things on the move.