My Newborn is constipated, what to do?

Question

she is 4 weeks old, i breastfeed her but i also give her formula 2-3 times a day. she hasnt pooped for 4 days. today she pooped a very small amount. my ped suggested i give her 1/2 oz prune juice diluted with 1/2 oz water. she seems upset & like shes aching. the longest she didnt go until now was 3 days but when she went, the stool looked normal & mushy.. what do i do?

Answer 1

Go to the store and get her a supository thing, i know it sounds gross but a friends baby did the same thing and they work!!

Answer 2

If her p**p was normal and mushy, she is not constipated.  Its normal for babies to go a few days between poops.  The indication for constipation is when they go a few days and when they finally p**p its difficult/painful to eliminate and very hard in her diaper.

Answer 3

if u ever question your babies health, talk to her doctor immediately. and if u ever doubt his advice, get another one. i went thru tons of pediatricians with my baby. btw, i have NEVER heard of giving a baby as young as 4 weeks old prune juice. get a new doctor, i would in a heartbeat.

Answer 4

My daughter has had that same problem since she was born.  She needs to p**p and I would suggest ( this came from my doctor ) that you go to the store and get some "baby lax".  It's like a baby e***a and you should get some pretty quick results.  This will help soften the stool.  My doctor also said to try small glycerin suppositories and use them to "stimulate" her so she could p**p.  This works, but is painful if the stool is too hard.  She does need to go though, she has probably got a bad tummy ache from not going. I wouldn't let it go on much longer though.  Good luck.

Answer 5

She will be okay if she doesn't p**p for 2-3 more day's you could try a little more prune juice.  

Normal and mush is how it should look.  Give it a few more day's and then I'd give the pediatrician another call.

You could also try pedialyte

Answer 6

They have baby suppositories.They are best for s baby this age.Go to your local pharmacy ans she will help you find them and can give you a bit more info.

Answer 7

If the prune juice doesnt make her go, call the pediatrician in the morning.  You should also switch formulas because that is definitely what is causing the constipation, which is not normal for a baby as young as yours.    

Answer 8

if she is breastfed this is normal...why are you supplement a 4 week old with formula anyway? Do you think your supply is low? If you breastfeed on demand your supply will be ok...supplementing with formula will make you supply diminish...and could be the reason for her to be constipated...

Answer 9

the nasty gerber baby food prunes.

prunes make you p**p.

but im not a mom so i dont know if you can give them baby food yet.

PUT MINERAL OIL IN HER FORMULA!!!!!

Answer 10

try laying her on the floor and giving her a few mouth fulls of orange juice then bring her knees kind of up to her chest and rub her belly.This has always worked with my kids

Answer 11

Go to the drudstore and get a supositorie or take her temp. rectally. good luck!

Answer 12

Sounds like it's working. Keep using it until the problem goes away. I used cod liver oil on my girls, which worked well, but just like what you're seeing, when it first starts coming out, the consistency is a little off. That's normal.

Answer 13

Try the prune juice and just cuddle her with her knees almost to her chest for about an hour and just wait it out...good luck and congrats on your wee one!!

Answer 14

Do only what the physician directed. Because five-days without a p**p is normal for newborns, I am surprised that he / she directed you to do anything but wait.

However, the pediatrician knows the medical history and any ongoing events regarding your baby. For example, your doctor may know that your baby's electrolytes are low and taking the advice of others to use suppositories may cause more harm than good.

With all due respect to you and everybody here (who I am certain are with good intentions), if you really value the answers these folks / strangers over the medical training of you pediatrician, its time to get a new doctor.

Again, be careful seeking advice in this forum for something so precious.

Answer 15

I sort of had this issue with my son. He went 3 to 4 days for the first few weeks and the pediatrician said it wasnt alarming because a handful of babies only go that often like adults do. Its when it gets past 4 days that you should be alarmed. In my opinion she is too young to give prune juice to. Do it the old fashioned way...load up a rectal thermometer with vaseline and do as you would take her temp except only insert a little bit and usually it will stimulate a bowel movement. Good luck!

Answer 16

Do not give her anything except your milk!!  Some breastfed babies will not p**p for days.  She is absorbing everything you are feeding her and that is a very good thing.  I suggest you drink lots of water and lay off the formula for a while.   Supplementing in my opinion is not done 2-3 times a day, its done once a week or so.  Her digestive tract is probally very confused.  Breastmilk is alot easier to digest than formula.  

Mommy to 2 is spot on as well...

Answer 17

Have you tried the prune juice and water?  If not, try it.  It works really well.  I used that for my son when he was constipated.  It just took a few hours to kick in.  Just don't forget the water like I did!  p**p everywhere!

Answer 18

i had trouble with my first little boy, he'd get so constipated and would want to nurse all day long for comfort.  i later found out he had milk allergies, and breastmilk is a natural laxative.  the docs didn't help me out too much,  it took me almost 2 years to get an allergy test for him.  anyway, this is what worked to get my little boy to go:  take a "booger extractor", those suction things for baby's noses, and put a little bit of warm water in it, and insert it just a tiny little bit into his butt, you don't want to damage his little butt, so only like an 8th of an inch, and gently moisten with the water, this "probing" usually causes the baby to go.   you can do this with a q-tip, but i always worried about the cotton coming off.

Answer 19

If you've tried what your doctor says and it hasn't worked then you need to call him back.  How about a glycerin suppository?  It's unusual for a breast fed baby to be constipated usually it's the other way around.  If you are putting rice cereal in the formula stop doing that as this will constipate and they don't need it.  Some children have chronic constipation from lactose.  You could try lactose free formula, it's more expensive but sounds like it would be worth it.  Good luck