infant constipation?

[mrearney]

my infant is 4 weeks now and is primarily breastfeeding but has been supplemented with a fomula (4oz) bottle every day for the last week or 2. we are using similac advance. he was having at least 1 bowel movement everyday without difficulty. he had not had a bowel movement in 3 days so we used a glycerin supp to help him. his poop was still soft and pasty and not hard. we have noticed him to be straining more and having more problems and discomfort with gas. he is very fussy and irritable after feedings.
he has not pooped again today and is still straining frequently. is he having problems with constipation? do we follow the rules on freq of bowel movements for a breastfed baby or a formula fed baby?
thanks

[djasinski]

When my daughter was about the same age her ped. recommended 2 oz apple juice with 2 oz water and 1 tbsp. karo syrup daily. When that did not work after 1 week then the ped. recommended Miralax but that is last resort when takling about a baby.

[northernva.mommy]

I am not sure about the frequency of bowel movements with formula fed babies but I know that with breastfed babies it can change. I had one child that would go after every feeding and one that would go once a day.

I had concerns and a lactation consultant told me that in a perfect world, a breastfed baby would probably only have a bowel movement once a week since they would only take in exactly what they needed and only make a small amount of waste. They still have lots of wet diapers.

If he is straining and still not going, call the doctor. I know that they can recommend miralax but it depends on the weight of the child.

[ashdunmire]

When my daughter was born I had her on Similac (because that is what the hospital recommended) and she was constipated in the first week! After trying suppositories, juice, karo syrup, and all I finally switched her formula (and watched my pediatrician's eyes pop out) to Nestle Goodstart. She had a more settled stomach and regular bowel movements. I am expecting another baby in May, and I am going straight to Nestle this time!

[WWmama]

My doc told me that they have linked Karo Syrup with Botulism, so be careful with that.

My son was constipated when he was about that age and my doctor told me to give him plain nursery water. He was drinking 3 oz of formula at that time, and she said he could have 3 oz of water in between bottles, if he would take it. (He wouldn't take that much) When he was a couple of months older, I mixed 2 oz of water to 2 oz of prune juice and that softened things up. Now, (he just turned 5 months) if I notice that his bowell movements are getting hard, I'll just add a little prune juice to his bottle or give him an ounce (mixed with water), before he gets real constipated. We don't have any big troubles anymore.

[CLS]

I too have heard about the link between karo syrup and botulism in babies. I would stay away from it. Try water and/or diluted juice. If that doesn't work, try stimulating your baby's rectum VERY lightly with a rectal thermometer dipped in KY jelly. As a last resort, suppositories are a miracle. However, be careful that your child doesn't become dependant on external help to poop all the time. If you are using anything besides water on any kind of regular basis (maybe more than once every two weeks) have your baby's stool tested by a Dr. They can test to see whether it has a normal Ph level and whether there is blood present. By having him tested we caught my son's allergy to milk protein. They put him on Similac Alimentum which already has the proteins partially digested, and he went back to pooping on his own within a few days.