4 week old crying when trying to poop

[Housey67]

Hi there,

My little one is 4 weeks old now and she is really struggling with her poo. We were fine for the first few weeks while I was only breast feeding but due to a number of reasons we have switched to combination, since then she has had trouble. We will have two days with three poos and then nothing for two days. On the second of those two days she is really grumpy and irritable, she cries everytime she tries to pass wind or poo.
I told the hv today and she said to give her some cooled boiled water which I have done but no luck!
I had a look at her today and her anus seemed very very read. I have put some cream on this and hopefully she will be more comfortable.
I wondered if anyone else had had the same and could offer some advice.

[EmbarrassedPossessed]

Forgive the question, but when she seems to be struggling to poo, is the actual poo normal when it comes or does it look too firm/solid?

If it seems normal consistency then it probably won't be constipation. It'll be her young digestive system getting used to the formula or just getting used to digesting full stop.

[Housey67]

Her poo is soft and similar to when she was exclusively breastfed.

[Innocuoususername]

I'm that a HV recommended cooled boiled water for a baby of this age, that is not current NHS advice as far as I'm aware as bresdtmilk or properly made up formula should be hydrating baby as well as feeding them - water fills the stomach without proving any nutrition.
But anyway, back to the point, babies are not in control of their anal sphincter muscles at this age and can make a right song and dance trying to get something out. As long as it is soft it's fine, they're only considered constipated if what comes out is hard (if in doubt, squeeze it through the nappy, urrgh )

[Innocuoususername]

Providing any nutrition, stupid autocorrect.
Also, this only lasts a few weeks IME. In the meantime, if she seems to be having trouble you could try moving her legs gently as though riding a bicycle, or gently rubbing her tummy in a clockwise circular motion to try and help things along.

[FastWindow]

Formula can be tricky. And I don't see any problems with giving a small amount of water at all, in cases of pebble poo. But only a little bit- they should as a pp said be getting it all from the milk.

Just first check that you are not putting too much powder in and inadvertently overloading her digestive system .

Then you could also try tummy massage and leg cycling to get things moving.

Hope she's OK soon.

[FastWindow]

Xposted with fay but there you go. Good advice.

[Housey67]

Have tried the tummy rubs and legs for last two days with no luck.
She is so grumpy and not sleeping properly.

[McSqueezy]

It may not have anything to do with the actual pooing, but more a discomfort/digestion issue. None of my 3 went everyday, including my first who was on formula from day 1. If the stools look normal, there is probably not an issue with constipation.

You do get this 'colic' type grumpiness in the early days. Maybe it's worth switching to a different formula?

[butterfly86]

Our dd was like this from a couple of weeks old we eventually switched her on to the comfort formula and she was like a different baby so much more settled and pooing easily she's 5 months now and is still on it.

[AnythingNotEverything]

My EBF DD was like this at 3-4 weeks. If the poo, when it comes, isn't hard, then this may just be a processing issue - she'll get used to her system soon enough. More bm will hydrate just as well as water.

[WiggleGinger]

Try feet massage too
But not at the time that she's upset do it at a time that she is calm. If you search for baby digestion foot message ( or something similar) you will get lots of images showing you how & where to direct the strokes on the foot.
My DS loves it & doesn't half pass some wind whilst & after being massaged.
The best one is the pressure point under the third toe that releases the tension. Often stimulates a wee!

[frankiebuns]

I have same problem. Hv suggested water to us she loves it but makes no difference! My ds was constipated from a early age he has jhs which makes his bowels sluggish but we get one massive one every 36 hours!

[SnowPetrel]

Hi,
I post this a lot but it has worked wonders with helping my two to poo/ pass wind when they are struggling- here's my trick:
Sit on my bed with my knees up and baby sitting on my tummy with back against my thighs, facing me. Then tilt baby's bottom slightly by pulling feet/ end of Grobag up gently, i.e. so baby slips down a couple of inches. Then wait 10-15 minutes and if trapped wind/ an outstanding poo is the problem you should hear results and have a calmer baby! Hth.