baby needing help to poo

[s098]

My baby is just over 4 weeks old and is breastfed. She seems to be increasingly struggling to do a proper poo but does little bits. She gets really uncomfortable and upset the same as colic symptoms but nothing helps to get rid of it and I'm really starting to struggle seeing her in pain and having to try and comfort her for hours. Yesterday i tried something I'd seen online using a thermometer slightly into her bottom and so much poo shot out no wonder shes unhappy. The poo is runny so shouldn't be hard for her to pass. Obviously i don't want to keep doing this but it's the only thing thats helped.
Has anyone else had this? And if i take her to the doctors will they just say its normal for breastfed babies to go for a while without pooing?

[DangerMiss]

It IS normal for breastfed babies to go for days without pooing. If you think she's in any kind of pain (could be colic), take her to a doctor and DO NOT insert any tools into her rectum to 'help'. You could do irreparable damage.

[Thatrabbittrickedme]

It is normal for BF babies to go a few days - my DD would go once a week (then deliver a poonami ). My HV explained it to me that poo is waste, and BF self regulates to give the baby exactly what it needs.

[disclaimer - I was not in the UK when DD was a baby] I was advised to push DDs legs gently against her tummy to help tummy discomfort. If I felt DD was struggling my paediatric doctor advised to insert very gently a cotton bud with ky jelly (he showed me how to do it) You should talk to a medical practitioner before doing this yourself. It worked for us for the first 8-10 weeks until the issues sorted themselves out

[s098]

Obviously i was very careful doing this and barely needed to put it in at all. I'm not ramming anything right up there and its dno different to taking her temperature.
I know it can be normal for them not to poo everyday but shes uncomfortable and doing the whole massage / moving her legs doesnt often help much. I will take her to the doctors but get the feeling I'll be fobbed off with 'its normal'

[JeanGenie23]

My baby was like this and was actually worse when given infracol for colic. Try warm sterilised water in between feeds, and whilst in the bath rub her tummy clockwise, seem to do the trick for my DD.

I would also suggest using gripe water if you think she has colic as opposed to infracol, it just didn't work for us.

Perhaps look at your diet too. I don't know if you eating/ drinking prune juice is still advised but I was recommended that.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

Is she grunting and straining?

dd2 had this although she was bottle fed but she was constantly in pain and straining as if she was trying to poo but there was nothing coming out and when she did go it wasn't hard pellets.

what's the poo like when she dies go?


dd was intolerant to cows milk protein.

[s098]

Thank you yes my mum suggested prunes. I am also trying to cut down on dairy in case that is causing any problems.
We've only tried infracol once, not tried gripewater yet. Currently use dentinox which helps sometimes ( when i think the pain is colic not just needing a poo)
Last time i saw the health visitor she said it was colic and basicly theres nothing you can do!

[s098]

Yes she gets really aggitated and fidgety.
Her poo is always runny now when she does go its never hard as if shes constipated.
Think i might have to fully cut out the dairy then

[Murphyslaw21]

Mine was same. Someone said sugar water I thought no that can't be good. But it bloody works...

1 teaspoon in 4oz of water. Two 5ml syringed into mouth that's all it takes do this twice a day.

Water on it own helps but sugar is attracted straight to bowel. Mine was constipated for three weeks.

Please try it really works.

[Pippidoeswhatshewants]

Have you tried drinking fennel tea? That was the advice when I was bf, in a different country, though.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

just so you know, soya can also case a reaction so might ne worth exploring that as well. can recommend koko milk and alpro hazelnut milk.

there is also an almond dream.ice cream.in morrissons which is nice. forget cheese it's a no go but m&s sunflower spread without dairy is pretty good fir baking too.

[Fugghetaboutit]

Same here with 6 week old. Lots of wind and no poo for a week. She just went this morning finally.

[Murphyslaw21]

1 teaspoon of sugar in 4oz of water. Two 5ml syringed into mouth that's all it takes do this twice a day.

Water on it own helps but sugar is attracted straight to bowel. Mine was constipated for three weeks.

Please try it really works.

[s098]

Thanks Gileswithachainsaw, i did try rice milk which was fine in cereal but not good in tea! Have been trying to replace normal tea with chamomile sometimes as I've read that can help .
I thought giving breastfed babies any water at all was not advised?

[ProbablyMe]

With my DS's who all went through this I was recommended by the Health Visitor to give them diluted apple juice. I also did tummy massage and the thing someone else suggested where you lie them on their backs and gently bend their legs up towards their chest - they seemed to enjoy this.

My boys are 18, 16, 15 and 12 though so no doubt this would be wrong now!!

[JeanGenie23]

s098- check with your HV because advice seems to change often, but I gave my EBF DD sterilised water, I don't know why it wouldn't be recommended, but they have to get used to drinking water at some point!

[MrsMum2011]

We had this very problem, do the above mentioned exercises, knees up to tummy out and down in a bicycle/ circular motion, and massage circular motions on the tummy, maybe look at baby massage to see if you can pick up anything else there.

The most effective thing I found... Curry. We had a curry one night when it was really bad as a pick me up (DC not pooing and in constant pain is the thing that has reduced me to uncontrollable tears so far in parenthood) next day best nappy we had seen for a long time and a much happier baby!

[jellymum1704]

Baby is too young to be drinking water even if it's sterilised. Do try gentle tummy massages taking care to run a light circle around the belly button lightly. I found a warm water bath helps as well. When you think she might be trying a poo try lifting her leg up like you would while changing her diaper. If nothing helps do speak to the gp to put your mind at ease

[JeanGenie23]

I didn't realise you shouldn't give sterilised water to babies, can I ask why? I did, feel like a terrible mother now, she only ever sipped it, it didn't replace her feeds!!

[Murphyslaw21]

Jelly why no water. Who told you that

I was told by HV, gp and dietician water was fine as long as sterilised and not replacing feeds. This was from 4 weeks old.

[Fugghetaboutit]

Formula fed babies have water so can't see how it can hurt.

I gave dd fennel tea in boiled water yesterday to help with gas

[CultureSucksDownWords]

The NHS advice is that breastfed babies don't need water and that formula fed babies only need water in very hot weather.

The risk of giving too much water to a small baby is water intoxication, although they'd have to be given quantities of water regularly to be in danger of this. Then also, water will put off or replace a breast feed meaning the baby getting less nutrition overall.

The OPs baby doesn't sound constipated, the fidgeting and agitation sounds within typical for a new baby getting used to their digestive system.

[Graceymac]

It does sound like colic which is very common in babies of that age. All of my dds had digestive issues, time is the only thing that helps if it is colic.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

colic just means unexplained crying. it's a symptom not a diagnosis.

possible causes include allergies/intolerences.

which of course babies can grow out of . but that doesn't mean there wasn't something wrong to begin with.

[CultureSucksDownWords]

Does colic always have a cause or can it just sometimes happen for no diagnosable reason?

[Gileswithachainsaw]

Well I think it can just be the temperament of the child.

but given the characteristics imply alot of discomfort then I can't see how that discomfort has no cause IYSWIM.