desperately seeking desperate help

[Mortal]

who said BF babies don't get constipated?! My 9 month old has taken well to solids, we started him off on the old baby rice business and then didn't know how to progress so we stuck to powdered food for a while until we noticed he just stopped pooing. I then changed his diet, he'll eat anything now as long as its mixed in with a cheese sauce, everything I make him is home made, no salt and mostly organic I always make sure he has broccoli, cauliflower and carrot mixed up with either rice and peas or pasta and some sort of meat, usually chicken - but always always always the veg. Sometimes just the veg and cheese sauce but always more veg. And he just won't poo, when he does (maybe once a week) he'll poo about 2 or 3 times, one after the other always crying as it's passing, usually he'll just hold onto me while he squeezes it out but he's not happy about it at all. He loves water so he's always drinking, I've today resorted to giving him a smoothy just trying to get some poo going. I almost yearn for the days of his jet propelled poo. He will also munch on fruits, he's a very healthy little lad. He doesn't eat breakfast as he usually feeds through the night and before his morning nap - I've tried, he will just not entertain breakfast at all. Why. Is. He. Still. Constipated?!? sighs hopelessly
(I just stole my own thread and put it here, not sure the bf/ff forum is the place for it really but desperate for help)

[lostinindia]

Don't know why he's constipated but it's a similar story to my 8mnth old. He's also on a similar diet but no meat. He doesn't poo for days and then does a few in succession. He also occasionally cries when he goes. He didn't poo for approx 5 days this week but I let him munch on a few rehydrated apricots and that seemed to do the trick. HTH.

[RitaMorgan]

Exclusively breastfed babies don't get constipated, but once you add in food it can take a while for their digestive systems to adjust!

Does he eat a lot of bananas? That can be quite constipating.

Have you tried fruit juice - diluted orange or prune juice? And give him tangerines or clementines to eat too.

If it doesn't improve, take him to the GP and get some lactulose to soften his stools so at least it doesn't hurt him.

[Mortal]

Yes, he has lactulose and I used it once but I want him to get used to pooing on his own. He hates banana. I've just introduced smoothies, a passionfruit and mango one as my hv said smoothys would be good and mango is a good one. I thought that as he was still bf, that this would help him digest food...doh.

[Mortal]

I thought my theory of getting him used to pooing alone would be ok.

[RitaMorgan]

Maybe see your GP again about the lactulose? If he is in pain when he does poo then it will make it more likely that he tries to hold on and not poo, which will make it worse.

[Mortal]

My poor baby :(

[sh77]

Poor baby. Hope you sort it out very soon. I have been exclusively breast feeding and have started weaning in the past week. DS has been constipated for 4 days, which has been worrying as he has been straining for a poo. I gave him lactulose but that did not help. I then pureed some prunes and that has got things going. Make sure he drinks plenty of water with his meals. Try mixing prune puree/juice into his smoothies or cereal/yoghurt. I read on the net that doctors can prescribe movocol if baby has lactose intolerance - you could ask GP about that.