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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Help - urgent

20 replies

UCM · 17/04/2006 16:37

My cousin has a 5 week old baby that is constipated. She took her to hospital as the child screams in pain when trying to poo. The paediatrician told her to give 'no added sugar blackcurrant juice (ie robinsons/ribena) to make her go'. I have never heard of this before. Pear juice yes, but not bottled dilute juice for a child this small.

After a week she phoned her HV, who told her 'let her scream, it has to come out some way'

I am a mother of DS age 2 and believe that this advice is wrong..... can anyone help.

Even though I am 36, I am still a little inexperienced in this and don't want to advise her to do anything that she shouldn't.

OP posts:
Original poster
UCM · 17/04/2006 16:40

I promised I would phone her back soon as she doesn't have anyone else.

OP posts:
bobblehead · 17/04/2006 16:42

My paed told me to use diluted prune juice, but that was for a 6month old. I soaked dried prunes and used a dropper to put the water in her mouth. Don't know if its suitable for a 5 week old but sounds better than ribena to me!

Original poster
UCM · 17/04/2006 16:43

Thanks bobble, I am pretty sure she shouldn't be giving a 5 week old baby Asda Blackcurrant.....

OP posts:
ItalianJob · 17/04/2006 16:44

a bit of baby massage might work - and definitely won't do any harm - allegedly if you cycle the baby's legs and rub up and down the babies tummy scooping like you would scoop sound that helps promote movement of the bowels.

soapbox · 17/04/2006 16:45

The no-sugar added juices are usually sweetened with sorbitol which has a mild laxitive effect.

I would imagine this is why the paed has recommended it.

foxinsocks · 17/04/2006 16:45

is the baby bottlefed? I assume the paed gave the baby a thorough check.

If she is bottlefed has she thought of changing the formula?

In her shoes, if what the paed has said doesn't do the trick, I'd take her to the GP. We were given some sort of glycerine suppository for ds but he was slightly older and the GP can check for constipation by feeling the tummy (just in case it's anything else).

Miaou · 17/04/2006 16:49

If you are going to massage the baby's tummy, it is essential to massage it the right way - starting under the baby's ribcage at its right hand side and sweeping from its right to its left, pressing firmly with the fingertips (use a little oil eg grapeseed or olive oil so that you don't pull the skin). HV's often recommend this for getting solids moving, but you mustn't do it in the wrong direction as you can cause more problems! But I have found it really useful in the past.

Original poster
UCM · 17/04/2006 16:50

Thanks for this, She was given a suppositary at the hospital.

Soapy, that explains it, I was stunned to the point of falling off my chair when my cousin told me....Grin

OP posts:
tiktok · 17/04/2006 17:36

UCM, how is this baby fed?

Sorbitol can cause diarrhoea - I don't think it is suitable for a young baby. An uncontrolled dose like this could be unsafe.

Original poster
UCM · 17/04/2006 21:41

The baby is bottle fed. I went round there and gave her a bottle with some apple juice with boiled water and she pooed!!!!

I know they say give her a teaspoon but I gave her a tablespoon and it shifted it

One hour after she drank her normal bottle.

Thanks girls.

OP posts:
LIZS · 17/04/2006 21:42

Perhaps the formula doesn't agree with her ?

Original poster
UCM · 17/04/2006 21:43

I have just phoned mum to check, she is fine. I was a bit concerned that when I gave her the water, she was almost hogging the bottle at 5 weeks. But she still took her normal bottle one hour later and she poooooed

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starlover · 17/04/2006 21:44

ucm, if she poo'd only an hour after you gave the juice then it's unlikely tht's what shifted it!

tbh a lot of babies cry when they poo, simply because it's a really strange feeling to them. Unless she is doing big, very solid stools then I doubt it's constipation.

Original poster
UCM · 17/04/2006 21:45

Forgot to say, I took a tin of SMA round, she is giving Farleys so I suppose it wont matter. My recollection of Milks is that it didn't matter..... We will see

OP posts:
Original poster
UCM · 17/04/2006 21:48

Starlover, thats a shame, because she really drank with gusto. Loads of Apple/Water!! Because her mum told me she'd poo'd and put it down to that I hoped I'd help'd.

OP posts:
Original poster
UCM · 17/04/2006 21:49

Also went round there about 6ish.
so maybe it worked

OP posts:
claireh11 · 18/04/2006 22:29

My son used to get constipated and hv told me to give him some boiled water with ne teaspoon of brown sugar in it, failing that some pure orange diluted with boiled water always worked.

ShaysMummy · 18/04/2006 22:33

i dont think the dilute squash would do any harm on this occaision. she wont need much to get her moving.
leaving her to scream over it is much worse- what awful advice!

ShaysMummy · 18/04/2006 22:34

with the formulas, i found aptamil plugged my son up really badly.
the only one which hasnt is c&g.
the hv told me on the quiet she found that one the best for her son.

LIZS · 19/04/2006 08:11

Fennel or camomile tea can help with digestive problems either fed very diluted to the baby or, if breastfed, passed from mum to baby. You can get specific baby versions. Personally would avoid squash as it contains so much artificial cr*p and even diluted juice/herbal tea is not ideal if needed regularly as while it may offer relief short term , it is not addressing the actual cause of the problem. Worth a gp visit if it persists

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