Help, please!

[ellash]

Hey guys, just looking for a bit of advice.

My 15 week old son suffers from constipation quite regularly. To the point where he can be constipated for about 4 days and it will come out in the formation of an adult poo, just in baby size and will be quite hard (a bit like dry play dough). The doctors prescribed laxatives (movicol) and luckily he always managed to go before we resorted to them, as I never wanted him to then start suffering with diarrhoea too unless it was truly necessary. SO SO SORRY FOR THE DETAILS GUYS!

But this time things are different & he's been constipated for about 5 days. I have him his recommended dose of laxative yesterday but no movement. He's clearly suffering quite a bit and it's very distressing for him and myself. Alongside him also teething, he's struggling to be the happy boy he usually is.

I don't want to not use the laxatives as they were prescribed and I have read online that they might take a couple of days, but does anybody have some non-medical advice to help at all? Aside from bicycling his legs and massaging tummy as we are trying that constantly :(

Thank you xxxx

5 days does not seem a massively long amount of time for a baby to go without pooing - is there a reason they think he's constipated? It seems in the realm of normal to me.

Keep up with the movicol but if you think it has got beyond that, ask for glycerine suppositories. You also need to be asking to find out why he's getting so constipated, it isn't normal for babies to have such hard stools.

Have you tried the special massage on his tummy? My midwife showed me how to do it, and the poo literally appeared whilst she was doing it! It's basically a circular motion on his tummy, clockwise starting at 6 o'clock and finishing at 3 o'clock. Very very effective, and no need for drugs.

Potteringalong it's not the day basis, it's because his stools are so hard and you can literally see it struggling to come out (sometimes we have to lay with his nappy off to try and get him to go) but after 4 days that's when it's considered constipation.

Imnotaslimjim the doctor didn't even seem like there should be a reason? At 6 weeks he went from BF to formula & that was the reason she gave but didn't seem too concerned otherwise. I'll definitely get back onto them!

Swifey I'm just going to try and do that now. :)

I second tummy massage suggestion. Also, bicycle legs - when baby is on his back move his legs like he's ringing a bicycle. This, coupled with massage always seems to help my 8 month old.

Good luck

^riding