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Please help me solve baby constipation!

6 replies

msa82 · 10/04/2023 10:44

At my wit's end! V stressed FTM trying to get ahead of 9mo DD's constipation before it becomes a bigger problem. This has been going on just over a month. I've not introduced any new foods. Have already tried prunes, plums, peaches, pears, peas, brocolli, orange - in all forms: cooked, pureed, stewed, juice, dehydrated and rehydrated..Tried more water, tummy massage, baths, more crawling time, bicycle kicks, lactulose, more wheat/bran, less wheat/bran, live yogurt, less dairy, currently trying no dairy...

DD was always very regular. Since starting solids she would normally go once or twice a day, missing a day maybe once a week. Always soft - think nut butters if not softer.

Then one day, just a little nugget in the nappy. Small and dry but squishable rather than pellet like. Threw all the P fruits at the problem and it sorted itself out in a week (although final day v traumatic for all concerned!). Nappies back to normal for a couple of weeks, but since then bar the occasional good day it's been constant nuggets or nothing at all. Poor DD strains a lot for them and occasionally gets upset, but generally seems happy in herself until I have to intervene with suppositories.

The GP says it's one of those things when weaning and can just carry on well into toddlerhood. They want me to continue giving lactulose twice daily, though it doesn't seem to do anything, and to use a suppository if DD hasn't had a proper bowel movement in 3-4 days. But currently this seems to mean once or twice a week which can't be good.

Lactation consultant can't see a problem on the BF side of things, and a private dietitian said her diet looks 'perfect' and shouldn't be a fibre issue. Suggested to see how it goes another couple of weeks then try dairy exclusion, but I've just launched straight into that in case it helps. No change yet...

Any ideas or wisdom? Have others had sudden longlasting constipation around the 9m mark and was it an intolerance or did it sort itself out??

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
BabyB2022 · 11/04/2023 22:16

I swear by kiwi, I have to be careful how much my daughter has at it has such an effect on her. She got really constipated around the same age, we'd been dairy free since newborn and couldn't work out what caused it. She was dropping milk quite rapidly once we started weaning (had never been a great milk drinker), so I wondered if it was just that. It did really improve once we moved her onto alternative milks as she upped her fluid intake. In between though kiwi kept her going!
Hope you also get to the bottom of what's causing it soon.

TheInterceptor · 11/04/2023 22:27

Bottom Grin

I digress ... my son was like this. The only thing that helped him was suppositories. He grew out of it at around 2, and is normal now at 6 except for the fact he does monster-sized poo. I'm wondering if he has a mega-colon caused by the constipation, or if it's just his natural physiology.

Cheshiremamalife · 11/04/2023 22:32

Bless you! How frustrating!! I used to give mine pure orange diluted with some water but I can see you've already tried every variety of orange!! Sorry I can't offer any other advice but your health visitor (if they still exist 🤷🏼‍♀️) may be able to help. Sounds like you've tried pretty much everything!! Hope baby is better soon xxxx

Sittwritt · 11/04/2023 22:33

Ok your baby us not having enough water. Also dairy intolerance can cause constipation too. Give something like Oatley as supplement.

Yo get rid of poop use suppositories if needed but then back up with Movicol. It sounds like an impaction problem too. Read up on that. When you use Movicol follow guidance and be careful coming off. Slowly reduce. Water is to ensure that impaction does not happen again.

TheInterceptor · 12/04/2023 10:09

Cloudy apple juice worked very well too.

msa82 · 20/05/2023 10:14

Thank you SO much for these kind replies! And sorry that I am late back - very new to MN and assumed I'd get some sort of notification if anyone got in touch 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, happy to say that shortly after writing things began to sort themselves out. It was not long after I'd eliminated dairy from both our diets so perhaps that was the issue, but I also finally, finally found cups DD found acceptable 😆 so she is a wonderful water drinker now where she wasn't before. Or maybe it's just time passing and DD getting used to more solids. She still has the occasional backed up day, but it can usually be linked to diet (e.g. less fruit or water the day before) and resolves very quickly.

I've slowly reduced the lactulose and this is our first week totally off it - touch wood is going well so far. All being well I plan to reintroduce dairy next week and see how that goes. All very confusing as she's always had dairy via breastmilk and had been eating it herself with no problems for 3 months but who knows with babies!

Would love to hear if anyone else experienced a very delayed reaction to dairy. Otherwise I found the previous messages very reassuring am keeping my fingers crossed for smoother waters xx

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