Help Constipation /Straining in BF 9 month old -

[wysiwyg]

DS breastfed from birth, now 3 meals solids a day, morning and evening breastfeed and one bottle formula milk daily, plus water.
Sorry if TMI, poo soft, but he strains a lot and cries when he poos (about 4 times a day currently) goes bright red in the face and grunts, poor chap.
There is obviously some problem here but not sure how to approach. He is still going but how can I make it less painful?
Grateful for any advice.

DS went through a phase of constipation at about 7-8 months with symptoms exactly as you describe. Even when he had soft poop, it looked very sticky and he was straining to only get out a teeny amount.

I was told to offer him as much water as he wanted at, and between meals, as well as his usual BFs.

Avoid iron-rich foods such as baby cereal (1tbsp of dry stuff in the morning only) and bananas. Mix pureed fruit in with his cereal. Try to use EBM in the cereal as formula is iron-fortified. I use pear. To this day, I still mix in half an ice cube of pureed prune with his fruit and cereal. DS has just turned 10 months and I've only started increasing his amount of cereal to 2 tbsps and using formula to make it up (I use the newborn stuff for this as there's less iron).

I was also told to avoid giving too much pureed apple and not to give apple juice until he had over a month of soft stools. Apple is apparently a 'binder' in the gut and can firm up poop.

To get over the worst of it, I was offering diluted prune juice as well at meals. Once his stools softened up, and he was passing big poops, I switched to the pureed prune in the morning.

The key for me has been offering tons of fluid during the day.

I know a few friends who went through this and there does seem to be a natural 'switch' at about 10 months, when they felt they weren't having to make such an effort in the poop department (mum and baby! )

Hope it all works out

HI, we have had terrible constipation problems due to a bowel disorder in our ds so you are talking to the constipation queen. My boy has gone as long as 2 weeks without poohing as he has now learned to retain it as he knows it is uncomfortable (10months old by the way)
Foods to include as mentioned below...prunes, raisins, pears, oats, fibrous veges
Foods to avoid as mentioned...bananas, baby rice.
If things get really bad then get ds checked out to make sure there arent any little tears that are causing him discomfort and you can also get laxitives which are suitable for infants with chronic constipation such as lactulose. Also if there is a pattern to his poohing you can try cycling his legs when he needs to go, a warm bath and rubbing his tummy in clockwise cycles sometimes helps as well. HTH.

thanks Highlander and Saacsmum for tips - I need to cut out bananas, as he has about one a day and it's possible he hasn't had much water at nursery (They will persevere less than me?)
I have had some success today after a very disturbed night last night (obviously tummy ache)and DS has "cleared the way" so to speak - not sure if a lentil dish has helped, also tried the tummy massage. I will give lots of water and watch that this passes in a couple of months or so - nice to know that it's probably nothing sinister.

wysiwyg, if the poo's soft I don't think it's constipation, esp not if 4 times a day.

My ds is nearly 9mo and also tends to strain and go red rather a lot. He only poos 2-3 times a week though, not sure if this is good or bad .

I think it may just be that he isn't used to the sensation of doing firmer poos if he's used to doing v soft bf poos, so personally I'm not that worried about it.

aha - lentils!! The book I was given (Canada) said to avoid them until 8-9 months as some babies can't tolerate them very well. I'm afriad I can't remember the reaon why.......

I also claim to be the constipation queen. Since 2 months DS has had a strange pattern of going everyday for a week then not going AT ALL for 3 weeks, and then going eevery day for a week again - Drs dont know WTF is going on and I keep having to go back to hospital with him he has had everything poor love - lactulose, sennacot, glycerin up the bum - with diet best things are lots and lots fo fliud - water and diluted prune juice, or diluted fresh squeezed orange are sposed to be best, lots of friut, and cereals like weetabix. However he is a very happy and active baby so not really affecting him and when he does finally go doesnt seem to hurt him toomuch goes bright red and strains but then in my experience as a nursery nurse most babys do that often accompanied by some delightful noises!! if hes going 4 times a day and it soft not like rabbit droppings then defo not constipated

Thanks for all your comments. I guess if he is going regularly then it can't be constipation. It is just the straining that is worrying. I've definitely got this sorted out at home by giving lots of water to drink so I will be encouraging this at nursery for the next three days. Before he was going red, straining, grunting and crying so looked like he was in a lot of discomfort. That was the worrying bit. At least it's a good clue when to change his nappy!

my 14 month old dd has rabbit poos and strains quite a bit. In best magazine this week it said that too much milk can cause constipation I know dd drinks loads of cows milk.
Ill have to get some prunes in and see if they will help. she hates orange juice etc.

Formula milk, refined baby products like baby rice, baby porridge , rusks, biscuits are all constipating. Water,: avocado:, puree cabbage,carrots and grapes: also orange squeezed from a real orange is the best thing I found for my four children