HELP!!!! Constipated baby, stressed out mum.

[doingeverythingican]

I started FF my DS 2 weeks ago (he is now 5weeks old) due to both of us having thrush and me not producing enough milk for him so he was always hungry and to top it all off i got the flu. I put him on SMA Gold which was fine while we were combination feeding, but now that he is only on the bottle, he is suffering rather badly with constipation. I tried SMA comfort out of desperation but it made no difference. I was told in the pharmacy that i can change between the 2 SMA products without "weaning" him from one to the other now im doubting that aswell. Does anyone have some advise?? I feel guilty as hell and really need a break from a crying baby.

I don't know about 'weaning' from one formula to another. But I used SMA with DD and it did constipate her (she was 6mo). I switched to Hipp and have had no problems since. It's just anecdotal, I know, but her poos were fairly similar to her breastfed poos after that, which I found reassuring!

The other thing I would recommend - for constipation and screaming in general - is baby massage. Is there a course near you you can give a go? My surestart centre did it free, it was a godsend.

I have no advice about formula but I used to lay my baby on her back and cycle her legs in the air to relieve constipation - worked a treat! Good luck

I was going to suggest baby massage too, I haven't been to a class but looked at some videos and this is what I do to help DD when she is constipated: using two fingers rub the tummy in little circles, clockwise, around the belly button. Then rub down the tummy with your whole hand. I cycle her legs a bit as well and then repeat. Best done after a warm bath.

It's usually not long before she explodes after a massage so I think it is really effective.

Explodes

anecdotally Sma is constipating to lots of babies. You could try a different milk to see if it helps

Ds was like this. Baby massage is a must. I'm sure there is a YouTube clip on how to do it for constipation. Cool boiled water has been recommended by my HV. To help get things moving.

The other thing I do which really helps is when baby starts to push open nappy up on floor on back hold legs up to help baby push more effectively.

A bit of cream or Vaseline on the bum will make it easier as well. Just till you get things going again.

Thank you everyone, We've had a nice warm bath a few massages and we are now on Aptimal, and im happy to say DS has filled a nappy :)

Great

Well done DS