Baby really uncomfortable HELP

[Laurenxoxo]

My 6 week old has been crying non stop the last few hours and I'm sure it's because she is constipated and needs to go to the toilet, we have tried moving her legs like a bike, holding her legs up and also gently rubbing her tummy.. we tried some gripe water and also infacol even though I know they are mainly for trapped wind. But it's just awful and upsetting seeing her in pain and so unsettled.. we are going to try a warm bath now too but does anyone know what else may help? She's also not really had much milk today and I think it's because she maybe has belly ache? What can we do. Thanks

I would not explain baby massage because it has been a long time since I did it and would not want to be give you incorrect information. Anyway.. Christmas day many years ago, I massaged the tummy of 6 week old dc who had not pooed in days. About 30 seconds later a poonami exploded over me, the floor, the table and the wall behind me. So maybe look into that??

Oh dear that does not sound good, I should add though it was only yesterday she had her bowls open but I can tell she's constipated and in a lot of pain, she normally drinks so much more than what she has done today :(

A little trip in the car helped both of mine. Make sure you know how to remove/wash baby seat covers though...💩💩💩

The more potholes the better.

If you have a sling the jiggling plus frog leg position also worked quite nicely (especially if you were wearing something nice!)

DS was about 4 months old, whole day barely eating, eventually GP sent us off to paediatric assessment unit as had barely peed all day. Longer car journey, followed by triage from nurse, still a bit flat. Approximately 5 minutes later out it all came, happy baby again, took me about 30 minutes to clean him up of course... never been so relieved to have to deal with a skanky green poonami and need a change myself!

Is she EBF or FF or both. She might need a different formula if she is FF, is she having any reflux issues Either? If you are BF what did you eat/drink in the 12 hours before? Mine always kicked off if I ate pepper or onions.

I helped mine by going in clock wise spiral from the tummy button in a very very gentle rub of the tummy in bigger and bigger circles until I covered the whole tummy.

Are you sure it’s not a sleep regression? 6 week old babies cry a lot compared to the previous 5 weeks, it’s just a normal development phase. Particularly bad early evening to about midnight I found!

I find there’s nothing like dressing DS in a cute, new outfit to bring on a poo explosion

Otherwise at six weeks I don’t think there’s much more that you can do, other that the things you’ve tried (tummy rubs etc). If this is a bit more of a regular problem and you’re FF then I know there are special milks etc.

She is formula fed, she doesn't always get wind up after a feed, we are using cow and gate formula though and I thought it was supposed to be good?

I don't think it's anything to do with sleep as she is straining a lot and making the noises like she's trying to go to the toilet and she goes quite fed in the face and then crying after

@Laurenxoxo

She is formula fed, she doesn't always get wind up after a feed, we are using cow and gate formula though and I thought it was supposed to be good?

I would see how she is and then maybe have a word with the HV, sometimes it can be trial and error with milks.

We have seen the cow and gate comfort formula for colic and constipation in supermarkets.. it says to consult with a doctor before using so we may ring the doctors as she always seems like she really has to push and try on every poo she has... she has 1 normally everyday but they are very big and long ones.

Cooled boiled water worked for mine.

If she poos once a day she isn't constipated. Its if they baby hasn't posed for 7 days then she is classed as constipated. I looked it up because I thought my LO was around the same time too.

I read that as their body changes they figure out they can control the pooing more than it is an involuntary reflex which it is more of in the first few weeks. We noticed after this our LO would strain a little.more too poo. He actually now (7months) goes bright red and looks a little uncomfortable but it's just his poo face. We all have a weird one of those!

If you think it's a problem though contact your gp or Hv. The different types of milk are generally just marketing tools and unless you are prescribed something by the GP I would stick with first milk.

Bear in mind that the mechanics involved in pooing are quite complicated for babies to get their heads round - they have to learn to simultaneously push enough and also relax enough in the right places to make it happen. They can find it really frustrating when this doesn't come together in the way they want, and seen to spend ages trying to poo, but that's not constipation, it's just being a very new person. If she's going every day, then unless the consistency of it is a problem (ie it's very hard) then she's not constipated and I would be cautious about medicating her for a problem she doesn't have.

We found comfort milk a godsend for our ds who suffered constipation and reflux.

I wish I knew the importance of baby massage after a bath and how it helps a baby to sleep so quickly. I learnt about this tip, which i learnt about from a friend. Getting a baby massage oil with a powerful combination of all oils is the best oil for your little one.