Dd has colic and is constipated

[Stacie]

We were at the doctor for Sarah's 1 month well visit. She has been having a lot of tummy troubles in the last week. She'll go for days without pooping and have screaming fits. Then she'll have massive diarrhea. Then go back to not pooping and screaming. It SUCKS. I asked the pediatrician today and she said I can give the baby prune juice and/or work on eating more fiber, ugh! Anyone have problems like that before and can suggest some good foods that will help or foods to avoid?

[Melanie]

Hmmm...it's totally normal for a bf baby to not poop for several days and then go all at once, and it is usually runny, yellow, and seedy looking. It is also somewhat unusual for a bf baby to get constipated. Honestly, I'd look for another reason for the crying, unless you are watching her strain to poop (making that face, turning red, grunting, etc.). Are you giving her iron? That will constipate them, for sure. When Jack was on iron, I would give him a couple ounces of apple juice every morning and that helped.

I don't know much about foods to add/avoid in your diet to help, so hopefully, someone else can chime in.

[Stacie]

I am taking an iron suppliment. I was taking it because I had low iron when was pregnant. The hospital said to keep taking it after I delivered. I wonder if I should stop taking it. I am still taking a prenatal that has iron.

[ElizabethN]

In a breastfed baby, the screaming (if it's related at all) is almost certainly trying to hold it in, not constipation, especially if it's runny when it does come out. Is it yellow and seedy?

[KQCCMama]

Is she otherwise doing well? Back to her birth weight, hydrated, etc.? It could just be the whole fourth trimester thing and adjusting to the world. As others have said, bf babies RARELY are constipated!

[annalauren]

Ask your doc whether you still need the supplement. Mine had me discontinue it at 6w pp, so you might not need it much longer.

Cali has had chronic constipation, but by that I mean poop that is ROCK hard and will barely come out. At her worst, I think she went 8 or 10 days without pooping. I figured out that she needed a little water and that helped A LOT. Like even an ounce or two a day can make a difference. Now that I give her diluted juice (I started with pear- it's very mild tasting) she has no problems. If it's loose, I don't think it is constipation.

Is it watery and clear/see through, or just very wet and slimy? She may be peeing with the the poop at this age. Does she have gas? Have you tried giving gas drops before feeds? We had to give them to Felicity before EVERY SINGLE feed until she was 5 or 6 months. Gripe water can help with colic (it didn't help my girls, but they both have had reflux).

Sorry, to ask so many questions. It's so hard to tell when they are so little and everything is communicated with screams and cries :hug:

[Stacie]

I was doing some Googling last night and I think I have 2 different issues here... the colic, which appears to be classic colic. The red faced screaming, hard tummy and being resolved with passing gas. I thought it was related to eating but I guess that is what regular colic is.

Then the other issue is just that her poops have changed. I was worried because it was a couple days between then and then she had a huge poop that overfilled her diaper. It was the traditional yellow but it was really runny and slimy. But if she was constipated it wouldn't have been runny. From everything I have read that is normal, after 6 weeks. She's only 4.5 weeks right now.

This colic better pass soon. I REALLY don't think I can handle it. She was up for over 4 hours last night, from 12:30 to almost 5am.

[Melanie]

Are you giving her gas drops? If not, you might try them. They really helped with my gassy boys.

[RLB]

A friend of mine had similar issues with her son, who was exclusively bf. It did turn out later that he had virtually silent reflux and some zantac made him like a different kid...he was still a little gassy when he ate, but nowhere near as unhappy at night. I think she also gave up eating dairy for quite a while. You might see if your diet has any effect. Colic is such a general term, and in my experience, tends to have more than a few factors contributing...not all of which you may be able to fix. Hang in there.

[miche]

You're bringing back bad memories for me! My "baby" who is now almost 11 yrs old had HORRIBLE colic. It was exhausting mentally and physically and I felt so run down and like such a bad mom because my baby wouldn't stop crying. He usually pooped fairly well, but a couple times he didn't for a few days. It wasn't really constipation, but it just wasn't coming out.

With a kid who already has GI issues I'd really lean toward not giving prune juice or anything else. Babies digestive systems are really not geared toward solids until at LEAST 4 months of age, and most studies are actually showing 6 months of age is a better time. Even for the juices. I'm really surprised her doc recommended prune juice at 1 mo!

It also doesn't sound like she's constipated at all. It can be normal for a fully breastfed baby to go from pooping many times a day to once a day or even once every few days. If the stools are thicker than usual you can try nursing more and allowing her to nurse for short periods if she wants just to quench her thirst rather than give a "full" meal. Sometimes it can be a touch of dehydration (esp if it's been hot or baby is being dressed or covered too warmly and is sweating.)

If the stools look mucousy it could be an illness or it could be a reaction to something you are eating. Are there any foods that are new to your diet, or that you have been eating a lot more of recently. Milk is the most common culprit, but that also might not be it. You would need to give up dairy for 2-3 weeks to see a change. Before doing that (because it can be a pain depending on what your normal diet is) you might want to see if the strange stools persist.

In the meantime I would suggest giving her warm baths, doing tummy massages, especially the "I Love You massage". Just google that and you'll get lots of info. It really can help the gas bubbles and even poop move through baby's intestines! If she is a big spitter-upper try keeping her upright after meals as colic is sometimes due to pain from reflux. Lastly if it's been a few days since she has pooped and the massage isn't helping you very occasional use of an infant glycerin suppository (or an adult one cut into about 4 pieces lengthwise) to help aid things along. Sometimes taking a rectal temperature with lots of vaseline on the thermometer can help too. It's not so much the greasing up of the rectum, but the foreign body there that can prompt the baby to push things out.

Hope this helps! :hug:

[KQCCMama]

Another idea to try is going to see a pediatric chiropractor. It worked absolute miracles with my friend and her colicky baby! He did have issues with milk in her diet as well. Big improvements when she stopped dairy.

So my recommendation is to google Dr. Elise Hewitt in Portland OR. She's my baby's chiro and my friend's baby too. She's awesome and probably has lots of links to helpful info too.

Good luck!