Constipated 2 Week Old..

[Scuba]

I've changed from breast feeding to formula and my nearly 3 week old baby is constipated now
Any formula tips to prevent/relieve this??xx

 

[Ktothema]

I'm not sure about preventing it, but I've been told a small amount of cooled boiled water with a tiny bit of orange juice does the trick by hvs and midwives (or brown sugar). Seems contrary to advice to give them nothing but milk though. I think the key is the really small amount, like 5-10ml.

 

[Nicoleoleole]

I have no idea if its recommended or not but MIL and my Mom pushed Karo syrup when my DS was constipated switching to EFF.
I did research but since both their first ingredients were corn syrup, I decided to try.

And it worked lol! Only needed it once.

 

[Kage76]

If she is finishing her bottles increase the water in the bottles by 20mls- this can help soften things up so they are easier to pass,
look up colic massage on you tube- by rubbing her tummy in a clockwise circle and bicycling her legs it helps peristalsis and gets her gut moving things downward.
If this doesn't work you can try the fresh orange juice or sugar in the water- but i personally went to the chemist and got coloxyl drops. Once she got used to the formula she was fine and it never appeared again.

 

[rory83coyotes]

prune juice. a tbl spoon once or twice a day. its natural and helps with constipation.

 

[spikey doodle]

All of the above, and to relieve, take a little piece of gauze and put a dab of vaseline on it, and massage her anus, in circular motions.

If after 5-10min, you don't get any results (no gas or poop), you can also insert (very gently) a q-tip with a little vaseline on it, about 1-2cm and gently move it about, back and forth for a few seconds.

It did wonders for my LO, that was struggling with gas and constipation in the beginning. The nurses at the hospital showed that little trick, which essentially stimulates your LO's bodily functions.

Caveat: Don't do it too often, or the LO will come to rely on it!

 

[Rachel_C]

Sorry if this seems a silly question but are you sure your LO is actually constipated? What's the poo like when she does go? If it's hard then yes she's constipated but if it's the normal FF poo consistency (IIRC it's kind of peanut buttery texture but it can vary wildly!) then it's not constipation, it's probably just LO getting used to the new sensation of pooing. It's normal for babies to strain, grunt and/cry when they poo for at least the first couple of months; it's only constipation if the poo is hard like little pebbles.