is this a constipation? FF baby (6 weeks)

[Crosby]

How do I know whether my baby is constipating? she poops every 2-3 days, it does bother her I can see this, she is straining, red in the face, unsettled at night, but when she goes it is not solid, is this still a constipation?

I give her water on a spoon as she doesn't take it in the bottle (HV said 1 oz 2-3 times a day), even then I manage to put a little in her mouth before she realises what it is and shuts her lips tight. I massage her tummy religiously umpteen times a day, I move her legs (bicycle exercise), tummy time, I even put Vaseline on her little bot bot - it doesn't help her go.

Any advise please, all I hear from the health visitor is "its normal, try giving her water".. argghhh

 

[Teri7489]

If you have been advised by the gp to give an extra few oz of water then try adding it to her normal bottles of milk. That's if she finishes them though so she's still getting her full feed plus the water. Its quite normal for them to go every fee days and lots of babies often go red, make funny noises etc but its not always constipation. Some just don't like the sensation of their bowels moving plus the still have to learn how to do it. Also, hope I don't sound patronising, but only massage her tummy clockwise or running your hand from her chest down. Going anti clockwise or upwards can cause problems with the bowel.

 

[lewood88]

2oz cooled boiled water add 1 teaspoon of prune juice that helps my son go and was recommended by my hv

 

[MindUtopia]

That's pretty normal and no, I wouldn't consider that constipation. My daughter normally went about every 3-5 days up until 6 months (she was breast and then formula fed, but made no difference). Straining, turning red and seeming to be uncomfortable when they are going, in and of itself, is pretty normal. It's just them learning to get used to the feeling of doing a poo, which must feel pretty weird. It's only if the poo that comes out is pellet like and hard (like pebbles) rather than soft or liquidy that you really need to be concerned. I wouldn't bother with the water personally. Just feel on demand as much as he wants and keep up with the massage and things (tiger in a tree pose really helped us). When my daughter would go really long stretches (5-6 days), I could tell she was getting uncomfortable (not while doing a poo, just all the time). In those situations, a little bit of gripe water usually brought it on within a few hours. I wouldn't add water to formula as it dilutes it (so if they don't drink it all they get less nutrition) and can also disrupt the electrolyte balance in the formula.

 

[upsy daisy1]

when my daughter went to her check up at a few weeks I had this same concern. she was going every few days and towards the second day she was very uncomfortable and unsettled. when she did go it was a little bit and was like soft play dough. when she went to her check up and I took her nappy off she had pooed so I told the nurse my concern and showed her and she said its not constipated and all completely fine. she soon got over it and now goes every day and most of them explosive lol. I think its a phase most babys go through as everything is still developing and getting use to the outside world. keep trying the boiled water and little tummy massages always helped. also cycling her legs.hopefully your lo gets into a better rhythm soon. its horrible to see them struggle