No Bm in Five Days

Everyone has given very good advice but I have heard that apple juice can be constipating so be careful.

They say prune juice. That is what my sister in laws ped told them for their 3 week old. You can also do the rectal thermonitor like you were taking their temp and this sometimes gets a response.

my granddaughter is now 5 months old...and had the same problem when 3.5 months old. Her mom took her to doctor (susan) and she said it was okay to use diluated prune juice. She prefers it over apple juice-more vitamins and not as much sugar.

Has he eaten anything new?? Is he on cereal?? I would just call the dr and see what they say (they may tell you to try apple juice or kyro syrup) and if they want to see him first I would do that. My daughter had severe problems w/ constipation and had to have some x-rays and prescription medicine. I would just call and see what they say. 5 days is a long time esp if there hasnt been anything new to his diet...

Apple juice is known to cause gas pain in babies. I always use pear juice/water mix. Normally this works within an hour.

well my son was on rice cereal when he was 2 weeks old and the doctor told me to add about 1oz of kyro syrup to every bottle so u might can try that or i would give him apple juice full dont add water too it though just give it full strink it will be ok to start giveing him juice everyday to keep him regulated or add the kyro to every bottle if u need to talk u can e-mail me at ____@____.com im T.

You need to take your son to the doctor. It may be a simple problem, but 5 days is a long time for anyone to go without a bowel movement, and he is too young to tell you if his tummy hurts.

It is possible he could have a bowel obstruction, which could be very serious and even require surgery to correct, but the longer you wait to take him to the doctor, the more serious it could get.

Not trying to scare you, but you really should have it checked out, it is not normal for anyone, especially babies, to go that long without a bm.

Hi M.! I have a 3 1/2 month old and she did not have a BM in a few days...the DR. gave her some kind of salty looking powder which worked but another DR suggested apple juice. For the past month I have been giving her 2oz water with 1oz apple or white grape juice and she has been regular and loves it!

When my son was an infant...I used to give him 4oz. of warm water (about the warmth of formula) with a tablespoon of dark Karo syrup everyday. He never had any problems with bms or gas.

When my son was a month old he had the same problem. His pediatrician told me to give him 1oz. of Gerbers apple prune juice. They very next day he had a bm. Hope this helps!

Try a little dark kayro syrup in his formula!

There is a little girl at my son's daycare who had this problem and her mother finally started giving her Activa yogurt and she seems to be much better. It has regulater her and she is not having any more problems.

Just a thought.

W. P.
Theodore, AL

Hi M.,
When my daughter did that i used glycerine suppositories. I did not use them often but sometimes they need a little help. They are sold at walgreens and what i did was break them in half and use a half. It worked for me and my daughter and the doctor told me it was ok to use if they have not gone after 5 days. Hope this helps!
J.

Hi M., I'm a mom of a 10 month old son and I have been through this before. Have you checked with his doctor? Most of the time they will tell you to give the baby some baby apple juice or baby prune juice, add water. It should work, if not then you probably would need to consult with his doctor for other advice, maybe the dr. would have some other medication.

From La Leche League's Web site...

"Some healthy babies will have only one bowel movement a week. When bowel movements are less frequent, they should be more profuse in volume. As long as the baby is gaining well, wetting sufficiently, and is happy and content there is no cause to be alarmed by infrequent bowel movements, and it is not necessary to give the baby a laxative, fruit juice, or any other "helpers." In fact, attempting to force bowel movements can have harmful consequences to your baby."

Be careful giving a young baby anything but breast milk or formula if you haven't introduced other foods yet.

Other sites say it's not the frequency but the consistency of the poop - was the last one hard or painful-looking?

Try giving him dark karo syrup in his bottle. You mix 1/4 tsp with every 4 oz. I had to do this with my twins and it worked. Something about the syrup helps hold the water in the poop.

My newborn drinks soy formula since she is unable to have any galactose products which includes some veggies, milk products(including breast milk), by milk products, etc...Constipation struck my 6 week old last week. If your child is formula fed, try dark karo syrup(doctor's orders)or he suggested prune/orange juice. I liked the karo syrup the best...I add a table spoon of syrup per 4 oz of formula. Put it in every diaper until she poops, and then as needed afterwards No explosion diaper yet. You can try a suppossitory, but beware very messy. Even my doctor said the syrup will be much easier on everyone.

It is normal for him to go 2-3 days without a bm? If so, the dr. will probably tell you that's it's normal. However, should the problem persist and the baby is abnormally fussy, and your maternal instincts tell you that there is something more wrong, I would go ahead and take him to the dr.

Our pediatrician's nurse told me to put a little dark karo syrup (just a small dollop) into our son's bottle twice a day until he had a BM. It worked like a charm!

I would forget the apple juice. He needs tons of water. Call the pediatrician for advice but... My doc told me to mix 1 teaspoon of DARK corn syrup for each ounce of water and make sure my son got water each day. I didn't use this much but you need to make it sweet enough so they'll drink it. It will help him have a BM. The rule was one ounce of water for each ounce he has at a feeding. So if he eats 4-6 ounces at each feeding you should feed him one 4-6 ounce bottle of water a day. You might need to offer it several times a day until it's all gone. If you're breast feeding you don't have to worry about giving him water. Since the advice is for formula fed kids.

I wouldn't give a baby this young any juice b/c babies only need formula or breastmilk at this young age. Giving a baby juice can open up a whole world of possible allergies down the road.

I did want to let you know that my sister's baby also had trouble with bowel movements early on too. I'm not sure if you're open to taking your baby to the chiropractor but that's what my sister did and it helped her baby have a bowel movement that same day. In the beginning my sister started out feeding her baby formula and then breastfed her for a few weeks. So, while she was breastfeeding she thought that she should be having more bowel movements and she wasn't. She decided to take her to the chiropractor and that helped her. The dr. said that he could tell that she was having trouble going to the bathroom. After her adjustment, my sister told me that her baby had a bowel movement that same day. So, you may want to give the chiropractor a try. It's completely safe. I have taken my baby for several adjustments - she's almost 5 months. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions or concerns. I hope this helps.

Definitely give him something! It's alright to give him apple juice now, but pear juice is better for constipation. You can also add a little dark karo syrup to a bottle. That helps as well. Or your pediatrician can call in come lactulose, which is a nondigested sugar that softens stool.

I would definately call the doctor. I tried Karo Syrup in a water bottle before. 1tsp is all you need.

S.

I have three children. Two of which are twin 2 year olds. I would water down the apple juice to atleast 50/50 if not 75/25 to start off with. You do not want to give the baby diarhea. I know deluted white grape juice worked great with my 7 year old. Have you asked the pediatrician what they think? I wish you the best of luck. I hope he does not get fussy on you. His tummy is going to start hurting soon.

H.

M.,
Yes, apple juice would be fine. Put one ounce in his bottle if you are bottle feeding, or add it to about 3 oz water and give it to him in a bottle or sippy cup. Some people swear by a tablespoon of Karo syrup in a bottle, but I never liked the idea of giving my baby corn syrup, so I never tried it. If he is eating from a spoon you could try some baby pears, those helped my daughter alot.
Good luck!

Definitly call your Dr. My baby went 3 days and he told me to give her a little bit of prunes or prune juice. But I would call your Dr. before you do anything. 5 days is a long time for a baby that age. Let us know how it goes!!

Is your baby breastfed? If so that is within normal limits.

He's probably a little dehydrated. Water would be a good start. I'd also try to take his temperature. I know this sounds crazy, but the "been to the ER, done that" applies here. Soon as the nurse "took" his temperature {rectal thermometer} things just "moved". If you don't want to go and do that, maybe a warm bath. A good soaking might help too. Good luck.

When my daughter was 3 months old I switched her to formula and she too became constipated. my doctor told me to use Light Caro Syrup 1 teaspoon in her bottle.... worked like a charm good luck.
You can also try apple juice I would dilute it half water and half juice.

My son had constipation issues and we started feeding him pears and applesauce on a regular basis. We also had to start limiting his bananas to every other day.

-Pam

Please don't give your almost 4 month old apple juice. It can cause diaper rash because of acid and natural sugars. It is so normal for a baby to go through this. Sometimes we are concerned more than the baby. It is a natural thing. Haven't you ever gone without before? Maybe you could start your baby on a formula that advertises more fiber. If you are nursing then you need to increase your fiber.

My daughter did this and once she started eating solid foods it corrected itself. Please just be patient and make sure he is not in pain. If he is consult a doctor. Don't give a baby that little sugar, please.

Definately. My doctor suggested juice at 2 months old. Karyo syrup in the bottle also works. The drug store also has suppositories for infants (these make them go. A suggestion from my doctor). I would phone your doctor for suggestions. Good Luck.

I would definately give that wonderful baby boy apple juice - dilute it 1/2 water and 1/2 juice - or if he is able to eat some baby food - how about some purnes???

good luck!

My daughter had the same problem. Our doctor recommended baby suppositories. I know it sounds gross and believe me, it is. I would give apple juice and try the glycerin suppositories. You can get them at any drug store or even Walmart. They are specially made for little ones. I would suggest latex gloves for you. Our doctor told us that it was the Iron in the formula that was causing it with my daughter. Everything worked out fine for us. She is now 11 years old. Good Luck!