Constipation – Karo Syrup?

[Anonymous]

Sarah’s bowels definitely became harder once we started solids but I know her Alimentum has a LOT to do with the hard little rocks we have now. During our week long stint with Good Start…she had very soft, easy to pass movements and within a week of switching back to Alimentum it was rock city again.

Laura- I know you’re probably right about food intolerances and I wouldn’t be shocked at all…I’m just so terrified to realize she “can’t” have certain foods. Denial I guess. I’ve accepted that she can’t tolerate a milk based formula but I’ve always been so thankful that she’s a great eater and has loved every new food introduced. She doesn’t have any rashes, mucous, or blood in her stools so I’ve just kept assuming that she wasn’t blatently intolerant/allergic to anything. Maybe she is though? What would be the likely culprit? Do I start back at square one? Is there an “elimination diet” for babies?

With DH having “bowel problems” as well (and not having a clue what causes them) I have been preparing myself for Sarah to be like her daddy. That’s why I’m so hopeful that maybe a good probiotic could help her system to better digest foods. Brian’s parents and sister all have bowel issues (although not as severe as his) and they’ve had good success with natural supplements so I”m hopeful the same will work for Sarah.

Thanks again. It’s so great to be able to talk about this stuff. Oh, and I put in a message for my doctor (thought she’d have some ideas and at least be on the same page as us, although she’s pretty much worthless…) anyway of course she is out of town for the week.

*sigh*

[Anonymous]

thats weird about the alimentum…it gave Trace very very loose watery stools.
how was it that she was intolerant to the goodstart again? it sounds like her bowel movements were better on the goodstart, doesnt it?

[hellbennt]

amy you could do an elim diet w/ a baby but I wouldn’t bother…esp if it’s in the family & it’s the only symptom…does she have frequent night wakings too or any other mspi symptoms (listed on p2 of stickied mspi post)? hmm…

[Anonymous]

Lori, thanks for the reminder about the BRAT diet. Now I remember whey apples can be binding….they contain pectin. It’s amazing the things you forget when you age. I read once when I was a nanny that if you dice up an apple and let it get a little brown and then feed it to a baby with diarrhea it will bind them right up. I tried it and it worked, but now I’m an old lady and I’d forgotten about it until you reminded me.

Amy, I was so disappointed too when I realized that Myles had issues with so many foods. It was so discouraging, especially since we struggled so much with the breast, then the bottle, and when we moved on to solids he loved them but so many of them caused problems for him. Fortuantely he’s pretty much outgrown his consitpation issues now. I only have to limit the frequency of certain foods, but he can eat anything. I hope Sarah outgrows her constipation problem too.

In the meantime I’d just try some of the remedies mentioned in this thread…they worked very well for Myles. I never had to give him any meds because the natural remedies worked. Not that I’m discouraging meds. I would have used them if he needed them. As for foods I’d avoid the obviously binding foods like, rice, bananas, and apples first and see if that helps. Is she on rice cereal? Maybe a switch to oatmeal would help.

[Anonymous]

Christine – Thanks, I will definitely try any combination that will work.

Natalia – Sarah just wasn’t acting like herself on Good Start. She was verrrrrrry irritable and fussy. Every little thing set her off. I found out she did have a mild ear infection at the same time, and then I thought she was getting a stomach bug so I decided to end my trial with Good Start since there were so many things going on with her at the same time. She did develop a patch of dry skin across her nose during Good Start that has since cleared up after going back to Alimentum…but her stools were definitely better on Good Start!

Laura – Sarah is a good sleeper…really I’d say she’s a great sleeper. 12 hours at night and 2-4 hours of naps during the day. She has reflux, and constipation…not really any other symptoms from the list. I’ll have to double check it again, it’s been a few days since I looked at the list. Maybe I’ll try eliminating all rice and bananas for a few days and see what happens.

THANKS EVERYONE!

[Anonymous]

I have to say that I think I’ve solved our constipation problem. After almost 2 years of constipation, Hailey had her first poop blowout (courtesy of too much Milk of Magnesia, I think!)… but at least it works. Now I just need to reduce the dose.

Anyone have any ideas? I gave about 2tsp.

[Anonymous]

Amy, I forgot to look for the probiotic I used with Brianna yesterday, so I did today…here it is:

http://www.country-life.com/moreinfo.cfm?Category=9&Prod uct_ID=122

For Brianna it didn’t really work, but at least this one is formulated for infants. This one does contain traces of milk, but maybe someone can give you a good dairy free one. We have the opposite problem as you…Brianna’s poops are super soft (not runny, but soft) and this girl eats between 3-6 bananas a day!!!

[Anonymous]

b’s mom wrote:

and this girl eats between 3-6 bananas a day!!!

careful, too much potassium is really dangerous! i read that somewhere, cant remember….

[Anonymous]

I don’t know if anyone else already mentioned it but MIRALAX is now over the counter. I saw it at Walmart last weekend and a large container is only $9 !!!! That is actually a better price than what my insurance covers!

[Anonymous]

So can I use any of these ideas for a 2 month old?? I guess juice would be the easiest to do? He is taking about 4 ounces of formula at a time, so should I just make one of those ounces be juice?

Does milk of magnesia have actual milk products in it ( sorry if that’s dumb ? ) How much?

I have a probiotic, but it is in a lactose powder base. If my son has a milk protein issue, then is this ok? I am still confused about the difference between lactose and milk protein… Wouldn’t they both bother him?

I just don’t want to send his already sensitive system out of whack.

My older son had the same regimen for reflux- prevacid and nutramigan, but I don’t remember him being so backed up to the point he would reflux just trying to push! Poor guy!

Tina

[Anonymous]

Myles was a lot older when his consitpation problems started (around 4 months). For Cooper I’d probably try 1/2 of pear juice. Benefiber might be ok too. I read here that they use if for preemies in the NICU at some hospitals, so I’m sure it would be safe for a 2 month old. Maybe 1/4 tsp?

I answered your other post about trying Alimentum instead of Nutramigen. It seems quite a few moms on this board have had less than good results with Nutramigen.

Sorry, I don’t know anything about MOM.

As for lactose and protein intolerance; they are two different things. Some babies are lactose intolerant. That means they do not have enough lactase (an enzyme) to break down lactose (a milk sugar). A protein intolerance means the baby cannot break down the proteins in milk. So a baby who is MSPI probably can handle lactose. Lactose intolerance is actaully quite rare in infants because human breast milk also contains lactose. But of course, it’s possible for a baby to be both lactose and protein intolerant…probably not likely though.

[Anonymous]

Okay, thanks. I will try that. He is getting really cranky, so I hope it will work quickly!

Tina

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone! Sarah is so far (knock on wood) doing well with rice eliminated from her diet and prune juice or baby food prunes! I hope the natural remedies continue to work and this isn’t just a fluke!

Tina – I hope Cooper gets straightened out soon!!! I ordered a probiotic for babies last week and I’m patiently waiting for it to arrive. Hope it works!

[Anonymous]

Amy,

I’m glad to hear Sarah is doing well. Is she eating oatmeal now instead of rice?

Tina,

I hope Cooper is feeling better soon.

[Anonymous]

Yes, we are on oatmeal and prune juice. I asked the sitter to switch from diluted apple juice to prune juice (if she didn’t give actual prunes that day already). Sarah loves it and it seems to be working! Yay!

[Author]

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