newborn constipation!!

Hey guys.  So I have a baby girl who is 8 days old.  I am not breastfeedingNot by choice, but because I am on some medication.  Anyways, my baby takes similac alumintum because she is allergic to soy and milk.  Well, she has been having about 2 stools a day up until today.  She hasnt pooped at all today and shes is acting like she needs to go poop....She screams and strains but nothing comes out.  Anyways, what can i do for constipation in a newborn this size.  Lots of advice needed.  She is screaming as I type.  Thanks guys.

they make baby laxative by llittle tummys it says consult doc for under 2 but we have used it for awhile. they also make apple/prune juice for babies but im not sure if shes 8days, you might want to call the doc and see whats okay since she is so new. hope she gets relief. also do you think its gas? maybe she is pushing out gas? try infant gas drops maybe.

You may have to thin her formula a little bit. Tristan never could (and still can't) hande the full strength... there's not enough water in it. I add about 25% extra water to his formula.

He had a lot of problems with this at about the same age. I mixed some prune juice in his formula (yes it's gonna look like vomit and taste horrid, but they drink it) and it cleared it right up. I figured it was natural and his pedi said it was ok.

~Victoria

give her a little bit of grape juice or apple juice diluted down. i personally used the honey water but that is old school. oldie but a goodie...for either 3 do as little as possible like a 1/8tsp to couple of ounces of water. and might wanna give her a bit of water or water bottle every once in awhile by no means a substitue for formula of course.

I don't mean to jump on harleymama's post, but giving any kind of honey to children less than a year old is very dangerous and can cause permanent damage/death.

thats why i said what i said. BACK in the good ol days thats what they did and my dr said only incase of emergencies when you have nothing else at home. that is why i dont like to post on these boards about things like this. bout as bad as breastfeeding vs. formula and circ your son or not or vax or not.

So as it is this will be my last post. thanks!

My 1st daughter had some constipation issues and we too thinned out her formula a little to give her added water. Another thing we did was take a q-tip, dip it in vasoline, and inserted just the tip into her bum. This 'lubed' her bum enough to allow her poop to slide out easier. Also try the "I Love You" gentle massage of her belly. You want to gently rub her belly up the right side (her right...not yours) (the "I"), across the top of her belly (the "L") and then down the left (the "U"). This is the pattern of her large intestine and it just might help with her natural paristalsis (rhythmic movement of her intestines that move food along). Her belly won't be able to handle juice yet, but some added water along with these techniques should help.

You can also try moving her legs like she's riding a bicycle, gas drops and gripe water...GL!

BTW - these are tips I used with my kids and of course...feel free to call your pediatrician. If s/he's anything like my pediatrician they are happy to answer questions like that over the phone.

thanks for all the advice guys! she pooped a little this morning.  i have been adding 2 teaspoons of karo syrup to her bottles.  i did this all day yesterday and she went poop a little this morning.  it was pretty hard though.  i think im gonna take her to her pediatrician in the morning just to make sure nothing else is going on.  thanks for everything guys!!!

My little guy seems to constipate easily, so we do the prune juice trick. We add about ateaspoon to each of his bottles for a few days and it always gets him going again. You'll get a couple of hard poops and then they'll soften back up.

Also, sometimes taking their temperature (rectally) for a minute or two can help them move along something that seems reluctant to come out.