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Constipation in a 3 week old - help

DohaHW52212

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 20 September 2012 - 09:06

I've been up all night with my DD who has pretty bad constipation. She's always had a bowel movement at least once a day since the day she was born.

The last couple of days she's really struggled to go to the bathroom, and when she takes her bottle she strains and then cries in pain as she tries to go. She is trying to overeat, I think to try to have a bowel movement, and then spits up the additional formula.

She's already on aptamil comfort formula, so the formula is low iron anyway.

I've just added an ounce of orange juice to three ounces of boiled water to see if that helps (I was at my wits end at 7am when Carrefour opened). She appears (for the moment) to have settled a bit and is now just about asleep.

So hopefully she'll sleep for more than the 20 minutes she's been managing all night.

My question is, can you buy lactulose over the counter here in Dubai (apparently you can in the UK), or does anyone have any other over the counter remedies that are suitable for a three week old?

She seems to burp ok, and doesn't seem to hold onto gas, she only cries about the same time every day (around 4-5pm) which is when she usually has a bowel movement. Obviously the crying has continued as this is the first day when she hasn't eventually gone to the toilet.

SEY83

943

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 20 September 2012 - 16:14

I think pushing the legs out is quite normal with colic - they don't know what to do and so they just randomly kick! Also, you don't have to worry too much if babies don't pass stools, especially breast fed babies. There are times when they eat exactly as much as their bodies need and everything in breastmilk is nutritious so there is no waste to excrete. In fact what they do pass out is usually because they have overfed. you can get infacol over the counter here pretty much at every pharmacy and some supermarkets. It's pretty common here.

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DohaHW52212

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 20 September 2012 - 14:50

THanks for your replies! Perhaps it is colic rather than constipation, although she's still straining when eating, and pushing her legs out rather than pulling them up to her chest. I've gotten her back down for the second time today, she's now sleeping on her side (we've got those things that prop her to the side so she can't roll), which seems to have helped both times. I haven't got any infacol, and I thought you couldn't buy it here? Thanks for the tip about chamomile tea, I'll definitely keep that in mind if she continues not to have a bowel movement over the next couple of days. I've tried all burping positions each time I feed her to make sure it's all up, but perhaps some wind is still getting trapped. Thankfully she's not crying for hours on end, it's just during and directly after a feed. She's going down to sleep ok, but waking up an hour later crying, rather than her usual three hours. Then she roots for more food, but then cries when she's eating it. I think the orange juice has helped a little as she passed wind a lot during her last feed, so hopefully if anything was trapped that end it has been relieved. I was looking for apple juice originally, but I read somewhere that the juice is supposed to be pasteurised, and it was only the orange juice that was pasteurised in carrefour this morning, so I thought it was better to give that. I'll see how she goes today, but if I can pick up some infacol I definitely will and see if that makes a difference. Does anyone know where I can get some?

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labrador62939

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 20 September 2012 - 11:43

Mine had real constipation when she was 3 weeks, she didn't poop for more than a week. We were recommended by our ped to give her 50 ml boiled and chilled water with 2 tsp brown sugar. It really worked beautifully. I actually gave her camomile tea instead, but it is the sugar wich matters not the tea. If it is a constipation, it will help ( I didn't have to give her ever since and she is 7 weeks now) but if it's one day she hasn't had a poo I would wait. Infacol didn't help us, but I think the tea which I am drinking helps with colic as well. It has fennel in it.

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SEY83

943

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 20 September 2012 - 10:32

I think she is suffering from colic not constipation. Colic is very common at this age and i would be surprised if it's constipation. You can buy lactulose over the counter, but I wouldn't give it to a 3-week old without seeking doctor advice first. Babies at this age are still getting used to understanding their bodies and they need to learn how to calm their digestive systems. Have you tried adding infacol before every feed? It works with some babies and not others, plus you have to make sure that you give it at every feed and not just when she has colic else it doesn't work. Also, try and hold her in different positions, i always found in my experience that usually putting them over your lap on their tummy, or gently rubbing their tummy helps relieve them. Different babies like different positions. Colic is the hardest thing to have to deal with, the baby cries for hours on end and the parents feel so helpless because there is not much that you can do to make them feel better.

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shjbelle

784

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EW GURU

Latest post on 20 September 2012 - 10:10

Very very diluted apple juice usu helps my dd poop. Since she is taking formula, give a lil water as well. I'm not really sure when. But they do say that you can give a lil water if on formula. Not sure about the meds you are asking. Sorry. Maybe other posters can help. Good luck.

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