She's soooo constipated!

Poor DD. I was about to call the doctor as she wasn't eating solids
much (tho nursing fine), but this weekend she finally started eating
more again.

In the past I've given her prunes or prune juice when she appears to
be a bit stopped up, but it's not been often. However,the past 2 weeks
have been awful for her. Her sleep (never great but getting better)
went down the tubes, she was cranky and miserable all the time. She is
cutting 6 teeth as well, so we chalked it up to that. Then I noticed
she hadn't been pooping. And when she does, it's small hard pellets.
Her abdomen is also really hard and she's clearly in pain. I tried
giving her prunes or prune juice and she just refuses to it, she also
now refuses all other juice although she'll take water. I tried
giving her prunes again tonight and she wouldn't eat them. I did
manage to sneak some prune juice into her peas.

I thought it was the cereal I'd been giving her - I thought it was
multigrain but maybe it was rice, we bought it in Switzerland and had
thrown away the box so I couldn't check. Anyway, I tossed that out on
Thursday.
Friday she pooped again and we thought all was better, but then she
didn't poop at all Saturday, and when she finally did today, it was
small, hard and very very black, almost like charcoal had been rubbed
on her bum (powdery like). Also very very stinky - a different kind of
stink, not usual poop smell.

I put some crushed bran in her dinner and she pooped 2x more last
night, but it was the same - black, hard, smelly, painful. It's more
than she's pooped all week though. Today she pooped once, again small,
hard pellets.

Her diet consists of:
b'fast : multigrain cereal (Earth's Best) with BM and a fruit
lunch: 2-3 veg cubes
snack: yoghurt + 1-2 fruit cubes
dinner: 2-3 veg cubes + yoghurt+fruit
BM throughout the day and night
Cup with water offered at every meal (altho now she won't take it from
the sippy, it has to be directly from the cup which means she takes a
bit less)

She has teething bisquits (barley or wheat) occasionally, but hasn't
been too interested lately.

Fruits a papaya, mangoes, grapes, peaches, blueberries, cherries,
sometimes pears altho she doesn't like them. No bananas (doesn't like
those either)

Veg a beets, carrots, spinach, kale, cauliflower, peas, broccoli,
sweet potato, zucchini, acorn and butternut squashes and another
assortment of 'summer squash'.

She has yoghurt at least 2x/day (she eats everything better with the
yoghurt) - whole milk plain, I'd guess about 1-2 tablespoons each
time.

So what could be causing it? I've read excessive whole milk is a
problem, so worried about the yoghurt, but also read that a yoghurt
smoothie was a good treatment for constipation. I'll put some flax
seed in her cereal tomorrow (just read on Dr Sears that it's good for
constipation). What else can I do as she refuses all juice and tho she
took some prunes yesterday, it didn't appear to do much? Now she's
eating well, but she's still not pooping much.

On Jun 25, 10:23?pm, cjra wrote:
Poor DD. I was about to call the doctor as she wasn't eating solids
much (tho nursing fine), but this weekend she finally started eating
more again.

In the past I've given her prunes or prune juice when she appears to
be a bit stopped up, but it's not been often. However,the past 2 weeks
have been awful for her. Her sleep (never great but getting better)
went down the tubes, she was cranky and miserable all the time. She is
cutting 6 teeth as well, so we chalked it up to that. Then I noticed
she hadn't been pooping. And when she does, it's small hard pellets.
Her abdomen is also really hard and she's clearly in pain. I tried
giving her prunes or prune juice and she just refuses to it, she also
now refuses all other juice although she'll take water. I tried
giving her prunes again tonight and she wouldn't eat them. I did
manage to sneak some prune juice into her peas.

I thought it was the cereal I'd been giving her - I thought it was
multigrain but maybe it was rice, we bought it in Switzerland and had
thrown away the box so I couldn't check. Anyway, I tossed that out on
Thursday.
Friday she pooped again and we thought all was better, but then she
didn't poop at all Saturday, and when she finally did today, it was
small, hard and very very black, almost like charcoal had been rubbed
on her bum (powdery like). Also very very stinky - a different kind of
stink, not usual poop smell.

I put some crushed bran in her dinner and she pooped 2x more last
night, but it was the same - black, hard, smelly, painful. It's more
than she's pooped all week though. Today she pooped once, again small,
hard pellets.

Her diet consists of:
b'fast : multigrain cereal (Earth's Best) with BM and a fruit
lunch: 2-3 veg cubes
snack: yoghurt + 1-2 fruit cubes
dinner: 2-3 veg cubes + yoghurt+fruit
BM throughout the day and night
Cup with water offered at every meal (altho now she won't take it from
the sippy, it has to be directly from the cup which means she takes a
bit less)

She has teething bisquits (barley or wheat) occasionally, but hasn't
been too interested lately.

Fruits a papaya, mangoes, grapes, peaches, blueberries, cherries,
sometimes pears altho she doesn't like them. No bananas (doesn't like
those either)

Veg a beets, carrots, spinach, kale, cauliflower, peas, broccoli,
sweet potato, zucchini, acorn and butternut squashes and another
assortment of 'summer squash'.

She has yoghurt at least 2x/day (she eats everything better with the
yoghurt) - whole milk plain, I'd guess about 1-2 tablespoons each
time.

So what could be causing it? I've read excessive whole milk is a
problem, so worried about the yoghurt, but also read that a yoghurt
smoothie was a good treatment for constipation. I'll put some flax
seed in her cereal tomorrow (just read on Dr Sears that it's good for
constipation). What else can I do as she refuses all juice and tho she
took some prunes yesterday, it didn't appear to do much? Now she's
eating well, but she's still not pooping much.

I would prolly try a few days or so without the yogurt. What worked
good for moving things quickly through my kids was pureed or regular
cooked lentils. I mixed them in with various fruits when pureed,
mostly pears since they both offer a good push. I know they aren't
first choice, but I know that ki-wi and mandarin oranges always helped
out as well. I don't know how old baby is, but I think I would skip
the flax seeds for this purpose, unless ground up or something. Just
seems to me that whole flax seeds can cause excess gas or something.
I'm thinking that you should call the doctor and share that the stools
are black in color as you describe. Usually, black and tarry is cause
for alarm, but the black you describe would prolly have me passing it
by the doc for an okay. Don't give her any more sweet potatoes, as
they can be binding like that. Have you tried cubed Avacado or pureed
Avacado; this is another thing that I saw move through faster from the
natural oils within I presume. I would also avoid the gas-producing
veggies like broccoli and cauliflower until things normalize for her
again as well. I hope she feels better soon.

you could temporarily cut out the yoghurt, a smootie is probably a
reasonable treatment because of the fruit and liquid in, particularly if
the child won't consume it any other way. I checked your lists of fruits
and veggies, against one I found online, the only clash is cooked
carrots, given she's eating a good mix, it wouldn't harm her to take
that out to see if it makes any difference. There are a couple of the
positive fruits you are missing, plums, apricots.

If you remove the yoghurt and it means she eats less, she'll probably
nurse more, which will at least mean dehydration isn't an issue.

Other things to try would be activity, have her on her back and pump her
legs, massage her tummy to get things going - I can't remember where you
are on the activity levels, is she crawling? If she's not, but is being
challenged by these foods that do require activity to get through, then
doing her exercise for her could help.

A final trick is teaspoon of karo corn syrup, looking at you meal plan,
I'd stick it in at breakfast time, with the BM that gets added to the
cereal.

If it goes away, just a phase that passed, then I wouldn't worry, but
there are a few different problems that can cause this, so you would
want that checked out. I've heard the tendancy then is for a child to
loose all control, dealable with for a baby in nappies, but not do
easier in an older child. If you go to the doctors, let them give you a
diagnosis and brief overview of treatment, but have another appointment
to determine treatment. What you don't what to end up with is turning
constipation problem into a child not having any control over her bowels
in future.

Anne

HI --

Oddly enough, one of the common symptoms of cow's milk protein
intolerance in children is ... (drum roll) ... constipation! So the
first thing I'd be inclined to do would be to cut out the yogurt.

The second thing I'd be inclined to do is cut down on the quantity of
solids your baby is eating. Although they look like a good mix of
foods, infants need time to get accustomed to the process of digesting
fiber, etc.

Third, be sure you nurse first, then feed the solids. Breastmilk aids
digestion, but it's also a fluid, and sufficient fluids can conquer most
types of constipation. (You can also offer some water after each
feeding of solids.)

I hope these suggestions help,
--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.

On Jun 26, 2:36?am, Anne Rogers wrote:
you could temporarily cut out the yoghurt, a smootie is probably a
reasonable treatment because of the fruit and liquid in, particularly if
the child won't consume it any other way. I checked your lists of fruits
and veggies, against one I found online, the only clash is cooked
carrots, given she's eating a good mix, it wouldn't harm her to take
that out to see if it makes any difference. There are a couple of the
positive fruits you are missing, plums, apricots.

If you remove the yoghurt and it means she eats less, she'll probably
nurse more, which will at least mean dehydration isn't an issue.

Other things to try would be activity, have her on her back and pump her
legs, massage her tummy to get things going - I can't remember where you
are on the activity levels, is she crawling? If she's not, but is being
challenged by these foods that do require activity to get through, then
doing her exercise for her could help.

A final trick is teaspoon of karo corn syrup, looking at you meal plan,
I'd stick it in at breakfast time, with the BM that gets added to the
cereal.

If it goes away, just a phase that passed, then I wouldn't worry, but
there are a few different problems that can cause this, so you would
want that checked out. I've heard the tendancy then is for a child to
loose all control, dealable with for a baby in nappies, but not do
easier in an older child. If you go to the doctors, let them give you a
diagnosis and brief overview of treatment, but have another appointment
to determine treatment. What you don't what to end up with is turning
constipation problem into a child not having any control over her bowels
in future.

Anne

I know I used Caro syrup with my first baby, but since then, there has
been a warning issued about the potential bacterial contaminations of
Caro syrup and it is no longer a recommendation for treating
constipation in babies. It might be light versus dark though too, and
I just don't remember that. lol.

On Jun 26, 9:15 am, (Beth Kevles) wrote:
HI --

Oddly enough, one of the common symptoms of cow's milk protein
intolerance in children is ... (drum roll) ... constipation! So the
first thing I'd be inclined to do would be to cut out the yogurt.

The second thing I'd be inclined to do is cut down on the quantity of
solids your baby is eating. Although they look like a good mix of
foods, infants need time to get accustomed to the process of digesting
fiber, etc.

Hmmm, for the first 2 weeks of this (we're now into week 3), she
wasn't eating much at all, about half of the usual amount of solids.
So we kind of cut back but not by choice. That didn't seem to make a
difference. Even so, her normal intake is well under that suggested in
sample menus such as in the SUper Baby Food diet or Wholesomefoods.com

So I'm inclined to think it's not really a quantity issue overall,
although perhaps yoghurt is a problem. She's had it for awhile with no
issues, but she does seem to be having it more recently, so we've
started to cut back on that. Alas, it's the best way to get her to eat
prunes!

Third, be sure you nurse first, then feed the solids. Breastmilk aids
digestion, but it's also a fluid, and sufficient fluids can conquer most
types of constipation. (You can also offer some water after each
feeding of solids.)

Yes, we always nurse first, and on the weekend nurse A LOT. I _always_
offer water every time she eats solids. She doesn't always drink it.
She now refuses juice which she used to take (baby juice cut with
water). However, I've noticed it's the sippy she's refusing, so when I
give it directly from the cup she'll take it.

She used to be the poop machine, now I'm begging her to poop!

On Jun 26, 1:36 am, Anne Rogers wrote:
you could temporarily cut out the yoghurt, a smootie is probably a
reasonable treatment because of the fruit and liquid in, particularly if
the child won't consume it any other way. I checked your lists of fruits
and veggies, against one I found online, the only clash is cooked
carrots, given she's eating a good mix, it wouldn't harm her to take
that out to see if it makes any difference. There are a couple of the
positive fruits you are missing, plums, apricots.

Ok, I'll throw those in too.


If you remove the yoghurt and it means she eats less, she'll probably
nurse more, which will at least mean dehydration isn't an issue.

She will eat every fruit mixed with yoghurt, but often will push away
fruits on their own. Sometimes when she won't eat the veg, if we mix
with yoghurt she will. But I'll just cut back. My concern is her
'snack' at daycare....I'd rather she have fruit + yoghurt than
crackers. I sent dried fruit pieces today, we'll see how she likes
those.

Other things to try would be activity, have her on her back and pump her
legs, massage her tummy to get things going - I can't remember where you
are on the activity levels, is she crawling? If she's not, but is being
challenged by these foods that do require activity to get through, then
doing her exercise for her could help.

She's a bum scooter. Doesn't crawl on all fours, but gets all over the
place scooting on her bum. I do often bicycle her legs and massage her
belly.

A final trick is teaspoon of karo corn syrup, looking at you meal plan,
I'd stick it in at breakfast time, with the BM that gets added to the
cereal.

If it goes away, just a phase that passed, then I wouldn't worry, but
there are a few different problems that can cause this, so you would
want that checked out. I've heard the tendancy then is for a child to
loose all control, dealable with for a baby in nappies, but not do
easier in an older child. If you go to the doctors, let them give you a
diagnosis and brief overview of treatment, but have another appointment
to determine treatment. What you don't what to end up with is turning
constipation problem into a child not having any control over her bowels
in future.

If it continues another week, I may call the doctor. She seems to be
feeling better now, so I'm less worried. The first 2 weeks she was
pretty miserable and not eating. We'd assumed it was just teething -
which is part of it - but now I'm not so sure.

On Jun 26, 1:42?pm, cjra wrote:
On Jun 26, 1:36 am, Anne Rogers wrote:

you could temporarily cut out the yoghurt, a smootie is probably a
reasonable treatment because of the fruit and liquid in, particularly if
the child won't consume it any other way. I checked your lists of fruits
and veggies, against one I found online, the only clash is cooked
carrots, given she's eating a good mix, it wouldn't harm her to take
that out to see if it makes any difference. There are a couple of the
positive fruits you are missing, plums, apricots.

Ok, I'll throw those in too.



If you remove the yoghurt and it means she eats less, she'll probably
nurse more, which will at least mean dehydration isn't an issue.

She will eat every fruit mixed with yoghurt, but often will push away
fruits on their own. Sometimes when she won't eat the veg, if we mix
with yoghurt she will. But I'll just cut back. My concern is her
'snack' at daycare....I'd rather she have fruit + yoghurt than
crackers. I sent dried fruit pieces today, we'll see how she likes
those.

Other things to try would be activity, have her on her back and pump her
legs, massage her tummy to get things going - I can't remember where you
are on the activity levels, is she crawling? If she's not, but is being
challenged by these foods that do require activity to get through, then
doing her exercise for her could help.

She's a bum scooter. Doesn't crawl on all fours, but gets all over the
place scooting on her bum. I do often bicycle her legs and massage her
belly.

A final trick is teaspoon of karo corn syrup, looking at you meal plan,
I'd stick it in at breakfast time, with the BM that gets added to the
cereal.

If it goes away, just a phase that passed, then I wouldn't worry, but
there are a few different problems that can cause this, so you would
want that checked out. I've heard the tendancy then is for a child to
loose all control, dealable with for a baby in nappies, but not do
easier in an older child. If you go to the doctors, let them give you a
diagnosis and brief overview of treatment, but have another appointment
to determine treatment. What you don't what to end up with is turning
constipation problem into a child not having any control over her bowels
in future.

If it continues another week, I may call the doctor. She seems to be
feeling better now, so I'm less worried. The first 2 weeks she was
pretty miserable and not eating. We'd assumed it was just teething -
which is part of it - but now I'm not so sure.

My kids all developed a certain-smelly type of loose bowel movement
while they were teething. After the first baby had it, I was
immediately able to tell when the other two were teething based on
that BM alone. lol.

cjra wrote:
If it continues another week, I may call the doctor.

Please call your doctor today. You describe two separate problems:
one is constipation. The other sounds exactly like melena, blood in
the stool from an origin high in the gastrointestinal tract. That is
not an emergency but also not normal and it does require medical
attention because it can be an early sign of a serious problem. Given
her other symptoms (reluctance to eat, distress, hard abdomen), please
don't wait any longer.

Pologirl

On Jun 26, 2:20 pm, Pologirl wrote:
cjra wrote:
If it continues another week, I may call the doctor.

Please call your doctor today. You describe two separate problems:
one is constipation. The other sounds exactly like melena, blood in
the stool from an origin high in the gastrointestinal tract. That is
not an emergency but also not normal and it does require medical
attention because it can be an early sign of a serious problem. Given
her other symptoms (reluctance to eat, distress, hard abdomen), please
don't wait any longer.


Thanks for the concern, however she hasn't had any blood in her stool.
They've been black, but no blood.