How to treat constipation in a 7 month old

[ZGT Mummy]

My little girl is having big problems, to the point where she cries out in pain :(

She's only been having solids for a couple of weeks but I think the veges she's been loving for dinner are causing her problems.

How do I help her? I gave her a prune yesterday and 2 prunes today and still today she's upset and can't go. I can't think of anything else to give her. We can't do kiwifruit due to allergies.

Anything else I can do or give her to help her?

[Sarah]

The only thing I could think of would be to increase her fluid intake ie. filtered water. My niece suffered from constipation as a baby (she is 6yr now). She eats heaps of fruit, but still has to drink plenty. My sister also avoids giving her arrowroot biscuits, as arrowroot can cause constipation in littlies. There are also different types of massage you can do to help get things moving, along with warm relaxing baths. Hope this helps.

[magical1]

The squat position is the natural one for us to do number twos in which would make sense why when my babies were constipated I was always told to gently push their knees up towards the chest and keep repeating. It used to make them go pretty fast.

I also used to find a visit to the cranial osteopath used to get things moving pretty much straight away... much to the osteopaths horror!! she was newly pregnant at the time and I think it turned her stomach.:LMAO:

[deesalie]

Is she breastfed? I'd be increasing the boob access and decreasing the food. What were the indicators for her being ready for food?

[ZGT Mummy]

The squat position is the natural one for us to do number twos in which would make sense why when my babies were constipated I was always told to gently push their knees up towards the chest and keep repeating. It used to make them go pretty fast.

Yes I've been doing a version of that. I remembered someone said something about bicycling their legs so I've been gently doing that, and also been just pushing both up together.


I also used to find a visit to the cranial osteopath used to get things moving pretty much straight away... much to the osteopaths horror!! she was newly pregnant at the time and I think it turned her stomach.:LMAO:

:giggle: Good idea, if I can find someone to look after the two boy horrors!


The only thing I could think of would be to increase her fluid intake

Is she breastfed? I'd be increasing the boob access and decreasing the food. What were the indicators for her being ready for food

Yes and here is where the problem lies me thinks. She is brestfed and this is something we have struggled with due to many reasons but the upshot is that she takes bare minimum from me. I would be happy for her to be permanently attached to me but sadly she doesn't want a bar of it :( Even before solids her poos were reasonably firm, they were right colour for BF baby, just clay-like in consistency, never caused her any problems though. Only issues now that she's eating solids and I've only noticed it really being a problem since her broccoli/cauli/carrot intake has increased. As we're not spooning it into her, more just finger food type stuff and with her in control I sort of thought we wouldn't have any problems as she would lead the way for us.

And in fact in the last couple of days I've noticed she's not eating as much, she'll have a couple of mouthfuls then get grumpy and turn away and cry out. I'm guessing that she knows the link between the food and her pain? :(

In terms of indicators, well she was 6 months + 1 week, all the usual stuff "they" tell you - no extrusion reflex, able to hold self up, open mouth for food, albe to move food to back of mouth and swallow etc etc. So I offered and she took willingly with gaping wide mouth. Even now she gobbles most things, even newly introduced foods, she will eat first time. It's so refreshing actually as my boys didn't bother with solids till 8-9 months and even then were so fussy, but she's happy to eat pretty much whatever we give her so long as it's finger food type stuff and I feed her with my fingers, although tonight I gave her a bean and she happily held it and ate it herself. We are going slowly in terms of foods I'm introducing, due to family history of allergy, so just fruits and veges right now.

I've dropped the broccoli and cauli for now, tonight she just had a couple of rounds of carrot and I gave her some courgette which she liked as I thought it was a "wet" vege so hopefully not so constipating? Could be disillusioned there! And just a couple of beans as she seemed keen to hold and munch those.

This is the first baby I've had (out of 3) who's actually been interested in food so it's all just so exciting for me I don't want to inadvertantly create any negative issues that impacts on her eating habits!

[ZGT Mummy]

Oh any thoughts on brown sugar in water? That's one remedy I've heard, as well as prunes but I'm not sure the prunes are doing anything yet. How long would they take to work?

[Serephina]

I personally wouldn't give sugar water. What about an epsom salts bath? Some probiotics might help to support her gut as well.

[amalie]

I have just been through this, last weekend. It took 4 days for my little girl to poo, other than a couple of pathetic little specks, and then half a painful, stressful day to squeeze out 3 nappies full. The last one was something else!

We were just the same, it was just after introducing solids. I read too much I think. One article said not to worry about introducing different foods slowly, it was more to do with the amount, and I liked the idea of offering variety so I went with that. You probably are all thinking well how'd that work out for you, and of course the answer was disastrously! She was great for 2 days and then everything ground to a halt. I stupidly rang my doctors clinic (just to see when they were open, since it was a sat morn) and the STOOPiD lady told me it was an emergency and to rush her into the hospital. Honestly.

The problem is that the longer the waste sits in her large intestine, the more water is absorbed back into the body and the harder the poo gets... so it's a vicious cycle. I offered 50mls cool, boiled water after each feed. I poured the boiling water over prunes so there was a bit of laxative in that.
Also I was told to stick to pumpkin and pears as they are less osmotic - I'm not sure how anyone got any data for that!! But after 4 days, of which 2 I was checking her nappies every 5 minutes like a crazy woman, giving her the prune water and limiting variety of foods, it all resolved itself. (Without a trip to the hospital and things up her poor little bottom!)
Oh also I massaged her tummy - at a course I went to, they said it has to be clockwise otherwise you are puching it back up. Someone else might have more info on that? Seemed to work.
The probiotics seem like logically like a good idea too.

[ZGT Mummy]

I offered 50mls cool, boiled water after each feed

She's never had a bottle so not sure she'd take this, and anyway, I think 50mL would be the size of her actual feed anyway!

She seemed OK today, but then didn't do a poo so who knows! I'm giving her prunes for breakfast at the moment so we'll see how she goes. I've also stopped giving her broccoli, cauli and carrot for dinner, and am going for courgette at the moment as it's softer and seems like it would have a higher liquid content? And pear is generally her lunch so we're good there too!

Yes I also massage her tummy in the clockwise direction and I've been taking probiotics since I was pregnant with her, though I've never given her any directly. Perhaps I should look at giving them directly to her now? I'm just a bit worried due to the whole allergies thing and they are cultured on milk broth.

Will see how we go tomorrow, or even if she goes at all.

[Merry]

I am having a very similar issue with my 8 month old. She has been having a little bit of solids now for a month or so and had no issues, then all of a sudden no poose for 4 days then yesterday hard poose, like little torpedos and lots of crying and wincing. I stopped the solids yesterday and have just been giving her lots of boobie but today the same thing. So any other tips or advice would be appreciated. I have just completed an infant massage workshop so will definately be giving her the massage.

[Ayla]

I think holding off on the solids is a good thing. There is lots of information/evidence/studies showing that delaying solids closer to 12mths of age is more beneficial to gut health. I started offering to my son at 11mths old and he didn't take to solids until 14.5mths and he's never had any gut issues. Keep up the booby and hope it passes soon xx

[Merry]

Yay, we have normal poose!!! I canned all solids and offered boobie lots and lots throughout the day and night. I also did the tummy massage I learnt and it worked a treat, for the last 3 mornings like clockwork, normal loose breastfed poose. I agree with you Ayla, the research I have done also supports holding off on the solids til 12 months. Nice name by the way, my wee girl is Kayla.

[Ayla]

That's great news! :D And thanks, I pinched it from my favourite character in a book ;)