hi, i am a new mom.... i have a 6 week old newborn. i feel that my newborn has trouble pooping. it takes hours for her to go and causes her a lot of pain. her stool is very thick. im not sure if she is constipated or just has a lot of trouble getting it out. can someone help me figure out a way to remedy this problem???
In newborns the most likely cause of constipation is a badly made formula bottle. So if there is too much powder in the mix they will get constipation. A newborn pooh should be soft, not like ours, and easy to pass, of a sandy colour.
If this is not the case, and baby is breast fed or you know the bottles are correctly made, then I would take baby to the doctor for a check up.
Basswife- thanks for replying! i have read about what you said about the formula bottles being made correctly.... i do exactly what directions say to do, so i dont think it is that. my baby's poo is the consistency of peanut butter . about after a week and a half after coming home from the hospital we had to switch her from regular formula to formula for gas and fussiness. and as far as the fussiness is concerned it worked wonderfully, but as a far as the gas, she burps and passes a lot of gas. so im not sure if that formula is supposed to get rid of the trapped gas in her stomach thats why she burps and farts so much or if its supposed to get rid of the gas completely...? but i was wondering if the change in formula could be causing constipation. or also, if for some reason something is making it hard for her to have a bm..... bc her bm is not always thick like peanut butter. anyway, i just wanted to know if there are any home remedies for this problem that i can do besides the karo syrup?????
Not alot for a 6 week old I'm afraid. Its OK to give her some cooled boiled water, some babies need extra fluid which will make it easier to go. The consistancy of peanut butter is OK, and babies do 'concentrate' to go - you can usually tell when they're doing it. As long as she's not crying out in pain I would try giving her a little extra water in a bottle between feeds maybe once or twice a day and see if that helps. Wind out is great in whichever way so that sounds like your doing the right things.
A change in formula could have caused the consitpation, I don't know what the choices are where you are but ask other mums what they use and how their babies are getting on with it. You'll know then if the problem is particular to you.
However if she is ever crying out in pain to go then take her to the doc for a check up.
Its hard being a new Mum, My son was formula fed and is as strong as ever now, we were worried about constipation and colic and ended up at A&E just to be told he was fine. So your right to keep watching and asking advice, Sound like your doing well though! And congratulations on your baby!
When my daughter was an infant she had the same problem...i used Karo syrup in each bottle when I made her formula...look it up online for more info...i can't remember how much I gave her...she is almost 10 years old now
My son had this same problem when he was newborn. A lot of it is their muscles just are not as strong as ours so they struggle with even the most liquid poop. They are just learning to do this so they will make faces and appear to struggle but a lot of the time they are not. That being said constipation is about consistancy and hardness not frequency, I just wanted to get that out there. But you are talking about the consistancy of your baby's poop so my advice is you can try giving some water. Not too cold since it might be shocking to your baby who has probably only had warm stuff in the belly. So my other suggestion, and you can take this or leave it, is try probiotics. It was suggested to me by my lactation consultan who is a mid wife. They are really help with digestive health and also have great benefits for the immune system which is based in the gut. Get some power probiotics(about 3-5 billion active cultures) and wet your finger and dab it in the powder and let baby suck it off about 2x per day. Or you can put a small amount in one bottle per day. We have been doing this with my son since he was 8 weeks old and he goes to the bathroom so well. Like clockwork!!! Good luck.
. about after a week and a half after coming home from the hospital we had to switch her from regular formula to formula for gas and fussiness. and as far as the fussiness is concerned it worked wonderfully, but as a far as the gas, she burps and passes a lot of gas
. so im not sure if that formula is supposed to get rid of the trapped gas in her stomach thats why she burps and farts so much or if its supposed to get rid of the gas completely...? but i was wondering if the change in formula could be causing constipation. or also, if for some reason something is making it hard for her to have a bm..... bc her bm is not always thick like peanut butter. anyway, i just wanted to know if there are any home remedies for this problem that i can do besides the karo syrup????? 
