Weaning And Constipation

[honey33]

my poor baby had had a bowel movement for 3 days and every time she tried she cried in pain.. when she did manage to go it was hard and dry with blood...she is 7 month and im weaning her on fruit and veg puree and baby porridge... im trying to offer her cool boiled water with a bit orange juice in inbetween her milk feeds but she wont take it.... is there anything else i should try or do i even stop weaning her.... she has been weaning for 4 weeks now and i want to start adding meat into her veg is it a good idea to do this

[honey33]

its fresh because of her straining

[magsmay]

@bednobs - constipation can be serious in babies and yes -i would take a child to A&E and sit with 'drunks' if my baby was in agony trying to poo. And as for WHO advice -well 2 of my babies slept on their fronts to prevent choking on their vomit as advised by WHO ( early 1980's) one slept on their back because apparently lying on their front would make them smother(late 1980's) -then the 4th one (2001) slept on their side as both front and back sleeping apparently were killers. All were eating by the time they were 3 months old and having proper dinners by the time they were 6 months old -none have had any food allergies, are fit healthy and slim - wait long enough and WHO will be going full circle and telling mums to feed mince and dumplings at 3 months ;-)

[honey33]

she is fast asleep now, i just hope i can get some water down her to help...will give her baby rice instead of baby porridge in theorning and some puree pear for her dinner and see how she goes...

[Mamyalynne]

I tend to agree that the goalposts in baby rearing keep being moved, my motto is often and usually Mum knows best, with fresh blood (anal fissure maybe) I would get her checked over, as I say she has a history in this area.

In the interim , up the fluids , forget the meat and keep up fruit and veg.

[honey33]

seriously i didnt come on here for arguments you have pu your point across and thats that, we all know rules are always changing.... when my baby had the runs for 5 weeks docs wernt bothered i couldnt even get an appointment and was speaking to a doc loads of times and never got an appointment

[magsmay]

@honey33 -try the massage technique -warm up some baby oil and massage her tummy -the blood is probably from around her anus where the delicate skin has cracked due to hard stools. try apple juice rather than orange -orange can be acidic and if she's been used to just very sweet breast milk she will not take kindly to it

[bednobs]

i'm not saying what you did was wrong, just that honey's way is also not wrong. Surely it's best to follow the most up to date advice re weaning?

Also, are you a health visitor? honey has rung her health visitor, and presumably told her the above and the health professional (who deals specifically and only with babies) was not worried. I know i would rather take the advice of a HV over an internet stranger. If you are an HV then i apologise

[bednobs]

i also wonder what you think accident and emergency (of which this is neither) would actually do?

[honey33]

mags when she was crying in pain i was rubbing her back and rubbing her stomach putting her on her side, then i layed her down took her nappy off and bent her legs and she managed to go straight away.... i dont understand why all of a sudden after 4 weeks of weaning that she is constipated... if she is no better by monday i will ring surgery and ask to speak to a doc

[Mamyalynne]

Best idea honey - good luck.

[honey33]

bed knobs my thoughts exactly they wouldnt be able to anything... when she had projectile vomiting in the early weeks i took her there d they suggested changing her milk which i did, but i felt like we had wasted there time

[bednobs]

the advice about massage and apple juice is sound, some babies find "cycling" their legs helps too. If you are massaging tummy do it in a clockwise direction. The other option is to try comfort formula

[sherrardk]

They change the guidelines all the time. I read somewhere that not having a poo for a week was ok (I was gobsmacked but that's what 'they' say). A & E won't be worth much really, maybe just go and see your own doctor or HV on Monday to get the little one checked over? Hope she feels better soon, x

[bednobs]

yes sherr- it was on here you read it - i said it up there ;)

[honey33]

i will get the apple juice 2moro bedknobs (i know the heinz one says read to drink but will it be best if i watered it down?

[honey33]

she is on comfort milk sice 10 weeks old and its been great for her x

[magsmay]

@honey -that seems like a good plan -she may have trapped wind in her intestines due to stool impaction which is perhaps making her cry more that the actual hard stool. I would put a little vaseline around her anus and a little bit inside using your little finger and massage -this sometimes helps but is probably totally wrong now. If she's sleeping normally then I would not be too worried but would still try and talk to a doc. on monday.

[sherrardk]

Bednobs, I read it on a medical type site when the things were babies.