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Q: infant constipation
asked by: lynaeh1 on May 19th, 2008
New User
my daughter is now 6 weeks old and has been constipated since she was about 2 weeks. She had been having very regular bowel movements on her own up until then. I breast fed in the hospital and for about a week after i came home. We then put her on Enfamil Lipil concentrate (ready to use) for about a week then switched her to the powder form. Once we put her on the powder she began to get constipated. her doctor switched her to similac advance which did not work. So they switched her to Enfamil Gentlease. She did have a couple bowel movements on her own but im not sure with the gentlease but they still switched her to enfamil Prosobee which still didnt work and now she is on Similac isomil advance and she is still not having bowel movements on her own. Ive given her prune juice and put karo syrup in every bottle which has softened her bowels a lot but she just will not have a bowel movement on her own. we have to give her a suppository in order for her to have a bowel movement. She is scheduled to have a barium enema to determine whether she has Hirschsprung's disease or any other complications with her intestines. Im very concerned and im not sure what the problem may be. Any advice?
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mamaTT
replied on May 19th, 2008
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I'm sorry, I really don't have advice to give. I hope the doctor's can figure out what's going on. My daughter had the same problem at about the same age, but we were able to switch her formula and that corrected her problem.
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Idony
replied on May 19th, 2008
Extremely eHealthy
have you tried a non iron fortified formula, if you havnt id say try one. there are other medical thing that can cause chronic constpation but it would be in both of your best intrest to try the formula before even worrying about those...good luck
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lynaeh1
replied on May 19th, 2008
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No I have not tried a non-iron fortified formula.... the doctor has just switched her to Enfamil Nutramigen due to her being allergic to milk and soy based formula
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Idony
replied on May 20th, 2008
Extremely eHealthy
do you mind if i ask why you stopped BFing?

wow ive never heard of a doc switching to a hydolyzed formula just for constipation, are there other symptoms too? because constipation is not typically a sign of an allergy/intolerance, i would ask about non-iron formula before you switch to nutram, its a lot cheaper (and smells a LOT better)
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lynaeh1
replied on May 20th, 2008
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the doctor switched her to Nutramigen because she's been having allergic reactions to the Milk and Soy based formulas
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Idony
replied on May 21st, 2008
Extremely eHealthy
lynaeh1 wrote:
the doctor switched her to Nutramigen because she's been having allergic reactions to the Milk and Soy based formulas


yeah, i got that, what i was asking is if there were OTHER symptoms then just the constipation that the doc was thinking indicated an allergic reation because typically constiptation alone is NOT reason to think allergic reaction.

there is no need to repete yourself, i dont know if you didnt know how to respond of you honestly think im giving you advise on something i know nothing about but i DO know what im talking about

my daughter has a severe allergy to milk protien and is soy protien intolerance, she is currently on ELECARE and will be until at LEAST 18 months (i wouldnt be surprised if its longer), we are currently awaiting her actual diagnosis (which i am hopeing this latest test confermed) as to why she is allergic to everything, in the mean time she is compeltly off of all fodd except her formula, i KNOW allergy symptoms, i KNOW allergy testing, and i KNOW what doctors do for allergies

i was just sugesting you talk to your doctor about a low iron formula because if the childs only symptom is constipation its a good idea to try that, and if thats the only symptom most doctors will go to that before switching to an expencive formula if the child doesnt actualy need it (my daughter was never on nutram but she was on alimimentum (the similac version) before she was switched to elecare, she had also been of soy before that, reg milk before that and breastmilk before that) nutram is about $25 a can right? that really expencive considering a normal formula is only like $12 (elecare is $50 so its still not teh most expencive)
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