Constipated? Bowel obstruction?

[B'sgirl]

I know it's normal for a baby to only poop every other day, but with A it concerns me just a bit. She gets really fussy on day 2 and is that way all day until she finally goes. And this time she didn't go at all. She's on day 3 and still hasn't gone and was really fussy yesterday. Do you think she could have a bowel obstruction? I tried to google it but it was really hard to sift through the info. I'm worried that it may be a sign that she has Celiac like B does.

[Deana]

have you tried a teeny bit of apple or prune juice? Ella sometimes has a hard time going #2 - she gets really fussy and cries. A small amt of juice in some water always helps.

[IUgrad02]

Hmm, I don't have any solid advice except to call the Dr. -- always a sure bet for me. However, I suppose it isn't impossible that she have a bowel obstruction. Isn't she BF still though? It seems like breast milk is supposed to break down easier and not cause constipation (compared to formula), but I'm sure that is not a hard & fast rule, either. My only experience w/ this is that my niece hadn't gone for many, many days and was bawling, and she did have a bowel obstruction that the doctor helped her take care of... but she was much older - maybe 10-12 months or so - and was already eating lots of solids. Has she tried rice cereal or anything yet? Perhaps adding prunes or something to her diet, like D suggested, would help. I think they give you the go ahead around 4 mo. anyway, don't they? I started C at five months on cereal and six months on fruits and veggies, but I think it's ok a little earlier, right?

...just trying to help you think through your options....

[HeavenLeigh]

E started getting constipated when he was 2 days old. He cried, I cried, it was hard to see him in misery and struggling to get 1 tiny poop pebble out. Prune juice worked for awhile, but it had to be as warm as I could get it w/out burning his tounge. Cereal, any type plugged him up horribly. He couldn't eat a tiny amount w/out getting constipated. We tried it all on E and the BEST thing we found is Little Tummys oral laxitives. I couldn't find any at Wal-Mart, but CVS has it.
GL, I hope she grows out of it.

[B'sgirl]

Well she finally went this morning. She went 3 days worth too--I had to give her a full-on bath! But she was miserable until then. It was also pretty watery so I don't think she needs the prune juice. There were lots of dark flecks in her stool though. Is that normal? I even have a picture I can post if it's not normal, but I'll spare you a picture of a dirty diaper if that's common. I called the doctor and the nurse wasn't much help. She just said the dark flecks can be caused by variation in the food, but there is no variation--it's all white milk! I'm just wondering if the dark could be a sign of intestinal damage or undigested protein. I'm probably just paranoid, but after B I just want to make sure everything is okay! (And no, I haven't started her on cereal yet).

[HeavenLeigh]

If it's black and tar like, you should take it in for a sample. If not, I wouldn't worry.

[Deana]

can changes in your diet cause changes in a breastfed baby's stool? I didn't bf either of my kids for a very long time, so I am not sure. Just thought that maybe that was what the nurse was referring to. It probably is normal - I see a lot of variations in Ella's stool all the time (even when she was on formula only).