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January 2016 Moms
ekscopp
member
Options
Angry rant/need advice
ekscopp
member
So as I have already posted, LO has now gone 12 days without pooping. She is EBF so I know 8-10 days can be normal. I was concerned and worried so I figured I should take her to the pedi just to be sure. Well that was a BIG mistake!! First he said to supplement bc she isn't getting enough milk (not the case as I have an oversupply), then said to give her peaches to help (she is only 14 weeks and soooo not ready for food, so um no) but then he did a digital rectal exam to ensure nothing was blocking the way - necessary I know, but the screaming that came out of my LO broke my heart and made me want to punch the doc in the face. It traumatized me more than her I know, but still. So now as a FTM I have no idea what to do. I'm def not following the pedi's advice with food or supplementing, but I also don't want to be ignoring the issue if there is one. I called the lactation specialist to see her opinion and she said to treat the baby not the poop, but LO has been fussy bc I'm pretty sure she has started leap 4. She isn't straining trying to poop, pedi said the poop was soft on that horrible exam and her belly is not distended and she is eating normally. I'm at such a loss of what to do. Any advice?
Edited bc typing while holding LO is hard.
Edited bc typing while holding LO is hard.
Re: Angry rant/need advice
I haven't personally tried it, but it might be worth a shot.
I think it might be time to seek a second opinion. Have you tried seeing a DO, instead of a pediatrician? They may have a way to solve the problem that a pedi might not.
The only other thing that we've discovered causes our LO to have an extra bowel movement (we discovered by accident--we were treating acid reflux,) is gripe water. It sometimes gives babies looser bowels, so that's a thought.
Good luck! Hopefully LO isn't too uncomfortable!
its awful seeing them hurt, because they can't tell us why.
My dd was always constipated and we tried everything... Karo or juice really does do the trick. If baby likes bath time a warm bath could help her relax. We also found that she usually pooped when she was in her vibrating bouncy seat. My son prefers the swing.
Maybe ask the dr. and lactation consultant later for advice on diet changes to help keep her regular.
I know this is awful to go through, and I hope she's feeling better really soon.
Well first thank you ladies for all your adivce/support. First, that pedi isn't the one we usually see, just the one seeing sick visits that day -don't plan on seeing him ever again. Second, I spoke with lactation specialist again and they recommended glycerin suppositories and putting gentle pressure on her anus. I tried both and nothing. I tried an oz of pear juice mixed with milk in a bottle earlier today as my friend told me her pedi recommended this, obviously this didn't work yet. She didn't eat barley all day. She cried every time I put her to breast and she would suck on the bottle for a little until the milk came out then she would cry. She took maybe a total of 6 oz over 10 hours.... so stressful. She has been peeing a lot though, and just now she ate for a few min at the breast and passed out. I'm glad she finally ate a little more, but still no poop. Thank you @Beverly0628 I'll try the warm water thing when she wakes up. I'll literally try anything. And where do you get Karo syrup @mrsgetz4000? I will try anything. Hopefully she will go by tomorrow.
When babies stop eating, that's a red flag, the fact she has gone so long with out a BM is a red flag. I would want abdominal x-rays or an abdominal CT. To me, from DD2's recent issues, it sounds like a possible bowel obstruction to me and they need to do something sooner rather than later. I would be asking for a more established doctor because that doctor doesn't know what he's doing. As a nurse, I know better than that even. So if need be, take her to the ER and tell them what all is going on and have them do an abdominal x-ray or CT. Your baby is telling you something is wrong. We know it's most likely bowel related and someone needs to do the proper testing vs making an assumption. Children's medicine is not that cut and dry so that doctor should have done imaging to ensure to actually know what was going on.
DD2 reduced how much she was eating and then she stopped eating all together. We had made her 2 bottles both trying to get her to eat, but she wouldn't. She would just cry. She had previously had a liquid stool and taking care of kiddos, bowel obstruction was the first thing on my mind, so I drove her to the pediatric ER. They did an abdominal X-ray, sure enough she had a partial bowel obstruction. They gave her a suppository and told me what else to watch out for. We did a little apple juice (15 mL) once a day and she eventually passed the hard pebble junk blocking her bowel.
With bowel obstructions your baby can still have bowel movements because anything liquid can go around the obstruction depending on how it is. However..you need to be very cautious of a total bowel obstruction because that's where nothing can get through. It makes everything time sensitive because depending on how things are blocked off, it can cause her bowel to lose blood flow and die off. That would require emergency surgery for her.
OP, DS1 was EBF and went 12 days without a poo when he was less than 6 months old. When he did go (on his own), there was no explosion because he wasn't constipated or full of 12 days worth of poop that needed to come out. His body was simpy using all the milk so there was no waste. Granted, your LO may very well be constipated if she seems uncomfortable. I wouldn't do the karo syrup bc it's really not the safest option but lots of old school pediatricians still recommend that. I would personally go with the glycerin suppository or watered down prune juice. But again, she may not need to go if the suppository wasn't productive.
Also, many things unrelated could be causing your babe to not want to eat. We've had days of this too! I just watch for peepee diapers.
I think many people gave great advice. It's easier said than done, but try to stay calm and follow your gut. If you want to go to ER, then go. best of luck!
I'm not saying this is the case here, because I haven't seen the baby & there may be a legitimate problem. But ER visits to alleviate mother's anxiety cause increased wait times for true emergencies and contribute to increased healthcare costs. Unless OP is lucky enough to live near a hospital with a peds ER, ER doctors are often not the best ones to make a call regarding an infant so many of them order unnecessary tests to cover their asses. And I can't blame them, but holding out till Monday to see her usual pediatrician for a second opinion is a safe call if the baby isn't in distress.
ETA: Seriously though, it seems like you got a lot of good advice and opinions OP. Keep us posted on your LO. I hope things get better for you soon!
Also feline cognitive dysfunction is a geriatric condition of cats usually 10 years old or older. You don't have to take anyone's word for it, go ask a vet.
Your choice, not mine.