Constipation & Reflux....AHHH HELP!!!!

[Mummy2Amelia]

Where do I begin?
my darling daughter is 10 weeks old and she has had to deal with constipation since about day 3 of her life..in the early days I gave her one bottle of breastmilk a day and the rest was formula. I was unable to breastfeed her. I stopped expressing when she was 2 weeks old. Anyway...She has been on s-26 gold since then and I thought it was fine..I didn't think it was the formula. I have been talking to a few different people about this and I just don't know what to do. I am constantly taking Amelia to the doctor because I feel useless...She screams bloody murder EVERYTIME she needs to do a poo and sometimes her little bum hole bleeds a little because it's this ugly hard blob...my poor baby! and just recently we went to the doctor again to see if she was lactose intolreant, a stupid chemist person told me she may be lactose intolerant because I told her the symptoms Amelia was experiencing...hard green poos, and spewing after every feed. Well turns out they were very wrong...lactose intolerant babies usually have diahrrea...anyway when we were getting her assessed for that I also mentioned her being sick after nearly every feed..sometimes it's alot sometimes it's just a tiny bit...she does have a little bit of reflux and I have to get her weighed every 2 weeks to make sure she isn't losing any weight.
I am so confused by all of this...I just don't know what to do! I have tried to give her brown sugar mixed with water, I have ever given her the baby heinz pear juice, it comes diltuted but because she is only 2.5mo's I diluted it 50/50 again and it seemed to work but only for one poo...Do you think I should change the brand of formula I am using? will this help? I just want her to poo normally and regularly and not be sick after every feed it's driving me crazy and I get so upset because she is upset....what do I do??:confused: :(

[Tamz]

Hi there
your poor bubba :( its hard when you ask for advice and you get different oppinions. i just took my bub to the doc coz he was screaming and the doc said he wasnt teething then a few days later he cut a tooth :eek:

when i had to put DS on formula when we went through breast refusal i put a couple of drops of infant Coloxyl in his bottles. he was regular. Maybe try that??

hope everything works out

tamz

[maddysmama]

Hi,

My bub started on s26 Gold very early on as I had low milk supply. She had heaps of trouble with constipation, tried water with sugar etc but it didn't help much. I changed formula to Nan1HA Gold at about 4 weeks, after reccommendations by a few people and she has not had any constipation since. She's now 3 months old.

I think I've seen a few threads re: Nan and it seems to have pretty good reviews as being easily digestable for bubs.

[mylittletwins]

Hello,

I am also using NAN1 HA Gold which my twins have been using since the day they were born, it was what they were giving out at the hospital. I did try Karicare Gold just to see what the difference would be but i have found it was too heavy for them. I found NAN to be the best as its easier for them to digest. One of my twins suffer colic and they do suffer from Reflux so this is the best i can give them. I have been told its the closest formula to breast milk.

Good Luck

[Jessicasmum]

HI I am so sorry to hear about your poor little bub. My DD is also on NAN Gold, we only experienced constipation issues after going to the after 6 months one. On the initial Gold, no issues, also recommended by CHN because it is partially hydrogylised?? not sure how to spell, but I think it means easier on the tummy. A tip with the brown sugar, it really worked for my DD after switching, but i just put it in her formula, one less job. Re the green, my DD poos were always green after stopping Breastfeeding and switching to formula.

Good Luck
Mel

[Caitlin's Mum]

Hi, I've heard that S26 causes constipation in a lot of bubs. My DS is on lactose free formula (because he is lactose intolerant) but I have also heard really good things about the NAN HA. In the meantime, you could try coloxyl drops in the bottle to help. It doesn't work instantly though.

You are able to get medication for the reflux (although it doesn't stop the vomiting, just the pain). Ask your doctor. My baby is on Zantac but there is another medication called Losec. Good luck.

[rebeccamum]

Your poor DD. :( I know how it's like when you seem to get all sorts of advice from different people and feel so confused. I used to be the same so I understand how frustrated you are. Anyway, I think it's worth trying to change formula like other people say. My DD used to be on NAN gold and screamed bloody murder everytime she did her poo. She did'nt have constipation or runny poo, her poo was perfectly normal but she screamed anyway. A CHN told me to switch to either Karicare or S26 lactose free (she isn't lactose-intolerant though)and the screaming stopped. I know S26 is notorious for causing constipation but every bub reacts differently to different formula. I think your DD doesn't agree with S26 so changing her to NAN or other brands might help.

My DD had reflux as well (she's better now). If it's really bad, maybe talk to a paed and ask if s/he think she should be put on Zantac or Losec? My DD didn't have to have medication, just a bit of Gaviscon and some basic reflux remedies. If she doesn't lose weight or cries constantly, there's nothing much you can do but a lot of cuddles and patience. I know you probably don't want to hear this but it will get better eventually (2-3 months in my case). I used to feel very frustrated and didn't believe when people say it'll get better but it does! You can try feeding her in an upright position and elevate (sp?) her mattress, pram seat, change mat, etc. These seem to make her feel less uncomfortable. But if she loses weight or her reflux worries you, it's a good idea to see a GP or paed. Hang in there and good luck.

[Rell]

As some of the others have said a change of formula is probebly whats needed. DD got VERY badly constipated with S26 and also had reflux so we changed her to Karicare AR (the thickned formula). This helped a little with her reflux and fixed the constipation problems.
You just need to find the formula which works best for your baby

Good luck

[Mum2Lucas]

ds had a big problem with constipation when i stopped breastfeeding and the doctor said to give him water but that didnt work so i got him coloxyl drops to help and that helped heaps and with that you give it 3 times a day and after a few weeks you ween them off it and for reflux you can buy infant gaviscon at some chemists and thats really good for it my sister was on it when she was a baby. also some formulas can make it all worse too i tried a few and then found some organic formula that he really likes and works well for his bowels too. hope that helps.