Constipation

[Lallas' Mum]

My youngest son is four weeks old today. He is formula fed on Karicare DeLact as he is lactose intolerant (same as my second born son and nephew). Since changing to the lactose free formula he has of course stopped the explosive bowel motions and the the foul smelling windiness. But for the last week and a half we have been having trouble with hard firm pellet like poos. Under the advice of my child health nurse (after coloxyl drops failed to relieve symptoms) we have been using two 50mls feeds per day of water containing 1 teaspoon of brown sugar. It has helped soften the poos but everytime I try to cut back of the sugar water he firms up again straight away. My other concern is that even when he has soft mushy bowel motions he is crying with pain to push out the poo and his bowel seems to come outward a little when he is pushing. When he stops pushing the bowel tucks back up.
Is this just constipation I am dealing with or could something else be wrong? Should I be seeking more professional help from either my GP or paed? Should I keep persevering with the sugar water or try something else like prune juice?

[the pero clinic]

Dear Lallas’ Mum,

I would definitely recommend that you seek the advice of your doctor or paediatrician. It may be a very simple issue – such as using too much formula in the bottle, or perhaps your bub is having more digestive issues than lactose intolerance alone. Make sure that you are not overfilling the formula scoop and that you have measured the right amount of water – even small mis-measurements can cause problems.

You can also try to give your bub warm baths when a bowel motion is imminent, or some gentle tummy massage in a clockwise direction.

the pero clinic