Dear Hetal & Friends,

My Baby boy whose is exactly 5 and half months old is suffering from severe constipation. As I am living in Ireland, far away from my family members in India ,I feel very left alone and worried, especially wen he is grunting and crying unable to pass poop.

So dear hetal and friends plz suggest me ur valuable advice.

Below is the detailed summary of my baby boy’s development right from the birth , his food intake and the doctor’s prescribed medications for constipation.

1.My baby boy was born exactly on my due date, weighing 3.3 kgs, normal delivery.

2.As he couldn’t latch on bcoz of my flat nipple, I breastfeed him using a nipple shield.

3.Until 4 months, he was mixedfeed, both breastfeeding and 2-3 formula feedings.

4.After 4 months, I started with the traditional ragi kangi (7 – 8 oz) afternoon, mixed with little brown sugar(dermara sugar- which my doc suggested) and formula 1 scoop (SMA brand, as I didn’t prefer cow’s milk)

5. He accepted ragi kangi, and his bowels where regular.

6. I continued ragi kangi and at five months, my milk supply was reduced and hardly no milk.

7. Due to this issue, I forced to substitute with other liquid diets, so I started light moong dal water (5- 6 0z).

7. He was gaining good weight and my doc suggested to start semi solids and asked me to give him one feed of 1- 2 tablespn baby rice (gluten free-commerical brand) mixed with 1 scoop formula.

8. So I started with it, he accepted and his bowels where regular.

9. It was only wen, I wanted to add some vegetables to his diet, I fed him carrot and sweet potato puree (commercial baby food),he liked it very much,he kept on asking for more,so I didn’t mind and gave him 2-3 tablespns. And below was his diet schedule:

6.00am : Formula (8 oz)
9.00 am: Moong dhal water (5 – 6 oz)
11.30am: Formula (8 0z)
3.00pm: Ragi Kangi (7- 8 0z)
6.00pm: Carrot and sweet potato puree (2-3 tablespoons)
8.30pm:Baby rice(1 tablespoon)
11.00pm: Formula (8 0z)
4.00am: Formula(8 oz)

10. Right from then he was severely constipated, kept grunting and crying wen passing motion, so I stopped carrot and potato puree and took him to the doctor.

11. My doctor here advised laxtose syrup – 5mls at night, and for the extreme grunting she prescribed BABYENEMA. I know u would all b surprised to hear,same with me. I thought stupid, I was against it and hoped to cure it with some alternating liquid diets.

12. But all in vein, as soon as I came home from the doctor’s visit, he started crying extremely and grunting with pain, I haven’t heard him cry so badly right from his birth, I was left alone, so at last I was forced to use the BABYENEMA. He passed poop and felt very relived.

13. I know it was all my fault, to feed him 2-3 tblspns of carrot and potato at a stretch. I felt very guilty and worried, although my husband was very supportive, he was held up with his tight work schedule.

14. Tat night I gave him the laxtose syrup, and from next morning I alternated his diet with liquids. Since my mom said raisins r good to relieve constipation, I soaked 6-7 golden raisins in hot water, strained the pulp, mixed with equal amount of water and little of brown sugar.

15. He accepted and had 6- 7 oz of the raisins juice. And below was his diet schedule:

Current weight: 7.6kgs

6.00 am: Formula(8oz)
10.30am:Raisins juice(6-7 oz)
12.30pm:Formula(8oz)
3.00pm: Ragi kangi(6-7 oz)
6.00pm:Pear juice(8 oz commercial baby brand diluted in the ratio 4:1)
8.30pm: Concentrated whole Moong dal water(7-8 0z) (note: I thought since there is no semi solid food in his diet,I overcooked the moong dhal in a cooker for 2 whistles,and strained thick dhal(pasty) and fed him.)
11.00pm:Formula(8oz)
rarely sometimes in between one 4-5 oz formula feed.

16. Even after changing his diet to liquids, he grunts and cries and then passes poop. Hardly once in a day. So I kept him on the laxtose syrup.

17. I thought may be the concentrated whole moon dhal pasty water would be the culprit,so for the past two days,I alternated with a vegetable soup(8 0z) made with 1 small baby carrot,7 trimmed green beans and 15 peas. I boiled them all for 15mins in a microwave, then blended it to paste, then strained the soup alone and mixed equal amounts of water. As green beans would b little gastric , so I added a pinch of hing

18. Still his bowels aren’t regular.I read in the board, tat prune juice helps to relieve constipation. So I got some organic prunes(black color). Can I alternate the raisins juice to prune??? If so,how to prepare it??? How much to fed him?? Or is there anything tat I need to change his diet?? If so,plz advice me.

19. He also seems to not gaining weight, so by 6 months, I wanted to introduce some other semisolid foods that doesn’t constipates. So can u plz suggest me with the diet that doesn’t constipates??? Can I start with ripe bananas, how many spoons??? My mom told me tat doctors in India suggest the following for 6 months old baby:

a. washed split moong dhal overcooked with spinach and with little ghee.
b. Ripe banana with little honey( and sometimes grounded almonds too,to gain weight)
c. Vegetable stock

20. Can I start with that??? Will tat constipate??? I read in the board tat hetal suggested for khicidi to start for 6 months old baby. May I know how to prepare it???

21 Or can I again start with the baby rice mixed with water or vegetable stock instead of formula???

22. And how can I introduce fruits and vegetables to his diet tat doesn’t constipate???
Apple puree constipates, how about apple juice???

I know it’s really a very long mail, I am really confused and very much worried about wat to feed him on this situation. So hetal and friends plz do suggest me ur valuable advise,I am very much relied on ur response. Thanking u in advance.

Regards,
Sruthi

Sruthi replied. Laxose Syrup- Typing Mistake

Regards,
Sruthi