Not constipation, but.... waking up in discomfort

[1sttimemom]

I've just started putting a scoop of stage 2 formula into my LO's bottles 3-4 days ago ...making the change slowly since I'm also introducing non-rice cereals, and while she's not constipated, I've noticed that her poop is a lot harder than before. She's not constipated as per the definition I've found online - no poop for 3 days - but she seems to be waking up in discomfort at night.

I've ruled out teething and this is the only thing I can think of is this. Last night she woke up every 2 hours and then I ended up holding her to sleep between 330-5am.

I'm not sure if any other foods are causing this... would be great to hear your experience.

Oh, I gave a bit of diluted prune juice this morning and at about midday she did have one poop of normal consistency. Should I give her more prune juice? I don't want to overdo it!

 

[katfroggatt]

Hi there, were you feeding her purely breastmilk previously before introducing one scoop of stage 2 formula? From my experience, once baby is on solids ie: rice cereals, their stool will become harder, like the firmness of adult stools. So yes it will be comparatively harder and have more form than a baby on breastmilk which is softer and has no form/shape. If she is constipated, her stool will be VERY hard and she will cry during stooling as it is very uncomfortable. When a baby starts solids and formula, it is very impt to introduce water as well. Formula is richer in content and has less water content compared to breastmilk hence water is an impt component to her feedings.

Prune juice or prune puree are very good for digestion, so is apple juice, banana and papaya. So it is good idea to start fruits as well if she may have a sensitive gut. But make sure to dilute the juice, 1 part juice with 3 part water as a nice ratio. Do record down the foods you are giving to ascertain her stools and take note of the number of times she stools in a day as well. Waking up every 2 hours doesnt sound to me like constipation, its probably more like a tummy upset or pain and teething is one of the culprits depending on her age. My son gone thro the same thing when he is teething and had sleep problems which was very unusual so after a process of elimination, it was the pain from the swollen gums upsetting him.

Is she crying the sametime every night? And how long is she crying for? Have you considered colic or reflux?