I’ve decided to take the baby to the doctor again. I’m hoping I can be firm and get some sort of treatment for her, even if they try to tell me that it’s normal for a breastfed baby to go a week in between bowel movements. She hasn’t pooped in days again and periodically screams inconsolably throughout the day and night, arching her back, clenching her bottom, and scratching her face around her temples in her agony – it’s almost like she’s having labour contractions and trying to give birth. Her face clenches and goes bright red. I’ve never seen her in this state, since she’s usually a relaxed, content baby. During these times her belly gets as hard as a rock and she goes stiff all over and is clearly in a lot of pain. Or she’s clearly trying hard to push, her bottom pushing back, and nothing happens. While she’s had a couple of bowel movements since last week, she’s been doing this screaming/clenching thing for over a week.
I definitely have that mother’s feeling that something’s wrong.
-She usually goes once a day, or almost once a day, or several times in rapid succession. Even when she’s not doing a full bowel movement, she sometimes leaks a drop or two of poop when she sneezes, etc.. But since the NJ trip, her diapers have either been 100% urination or a singular blast of poop. This leads me to think that there’s a blockage, since there’s not even a little trickle in between.
-Her poop usually looks like orangish cottage cheese. The few poops she’s had during the last week have looked like peanut butter – thick, no curd-like chunks. This also makes me think it’s a blockage, like there’s some impacted matter that’s plugging up the works.
-She’s trying to poop and nothing comes out. Usually she simple flexes her little bottom once and poof. Or she’ll go still, get a far off look in her eye, and go seeming without having to flex at all.
-She’s clearly in a lot of pain. And not just once, but several times everyday for the past week. She never used to have to strain before. Also, the expressions and sounds she’s making are totally different and disturbing – she didn’t even sound this bad when she got her vaccination shots. And she’s still exclusively breastfed. It’s different from gas pain, which causes her to cry with increasing volume and urgency until she’s fully burped – this is ear-splitting shrieks of the same duration while clawing at her ears or face in hysteria. Once she’s finally calmed down, she’s usually so drained that she goes immediately to sleep
-This might be because I’m trying to feed her more frequently to ease her digestion, but she’s now waking up about every two hours each night, screaming. I’m so tired I sometimes catch myself starting to nod off while standing and holding the baby.
-This might not be related or important, but she’s spitting up a lot more than usual, maybe every other feeding. She doesn’t seem bothered by the spit up, but that’s unusual for her.
-My attempts at easing her suffering have not resolved the issue.
–massaging her tummy in a clockwise motion.
–moving her legs in a stationary bicycle.
–doing the I love you tummy massage
–trying to do some reflexology on her feet
–doing a lengthy constipation massage I found on youtube called shantala
–holding her a lot and walking around with her in my arms in an upright position facing me while gently rubbing her back
–giving her sips of purified water a couple of times per day
–giving her sips of baby apple prune juice and drinking some myself in case the benefits can be passed through nursing
–feeding her more frequently
–giving her a warm bath
–putting her back in a familiar environment in which she used to have no trouble pooping (half naked in the crib/changing table)
–dressing her in baggy sleepers
–positioning her with her knees up as if she were sitting on a toilet when she starts straining, both on her back and in a sitting position
–I almost stuck the tip of a q-tip into her anus to try to stimulate it, as I’d read recommended on some online boards, but chickened out because she’s so small I worried it might do some damage
I called the clinic this morning, but by the time I was able to get over there with the baby it was around 10:30am and they were no longer accepting patients for the walk-in clinic, which starts its daily queue around 7:30am. Apparently the pediatrician has emergency visits, but you have to call at exactly 8am to get one. I was lectured about these procedures by the receptionist, but she still gave me an appointment for tomorrow morning, anyway.
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