treating a constipated baby..

The not eating syndrome lead to the less and less poo ..to ultimately no poo! The first day when he didn't do any I was ok..thinking if he doesn't eat , naturally no poo!

The next day also when he didn't do any..I was a bit worried but was still alright...

Third day I was expecting him to pass motion early in the morning but when he didn't I started getting a bit worried.By lunch time I could see him straining at times ,yet no results at all...I was getting worked up now.

So I started my natural therapy.Gave him pear puree for lunch ..I had started avoiding pear as it is a low calorie fruit. Ever since he started eating less,I was concentrating on high calorie food...had started giving thicker food in consistency , adding less water...in the process I forgot to take care that he eats food that would pass down his intestines easily.

By evening I had already checked his diaper couple of times but all white each time!
He seemed a bit distressed too and was cranky at dinner time.He kept making funny grunting noises and kept clutching on the high chair at times.That was the first time I had seen him do that and was kind of scared ..after all they are so tiny and can't even speak out what's happening.

I had brought a potty training this month, I took off his diapers and tried to make him seat on it to help him ease the pressure.He sat on the thing for a minute or two and after that started playing with it :)

At bed time, I gave him a tummy massage , massaging tummy in clockwise directions, I read helps in bowel movement.I also did the I L U , strokes that I had learnt in the massage class I attended in the activity centre.

Here's a guide on massaging the I L U strokes.

next day morning when he woke up , I did bicycle legs for him , and all this exercise helped my baby..so after three days, on the fourth day he finally passed motion.

I was thinking, that if by eod he doesn't do motion , I am taking him to the doctor next morning.

Possibly the food on the first day , was less in fiber, and as a result was not moving down his bowels even though the other days he had a balanced diet.

Just as anticipated it was a bit hard ,dry like small pellets.. he had turned a bit constipated.That day he passed motion in the afternoon also, but that was his normal stool.Here I sit describing and writing about poo...before having a baby the idea was eeks!! Shitty!!! But now I think its something that's a part of my routine, I need to check on his stools every-time..after all pooh tells a lot about the baby's health.

In a nutshell here are some tips I think helps a constipated baby :

Exercise - A little exercise can sometimes work out a faster bowel movement. Bicycling baby's legs is a fun exercise that baby enjoys.

Massage - Infant massage can be a natural cure and should always be done is clockwise direction.This can also help a gassy baby.Doing the strokes clockwise is important, because it follows the direction of baby's intestines. This encourages the trapped wind and poo to move in the right way.

Water - Lack of fluids, water can make stool hard, little water would be okay to grease up the works.Water should be given only to babies that are on solids.

Fruit - If baby is eating solids, apricots , pears are known to have natural laxatives. Bananas ,apples , carrot I feel can add to constipation.

If these tricks, don't help the baby, seeing a pediatrician is a must.