I was tagged in a post on a local mom’s group and the question was asked: “What do you moms recommend if my 2-week-old is not pooping and seems to be struggling and fussy, while exclusively breastfeeding?”
As parents, it is our responsibility to educate ourselves on bowel movements.
Wow, I was flabbergasted by some of the answers. Please know I’m not poking fun or pointing my finger, but I do feel it is our responsibility as parents to be educated. Get educated. Find resources and look at both sides of the coin. Here were some of the outlandish comments on stimulating the baby’s bowel movements:
- Just give her 1oz of juice 1-2 times per day.
- Insert a thermometer into her rectum to activate that area.
- Give her suppositories, medication, etc.
WHAT IN THE #$%^ ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT??
A few of the more reasonable comments I read were: Chiropractic, massage, look at mom’s food, etc. This is a very common topic, especially the first 6 months of a child’s life. The information is accessible to everyone equally.
If you’ve ever done or wondered about the points above, I’m not making fun of you. As a society, we need to be resourceful. There is plenty of research that shares what happens to an infant’s digestive system when exposed to simple sugars in the first 12 months of life (at minimum). Some of these foods include formula, juice, rice cereal, oatmeal, those “melt in their mouth things”, etc. These foods change the chemistry of their gut and they are more prone to blood sugar challenges and will likely have immune system challenges.
Here’s a link to a blog post on “Poop” (there’s a Part 1 and a Part 2) that I wrote last spring.
My quick suggestions to new mamas:
- Find a local support group. Some examples are: The Birth Circle, Natural Parenting Group (facebook), La Leche League. All of these groups meet regularly so you connect and build relationships with like-minded mamas.
- Keep breastfeeding when your child wants to, at least for the first handful of weeks. There is no such thing as a schedule.
- Have your Chiropractor do a nerve scan to see how that area is working. If you don’t have one, google ‘Family Chiropractic/or, (city)’ or Pediatric Chiropractic/or, (city)’ and find a few options. Go with the one your gut and heart pick.
- Do at-home massage with your infant. There are many resources online for this.
Be your child’s advocate. Do your due diligence. Do not give juice, medications (OTC or prescription) or any other invasive techniques to stimulate a bowel movement. Find out the cause of the problem and fix it. Don’t patch the hole to create a bigger hole in the long run.
Here’s to starting out these babes on the right foot from Day 1. It’s that important.
Dr. T
