Aw those adorable little bundles of joy! Those darling little cuties! How we love our itty bitty babies! How we love to cuddle them, kiss them, feed them, play with them and then yes, also CLEAN UP POOP. Never thought of cleaning up an infant’s poop as a good thing? Well maybe you will after reading this:

Poop, fecal matter, bowel movement, “ewwww”, c**p, S**T!, or however else you refer to it, we all do it. It’s perfectly natural and healthy to have good daily bowel movements as an adult. But what about a wee one? I consider a baby constipated if he isn’t having one to five poops per day! Yes, I am stepping on some toes with this bold statement. Several doctors will claim a baby can go a couple days without a bowel movement as long as they are still having wet diapers. But have you ever seen these babies?? They do NOT look happy!  While I agree with the idea that if mom is eating a very clean nutritious diet the infant may have fewer bowel movements since the baby is utilizes all that good stuff, the bottom-line is he should still be pooping regularly!

If you’re not on board with the one-five times per day, let’s just take a quick look at the WARNING SIGNS your baby is potentially constipated:

*Hard abdomen- that little guy’s stomach should be soft and pliable to the touch (please be responsible when checking this folks, remember your baby is a little human after all)

*Baby arches constantly- this is most often a sign of dural torque, which basically means there is a lot of tension on baby’s spine, spine houses nerves that dictate organ function, including intestines ok?

*Baby is spitting up a lot- just like when you were pregnant and you got to watch food come back up, or heartburn became a daily curse word for you, baby can have her stomach pushed up when there is too much fecal matter in the intestines

*Baby seems to be in pain- one of the most common reasons an infant cries is gas and/or stomach/intestinal issues

*Skin issues: rashes, hives, breakouts- the body is brilliant and trys to push out toxic material anyway it can, so if the main plumbing is clogged….well you get the idea

*Overall sense of poor health- poop is nasty stuff, and it really shouldn’t be sitting in the gut being reabsorbed

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT A BABY WHO CAN’T POO??

*Breast feeding? Drink more water

*Take your kiddo to a pediatric chiropractor to check for subluxations (joint misalignment that causes nerve interference) or a cranial-sacral specialist to help release dural torque

*Eliminate the common food allergens, um peeps this can take SEVERAL WEEKS to see a change; ask your holistic provider what these food allergens may be or Google “most common food allergens” if you’re desperate (I’m not a huge fan of Dr. Google but let’s be honest, we all check the internet for just about everything- just use your brain when doing so)

*Formula feeding? Try switching formulas (you may have to do this more than once)! A good goat milk based formula or homemade at least to begin with might help plus adding a baby probiotic; ask a naturopath or other holistic doctor on advice for specific formulas and which probiotics are safe for an infant

*Have a professional teach you how to do a proper baby abdominal massage

*Talk to your doctor about ALL your medication, herbs, and supplements which may be going into your breastmilk and causing constipation/ gut irritation; those little baby guts are soooo sensitive!

*Acupressure- visit your local acupuncturist (make sure that he or she is comfortable (ie capable of) working on an infant first)

*Double check with your pediatrician that there is not a more serious illness as an underlying cause

The POSITIVE RESULTS You May See:

*Better sleep/rest for everyone-um, speaking as a mom, isn’t this alone enough to take me seriously!?

*Less fussy baby

*Decrease chances of baby getting sick and/or staying sick for long periods of time

*Decrease arching of spine

*Softer abdomen

*Less chance of gut related illnesses as the child gets older

*Healthier looking skin

*Healthier nervous system, which means later on better processing information going on around child, better production of neurotransmitters (feel good chemicals which are made in the gut). Now, who wouldn’t want that?

So you see? Sometimes s**t isn’t so bad!

-Dr. Madison