What if your baby’s constipation reached the point that every time he felt the urge to poop you had to “help” him by pulling him onto your lap and bicycling his legs?
What if that didn’t work and you had to relieve his bowels by hand?
That was the case with this family. They couldn’t even leave the house because he was straining 5-10 times daily.
Is Milk of Magnesia the best way to treat baby constipation?
The gastroenterologist said, “As long as he isn’t crying when he poops, I’m not concerned.” The doctor then prescribed Milk of Magnesia.
A natural way to get magnesium is to eat more green leafy veggies.
If your child is not a big green leafy veggie eater, I recommend a magnesium powder that you can get in our office or on Amazon.
Many of us do not get enough magnesium and this is a great place to start to make sure you have a healthy gut.
The integrative approach worked beautifully for this 15-month-old boy. I detail the plan below the testimonial video.
Constipation is a sign of inflammation
Our little patient has been generally healthy but about a month after beginning solid foods, he developed constipation. The family ate a clean diet (virtually no processed foods), and the baby ate no gluten and very few grains.
Please remember that constipation is a sign of inflammation. If you do not uncover and remove the root cause of inflammation the body will usually show additional symptoms, which might include eczema, bumps on the back of the arms, chronic runny nose, dark circles under the eyes, and snoring.
Because the family diet was already clean, I recommended both the baby and his breastfeeding mom avoid dairy for a trial period. As a result, we determined that dairy was the main cause of his inflammation and his constipation.
The 4R approach to gut healing
The family agreed to use the 4R approach to gut healing that we use in integrative medicine to treat constipation in both children and adults:
- REMOVE the foods that are causing the inflammation. In this case, it was dairy.
- RE-INOCULATE the gut with good healthy bacteria using fermented foods and/or a probiotic.
- REPLACE lacking nutrients (such as Vitamin D, omega-3 fats, and magnesium) with food and/or supplements.
- REPAIR the damage that has been done by continuing a clean diet and supplementation.
Of course, each child’s situation is different. In this case, his mom said that now, “He goes so smoothly that sometimes we don’t know he’s gone to the bathroom.”
The 4R approach turned out to be much easier than anticipated. The whole family, including their three-year-old daughter, has benefitted from the dietary changes, not to mention the ability to leave the house!
This amazing mother is also an author, check out her cookbook, What a Good Eater!: Baby and toddler recipes with healthy herbs and spices to add flavor and broaden your baby’s palate.
If your child struggles with constipation or abdominal pain, please join me for a FREE LIVE WEBINAR, Thursday, March 14 at 8:30 p.m. EST and learn how to conquer constipation, safely and naturally, without laxatives! RESERVE YOUR SPOTIf you’ve tried everything your pediatrician has recommended, and your child is still sick, please sign up for a FREE 15-minute informational call with one of our patient care specialists to learn how we can help get your child thriving again! To keep our care individualized, we only take on 12 new patients each month, so please schedule your FREE 15-minute informational call ASAP. RESERVE YOUR SPOTIf you live outside of the Charlotte, NC area, my course, “7 Steps to Healthy Kids and Happy Moms” will help you understand which foods and supplements are best for your child. Details here.
