Infant Constipation

  Infants just on breast-milk experience constipation because of the type of food mother eats. Three factors are involved in good bowel movements.

1. Body Movements: Stools move in the intestine by body movements like walking or running. The physical motion causes slight movements in the intestines.

2. Fiber rich food absorbs more water and so that causes stools to move in the intestine better than dried stools.

3. The lubricator in the intestine is mucus. When are mucus are less it results in constipation.

For a new born infant all the three above cannot be applied because the baby is having only restricted movements and sleeping all the time. Next no solid food and so no fiber rich food. To increase lubrication and prevent constipation there are two ways.

1.Mother's milk is as source of chemicals that can induce mucus production in baby's intestines. This is why in Ayurveda, strict rules were laid for mothers diet after delivery. Herbs are given so that mother's milk brings those chemicals to the baby's body.

We found the best was Fenugreek  seeds. If the mother eats soaked fenugreek seeds during breakfast along with a glass of cow's milk mother's milk production increases. But if the soaked fenugreek seeds are cooked and added to rice gruel  and eaten, the constipation in the infant relieves immediately.

2. Another safe traditional Indian practice is to give  castor oil   drops with breast milk. One drop of castor oil is mixed with one teaspoon of breast milk and given to the new born baby everyday for a week or till constipation is relieved.  Castor oil also is good to detoxify the baby's body and prevent diseases as well as allergies.

3. Right from the next day of birth it is good to give a few drops of sterile Water  (boiled and cooled water) before breast feeding. The after a month it could be increased to a teaspoon of water before breast feeding. This also prevents constipation.

For older kids giving them small amounts of ripe papaya, next day a piece of pear, then again papaya next day a piece of sapota and then next day papaya. Like this fruits alternating with papaya helps to relieve constipation.

Please click here to get back to Sakthi Sites