Why Is My Infant Constipated
The standing pediatric advice to accept irregular bowel movements as normal is a principal cause of constipation in infants and toddlers. After irregularity turns into constipation, the ensuing treatment with fiber, fluids, and juices often causes diarrhea, and is, in part, behind the epidemic of autism in the United States.Problems watching? View onYouTube.Transcript:There are two type of constipation — functional and organic. So, first, ask your pediatrician to rule out obstruction, impaction, infection, or any other condition behind organic constipation. Most other causes are functional, and are relatively easily remedied. The problem is, that doctors are likely to give you some terrible advice regarding functional constipation. This advice usually boils down to the three following dogmas: From the Textbook of Pediatrics: “There is no medical harm in stool staying in the body for a long time [link]:”— Wrong! A healthy infant is supposed to [ideally — KM] move the bowels at least four times daily. Missing a single day enlarges and hardens up stools, and makes constipation much worse. Author's comment: My statement above — that, ideally, breastfed infants are supposed to have at least 4 bowel movements (BMs) daily—Infrequent BMs are considered “normal” not because they are, but because babies don't display any outward symptoms of any clinical disorder. In this context any borderline condition, such as anemia or rickets, are also “normal” because they don't cause pain, incessant crying, high fever, or kill right away.Here is, actually, what's happening “under the radar:” the large intestine, as its name implies, is a large organ, potentially capable of accumulating and retaining several weeks worth of stale feces. These accumulated feces are gradually expelled whenever the bowel gets overfilled with digestive and metabolic residue from the other end (i.e. from the small intestine). This condition is called 'latent constipation,' and is quite widespread in adults. Straining andlarge stools are the primary symptoms of latent constipation.The highest risk from latent constipation in babies is the possibility of fecal reflux back into the small intestine — the precursor to severe intestinal inflammation, which is usually resolved by profuse diarrhea. After the diarrhea is over, the same vicious cycle starts anew.So, ask yourself: Is this normal when my baby's bowel is loaded with several weeks worth of stale feces? Not deadly, that's for sure, but is it normal?And the final puzzle is — why do the stools of breastfed babies remain small, soft, and moist for so long (i.e. not as dry, hard, and large as in adults in similar circumstances)? That is because the moisture content of infant's feces is similar to the moisture content of the infant's body — around 75%. In other words, the baby's bowel isn't adept at removing moisture from feces beyond this 75% threshold. In adults, stools become dry and harden up when their moisture content drops as little as 10%, down to 65%. Also, adults' stools are denser because solid food have higher residue content than milk or formula, and, of course, because of undigested fiber.Second dogma states as in this quote from the American Academy of Pediatrics: “Your pediatrician may suggest adding more water or juice to your child's diet [link]:”— Wrong again! Giving a child more water or juice is useless for constipation. In fact, excess water causes acute dehydration by stimulating profuse urination. The sorbitol in juices, such as prune or pear juice, causes acute diarrhea and disrupts stools even more. That is not the best way to relieve constipation… Third dogma, courtesy of Mayo Clinic, recommends: “For infants older than 4 months who are already eating solid foods, give them baby food that's high in fiber [link]:”— Wrong! Fiber dramatically expands stool size, blocks the absorption of fluids, and causes gas. This, in turn, causes bloating, flatulence, cramps, obstructions, allergies, and intestinal inflammation. In fact, this disastrous advice is the reason behind the epidemics of autism and juvenile diabetes in the United States. For the sake of your baby‘s health and future, as well as your own health and sanity, don‘t follow these damaging recommendations. If you still doubt my words, just observe your baby, and keep a diary to confirm for yourself every single problem I have outlined above. Finally, visit my web site to learn why following these recommendations may ruin your child‘s health. Good luck!What should you do if your infant experiences irregularity or constipation?According to the article “Prevalence, symptoms and outcome of constipation in infants and toddlers” published in The Journal of Pediatrics [link], the prevalence rate for constipation in infants (under 12 months) is near 3%, and in toddlers (up to 24 months) — around 10%. From those cases, 97% represent functional constipation, the subject of this page.According to the same source, the dietary changes (more fluids and fiber) and corn syrup — resolved only 25% of all cases, while the use of laxatives — Milk of Magnesia or Polyethylene Glycol 3350 — resolved constipation in 92% of all cases. The authors remarked that “Both milk of magnesia and polyethylene glycol were efficient and safe in infants and toddlers.” From this information we can draw the following important conclusions:
First, the increase in the prevalence of constipation in toddlers vis-à-vis infants points out that the transition from a fiber-free liquid diet (i.e. breast milk or formula) to solid food contributes to constipation. It sounds counterintuitive because most people believe in a material connection between foods and stools, while there is almost none, or the opposite of what's expected. I explain this paradox on this page: Constipation Unplugged.
Second, dietary changes aren't effective in 75% of all cases, and not only are they a waste of precious time, but they may also have the potential of causing chronic diarrhea, malnutrition, and neurological damage as I explain on this page: What Is The Connection Between Infant Constipation, Diarrhea, and Autism?
Third, due to the emergency nature of pediatric constipation,..
