Just follow the simple steps below, and you too can enjoy the loveliness of a constipated infant!
First, start with a baby who is genetically prone to constipation anyway. Say, for example, both mama and daddy have IBS (which we do!), so the odds of a constipated infant are pretty high even to begin with. Sorry, sweetheart. You'll be thanking us for that all your life.
Second, stir in a mama who is not able to breast feed. Much as I wanted to and tried to, I couldn't. Yes, that means having formula right from the get-go. While formula doesn't automatically lead to a constipated infant, it's much more likely because formula just can't duplicate the fantastic concoction of breast milk. Formula has larger proteins that are harder to digest, it lacks antibodies, and it's missing some other enzymes and ingredients in breast milk that help with absorption. Formulas today are great, don't get me wrong, and I'm very grateful for them! But cow's milk is tailored to baby cows, and soy protein is tailored to--baby soy plants? Anyhow, not a PERFECT fit for little humans.
Next, add a long bout with colic. Oh, the problems this causes! Lack of interest in eating, which leads to probably slight dehydration. Hours of crying, which leads to swallowing air, painful gas bubbles, even less interest in eating, and so on.
Finally, throw in medications that are supposed to be treating other digestive symptoms. For example, Ella has been on Prevacid since she was 2 months old, because the doctor diagnosed her with reflux. Now I wonder if the reflux is actually a symptom of the constipation. Think about it! The guts get all clogged, leaving nowhere for the food and stomach acid to go but back up! Duh, mama. And for months I've been using simethicone gas drops because Ella is always so gassy, usually painfully so. After every meal I'd give her some gas drops, since the label says you can safely use it up to 12 times a day. Again, probably a symptom of being a constipated infant--the trapped air bubbles can't get out past the solid obstructions.
Well, guess what?
I started doing a little more research, and the very first "possible side-effect" listed on the information for both Prevacid and simethicone is: CONSTIPATION!! I just about choked. Random symptoms I was treating, probably caused by the constipation, but the drugs to treat the symptoms make the constipation WORSE! This poor kid. If she survives to adulthood, I hope she doesn't hate me.
So there you have it! Making your own constipated infant is as easy as genetics, lousy luck, and ignorance. Miss Ella is currently off both her medications, beginning to poop better and showing some interest in food. Mama is holding her breath, saying lots of silent prayers.
Anyone out there used the simethicone gas drops regularly and had any trouble? How about Prevacid? I used the gas drops regularly for many months with Joshua and never had a problem, so I didn't even suspect them as a culprit. Mamas with a constipated infant, beware!