Donnette

When we brought our twins home from the hospital, we felt equipped for anything. One thing we were not prepared for was a problem with newborn constipation. We didn't know a lot about it and we were under the impression that it wasn't a "normal" phenomenon since our friends and family members all expressed that they had never had a problem with it in their children. To our relief, we found out that newborn constipation is actually occurs on a regular basis, with about 50% of newborns to toddlers experiencing constipation at least once.

One of the trickiest things about newborn constipation is recognizing the signs and symptoms. While an older child can express that he having trouble going to the bathroom and that it hurts, we as parents have to be aware of the way newborn constipation affects our babies so that we can catch it early. Newborn babies that are less than 4 weeks old typically have anywhere from 8-10 bowel movements every day. This significantly decreases by the time they are 4 weeks old to about 4 bowel movements every day. Your child might have more or less, but you will likely notice a pattern. If your newborn does not have a bowel movement for a day or to or if you notice significant difficulty in passing stool such as straining, crying, bleeding or a hard stool, they likely have newborn constipation.

It is always good to report this immediately to your child's pediatrician immediately to let them know. There are some natural things you can do to help alleviate newborn constipation. If you notice that they are straining, you can pull there knees up to their chest or hold them in an upright position with their knees bent. Breast fed babies typically have less problems with newborn constipation. If you are breastfeeding, try adding more feedings. If you are bottle feeding, trying using a different type of formula and adding a bottle of just plain water once every day. Bathing your child helps them relax, which in turn helps them go to the bathroom, so a luke warm bath is also recommended to help with infant constipation.

If you are looking for a cure for infant constipation, you need to realize that there are plenty of things that you can do to help your baby without going straight to medicine. There are natural remedies and subtle schedule changes that can help alleviate infant constipation.

For information on over 70 natural remedies for constipation, visit http://www.stopconstipation.info/.

Get your copy of 77 ways to alleviate constipation online now.