Worrying about your newborn’s well-being is natural and expected. There is a high possibility that constipation could be added to your list. Having gone through this challenge, I would like to share a practical and simple solution to this problem. My wife thought about this idea after noticing that our son was constipated.
The Signs
Our son had infrequent bowel movements, which would last for up to eight days. We noticed a decrease in his mobility during his daily play; he looked cranky with a puffed tummy. His refusal to eat anything added to the issue and instantly we knew that something had to be done. So we went searching for answers.
Recommendations We Received
We reached out to our network comprising of a: doctor, nurse, nutritionist, lactation, pediatrician, and a parent and we got a few things to try:
- Used pureed foods – we were already doing this.
- Add more fluid to the diet — fluid was already a major part of our son’s diet
- Gentle massaged the lower abdomen — this helped but it took a few days for him to release.
- Laxatives — UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE WILL I DO THIS TO MY CHILD’S ABDOMEN! NONE!
- Prune juice — YES! This helped as we saw results a few hours after drenching him with prune. But we had concerns…
Challenges With Prune Juice
Look a the least amount of sugar (far right)
We had a huge problem using prune since it is high in sugar. There are over ten (10) grams per 100 grams of sugar in prune — and this is the lower range in the graph above. Can you imagine drenching your one-year-old with this much sugar for 2–3 days at the expense of resolving constipation? Sounds like we were heading down diabetes street. So we became uncomfortable with this solution after a few weeks then the Lord gave my wife the perfect solution.
The Perfect Solution — D.I.Y.
My wife made green juice. It not only tastes good, but his constipation also went away faster when compared to the prune without compromising his health. This is the recipe my wife used:
- 2–3 stalks of celery
- 3 apples (act as the sweetener)
- 1 large orange or 2 small oranges
- 1 1/2 bag of spinach
Put these into the juicer and we got about 32oz of juice.
Goodbye constipation. Now he passes stool at least 2 times per day. If you checked the nutrition facts of these items, you’ll realize that we were doing more than fixing constipation. It is boosting his immune system and gut flora which ultimately enhances his already balanced diet.
I’d encourage you to use this recipe and share it with others if you find it useful. Thank you and feel free to check out my tips as a new dad.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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