[Experience] My Baby's Unexplained Constipation - My Child's Case -

Soon after starting baby food, my child developed "unexplained constipation."

As a first-time parent, and with no one around me having a similar experience, I was constantly anxious and worried.

At the time, my baby was around 6 months old.

Although we had started baby food, my child barely ate anything, and their nutrition relied almost entirely on breast milk.

Their stomach wasn't hard, and they didn't seem to be in any particular distress, yet days would pass without a bowel movement...

Even at the pediatrician, I was told, "We can't find any specific cause,"

and at the specialist clinic I was referred to, the reaction was, "This is a rare case."

The doctor told me, "It might be because there isn't enough 'raw material' for stool."

In other words, because my child was refusing food, there was no 'waste' to accumulate in the intestines, and consequently, nothing to pass.

However, even if there is little to pass, it seems important to establish a 'habit of passing stool,'

so we were prescribed baby constipation medication, and the treatment began.

At the same time, I started keeping a daily parenting diary.

Then, I suddenly noticed something.

"Ate a little today" -> "Passed stool the next day"

I noticed that small correlation.

Even so, my child continued to refuse most food.

Even so, I focused on "sweet potatoes," the only food considered good for constipation that my child could eat,

spending my days searching for and trying out menus they could eat little by little. (Later, when they were approaching age 3, it was pointed out that they had a tendency toward sensory processing sensitivity, and I realized that "the food refusal wasn't about 'likes and dislikes' but a 'matter of how they perceive things,'" which made perfect sense to me.)

Over about half a year, the things they could eat gradually increased, and around the time they were about a year and a half old,
eventually, they were able to have bowel movements without medication.

I still cannot forget the sense of relief I felt when our primary doctor told me, "They don't need medicine anymore."

Looking back now,

・Constipation can sometimes be caused by not eating enough

・There is also food refusal due to sensory sensitivity
※Regarding this, the battle continued for a long time even after the constipation was cured.

・Keeping a "record of what they ate and when they had a bowel movement" can provide clues

――If I had known these three things, I might have felt a little more at ease.

If there is anyone else out there struggling with their baby's constipation,

I would be happy if this could serve as a reference, showing that "there are cases like this too."

Below is the record from that time. It is incomplete in some places, but I am posting it as it might be helpful.

Memo 1

About a month after starting baby food, they developed severe constipation.

They didn't go for a week, so we used an enema -> didn't go for another week, so an enema -> didn't go for another week, so we continued with enemas, and I tried various things because I wanted to do something about it.

※I went to the hospital, but their complexion and other signs were good. Based on the hardness of the stool when they finally passed it after holding it in, and because there was no medication to help them pass it, I was told to use an enema for babies if they really couldn't go.

◯ Tried using Oligo no Okage, but they spat it out, perhaps because the sweetness bothered them too much → Failed.

◯ Tried giving them sugar through apple juice, apple and tomato juice, or other fruit juices, but they spat it out, perhaps because they disliked it too → Failed.

◯ Tried Malt Extract, but they made a look of despair and spat it out, perhaps because it was too sweet → Failed.

* Things I think might have been good.

◯ Since they were primarily breastfed and slow to start solid foods, they didn't eat much, so I wondered if that was the cause, and
tried switching to two meals a day even if the portions were small. I also made sure to have them drink more fluids (the wetness of their diapers changed quite a bit).

◯ Switched to Kaiteki Oligo, which I had hesitated to use because it was a bit expensive. Perhaps it didn't affect the taste as much as I thought, because they drank it normally when I mixed it into barley tea or other teas (the barley tea was for babies, but it was a little bitter, so maybe that worked out well?)

◯ Tried increasing their physical activity. Our house is small and the child's space was limited, but I did a major decluttering to open up space and let them crawl as much as they wanted.

In the end, they didn't go for about another week, but they went naturally without using an enema.
In the future, I plan to try probiotics or over-the-counter intestinal regulators that can be used for babies.

* Hospital response

At the pediatrician we were using as our primary doctor, they told me I was being too nervous when I explained the situation, didn't really examine the child, and sent us home.
However, it is definitely strange for them not to go for 10 days, so I didn't give up and searched by asking if hospitals would treat constipation,
and I found a hospital that would listen carefully and treat the child after examining their condition.

Constipation is often taken lightly, but I am glad I found a hospital that agreed that not going for 10 days is abnormal.