Nikki Lee writes:
"  Remember about the normal  variation in adults: some  people poop a little
 every time they use  the toilet, others go once a week. I've  seen a baby
with  sufficient  intake and weight gain (3/4 ounce per day)  stool once weekly
(after  he cleared his meconium).
If the baby is acting fine, and  waking to ask to  eat frequently, and
smiling, and peeing, and waking  to look around and interact  with mother, then
what can one do if the  baby isn't stooling according to  expectations?
Babies   never pretend to be well to  make their mothers feel good.
I have been told by pediatric practitioners that  very smelly flatus  (the
kind where mom rushes to the baby, ready to change that  dirty  diaper.....and
the diaper is clean) means that the poop will come. I have  seen this
clinically also."


The point I might have missed making is that I in no way believe that these
are normal variations--they are unhealthy variations. I also think that they
are  the reason that we as adults fail to recognize that infant stooling
patterns are  significant--b/c we want to believe it is okay for us to have infre
quent bowel  movements. Lots of babies will develop excema and seem to be
prefectly happy,  too. Should we assume that the excema is not a sign of imbalance
b/c the mother  is not disturbed by it? Yes, the poop will come eventaully--but
what is healthy  about having it sit inside the body for days at a time? There
are many things to  be done when the baby isn't stooling normally (or an
adult isn't for that  matter)--depending on the cause. Sometimes eliminating
certain foods, have  bodywork done or homeopathy will cause an immediate change to
regular stooling.  If treatments that bring balance to the body increase
stooling frequency, then I  am convinced that this is the normal pattern. Jennifer
Tow, IBCLC, CT,  USA


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