Last spring I got a call from a second-time mom who felt her breastfed
3(ish) month old was constipated.  "I know it's normal for breastfed babies
to go a long time between stools, but I don't think it's normal for *my*
baby," she told me.  He was clearly very uncomfortable in the days preceding
a stool, and clearly relieved afterwards, and she was beginning to use
suppositories.

Everything else that she described pointed, if anything, to oversupply...
except the infrequent stooling.  I didn't know what else to suggest, so just
tried to bring her breastfeeding technique in general more toward "normal":
frequent snacking rather than widely-spaced meals, and lots of carrying
whether or not he seemed to be asking for it.  Within days, he was stooling
daily and feeling happier.

Someone pointed out later that exercise reduces constipation in adults.
Certainly life in a sling provides a whole lot more exercise than life in an
infant seat, though that wasn't on my mind at the time.

The lesson to me was: when in doubt, try to normalize the overall picture,
using a "higher primate" version of normal.  Maybe a subtle piece will fall
into place that we didn't even know was out of place.
--
Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC, LLLL  Ithaca, NY
www.wiessinger.baka.com

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