Baby Aliah– Chronic Constipation

Sweet Baby “Aliah” began having issues with constipation at 3 months. She was only pooping about once a week. Mom and dad tried everything they could, but nothing seemed to work. Their pediatrician prescribed Miralax, but it made no difference! They were even told that her constipation was “normal.” For months, they would give her a suppository every 5 days, and that was the only time that she would have a bowel movement. Poor baby!!

Constipation is very common in children, but ongoing constipation like this is *not* normal. It’s one of the most common issues that I help babies and children with, and often just one or two appointments make all the difference!

Baby Aliah’s parents had been trying to help her poop regularly for 9 months (!) when they came in, and mentioned that she never seemed to push or have awareness of the sensation that she needed to go.

She was also waking very frequently at night, and needing her parents to soothe her back to sleep– so tiring for everyone!

As I felt this little one’s body, I noticed that she had a LOT of tension all through her abdomen and had trouble with bending forward– her body felt stiff, and she tended to extend backwards a lot. This is common in babies with colic, constipation, and sleep issues. These babies usually really struggle with tummy time as well.

I did some gentle bodywork with her, including some special stretches, which I showed her mom how to do at home. I worked with her digestive sphincters, and did some work along her spine and head to help her nervous system relax.

When I checked in with her mom a few days later, she still hadn’t pooped on her own, but her sleep had really improved! And she had learned to put herself back to sleep when she did wake up.

Within a week of her first appointment, she started pooping on her own! She has been going almost daily after that– no Miralax or suppositories needed!

It made me so happy to help sweet Baby Aliah’s body to relax and figure out how to function much better. The appointment was fun for her, and felt good. It is absolutely awesome to see what gentle bodywork can do for us, and especially for little ones that don’t have a lot of other options open to them.

If you have a baby or child that is having trouble, I would love to help. Send me a note if you have any questions!