Chloe bear has been drinking cow milk from the supermarket since I stopped breastfeeding her, but little did I know I should be worried or nervous about the transition from breast to cow milk. For a long time, I thought it was just her being difficult about having regular bowel movements because constipation is a common problem in children of all ages. I have also heard worse cases than Chloe’s, like kids having to poo every 5 or 7 days…and it wasn’t as bad as these examples! You know, maybe it’s because of toilet training that she holds it up for too long trying to impress us? Cause she already wouldn’t poo in nappy, but only with a toilet. So if we are out, she would hold it up till we get home. Or maybe she feels insecure pooing in the potty? Or maybe she’s frightened of having a bowel movement that’s painful to her and she is avoiding it. You know as a mum you can think of a thousand reasons just to make yourself feel a little better.
And then our worst nightmare finally came to us, there was one time she was constipated for 10 days, and I was worried sick, massaging her every hour, bringing her to the bathroom to try to poo and failing and seeing her try hard but nothing happened … Long story short, when finally she did it, I cried, I have never thought I would cry for a poo (I am sorry if that’s too much information for some), it was definitely happy tears at that time. Because I have been thinking of taking her to the hospital and I wouldn’t have any idea what a doctor can help us with her situation, plus she is not a big fan of doctors or hospitals.
So after that, we brought her to see a naturopath, and she recommended we stop drinking cow milk and eating dairy products for a month. This is due to a sensitivity to the proteins found in cow milk. There are many reports and studies showing that children experienced constipation relief when cow’s milk was replaced for a period of time. I don’t know how I could have missed it, but it took us almost six months before we realised that Chloe bear has a cow’s milk protein sensitivity.
Therefore, since then we have started with Bubs Australia. I reckon it is important to keep nurturing her with engaging experiences and high-quality nutrition. I chose Bubs Australia’s Goat Milk because goat milk naturally supports gentle digestion and is a good alternative for Chloe with her tummy. The goat milk formula has also added Omega-3 (DHA) and Omega-6 (ARA) to provide premium nutrition for her developments. Chloe bear seemed to love the taste and most importantly we had no more worrying.
Besides the replacement, we have also encouraged her to have a healthy toilet habit; encourage her to sit on the toilet for approximately 10 minutes after dinner because it is more likely to have bowel movement after a meal (make sense). And we reward her with praise or attention for sitting, even if she did not have a bowel movement. Oh, another thing is we bought a foot support for her, so that her knees can sit slightly above her hips. This position helps to relax the muscles in the pelvis and anus. Foot support also provides a place for her to push against as she bears down and helps her feel more stable when sitting on the toilet.
I guess another lesson we learnt was as a first-time parent there are so many things we don’t know, we just learn as we go. Hope the above helps you and your bub if you’re in a similar situation.
飲得好好。