If your baby appears to be straining, or if her diaper is filled with hard pellets, that’s a sure sign things aren’t moving as they need to be.
If she has chronic constipation, or if you ever discover blood in your baby’s stool, get in touch with a doctor ASAP, as these can be signs of a serious condition.
How Can I Inform If My Baby is Constipated?
First, consider what’s typical for your baby. She may have a defecation after every feeding, or she may wait a day or more in between. Your baby’s specific pattern depends upon what she drinks and eat, how active she is, and how rapidly she absorbs food.
If your baby beverages formula or eats solid food, she’ll most likely have a routine bowel movement a minimum of as soon as a day. If your baby is breastfed, there’s no “typical” number or schedule– just what’s typical for your baby. It’s not unusual for breastfed infants to have one bowel movement a week.
After a while, you’ll be tuned in to your baby’s distinct routines. If you’re worried that your baby may be constipated, expect these signs:
- hard, dry stools that are difficult for her to pass– no matter how frequently
- less frequent bowel movements than typical, particularly if your baby hasn’t had one for 3 or more days and is clearly uncomfortable when she does.
Why is My Baby Getting Constipated?
Although it’s uncommon for a baby on an all-liquid diet to experience constipation, it can take place. Specifically formula-fed infants are much more most likely to have difficulty from constipation. Formula can tighten poop much more than breast milk can.
If your baby has a milk-protein allergic reaction or intolerance, she might end up constipated. A milk-based formula might cause this, in addition to the dairy in mama’s diet that’s gone through the breast milk. This also rollovers to any other sort of dairy an older baby could take in, such as yogurt and cheese.
When a baby is around 6 months, pediatricians typically give parents the thumbs-up to use a range of baby food. What your baby consumes will mainly determine the type of poop you can anticipate. And several foods might add to constipation.
Start by considering your ABCs– applesauce, bananas, and cereal. Excessive of any of these, particularly rice cereal, can get you into difficulty. When you begin introducing table foods, it might be even harder to determine the constipation perpetrator.
There are several possible causes:
Dehydration
If your baby becomes dehydrated, his system will respond by soaking up more fluid from whatever he consumes or drinks– as well as from the waste in his bowels. The result is hard, dry stools that are challenging to pass.
Solid food
Do not be surprised if your baby ends up being slightly constipated as he consumes more solid food. That’s frequently due to the fact that rice cereal– a typical first food– is low in fiber. Constipation can also happen when you wean your baby from breast milk since this sometimes results in dehydration.
Formula
Babies who breastfeed solely are seldom constipated. Breast milk has the best balance of fat and protein, so it produces stools that are often soft– even if your baby hasn’t had one for numerous days.
If your baby is on formula, it’s possible that something in his formula is making him constipated. It’s not unusual for the protein component in various formulas to cause constipation. Ask your baby’s doctor about changing brands. Despite what you may have heard, the amount of iron in formula does not cause constipation.
Disease or a medical condition
Although it’s unusual, constipation can be caused by an underlying medical condition such as hypothyroidism, botulism, and certain food allergies and metabolic disorders.
Rarely, constipation is caused by Hirschsprung’s disease, a condition caused by an abnormality that avoids a baby’s gut from operating properly.
If there does not seem to be a reason why your baby passes hard, painful stools, have his doctor eliminate these conditions.
How Can I Treat My Baby’s Constipation?
Here are some things to attempt:
Help her get some workout. If your baby’s a spider, motivate her to do a few laps. If she’s not crawling yet, try pumping her legs instead. While she’s lying on her back, gently move her legs in a forward, circular motion as if she were pedaling a bicycle.
Massage your baby’s belly. Procedure three finger-widths listed below her navel on the lower left side and apply gentle however firm pressure there with your fingertips. Press till you feel a firmness or mass. Keep mild but constant pressure for about 3 minutes.
If you feed your baby formula, ask her doctor about switching to a various brand name. Sometimes adding dark corn syrup to the formula likewise works: Start with 1/4 teaspoon per 4 ounces of formula. If that does not help, gradually increase the amount. Do not give her more than 1 teaspoon per 4 ounces.
Include a little prune juice to formula or breast milk if your baby is at least 4 weeks old. Normally, it isn’t really essential to give your baby juice, however a little is all right to help eliminate constipation.
Try apple or pear juice if your baby does not like the taste of prunes. Give her an ounce a day for each month of life, as much as 4 ounces for a 4-month-old. After 8 months, your baby can have as much as 6 ounces of juice a day to treat constipation.
If your baby is old enough to eat a range of solid foods, cut down on constipating foods like rice, bananas, and prepared carrots. Attempt offering her a few tablespoons of pureed prunes, apricots, or pears to assist loosen her bowel movements. For the best result, give your baby a belly massage first, then some high fiber food.
Talk with your baby’s doctor about other treatment alternatives.
Ask about using an over the counter stool conditioner to make it more comfy for your baby to have a defecation, however never ever give her a laxative without her doctor’s approval.
The doctor may likewise suggest you try a glycerin suppository if your baby is significantly constipated. The suppository stimulates your baby’s anus and helps her pass a stool. Using a suppository sometimes is great, however do not do it regularly because your baby could wind up depending on them to have a defecation.
If your baby is passing such hard, dry stools that you see a little blood or even small tears (fissures) in the delicate skin near the opening of her anus, you can apply some aloe vera cream to the area to assist it recover. Keep the area as tidy and dry as possible, and discuss the fissures to your baby’s doctor.
When Should I Call the Doctor?
Call the doctor if your baby isn’t really eating, loses weight, or has blood in his stool. Or if standard treatments, such as changing his diet, aren’t helping his condition.
And if he’s below 4 months old, call his doctor if he has very hard stools or hasn’t had a defecation within 24 hours of when he typically goes. Do not give your baby a laxative or suppository without consulting his doctor first.
Have a Good Day! I Wish You Good Health!
