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Newborns often wait a long time between bowel movements. It is normal for children to have a bowel movement for several days or even more than a week without a bowel movement. However, sometimes a baby can get constipated and need a little help. Accordingly, parents need to know how to stimulate their babies to have a bowel movement before it leads to real constipation and related problems.
1. Signs your baby may be constipated
Signs that a child is constipated :
Solid clay-like stools Hard stools The baby straines for a long time or cries while trying to have a bowel movement There is a red streak of blood in the stools Loss of appetite Hard stomach Besides, signs Constipation in babies varies depending on the age and diet of the child. The nature of your baby's normal bowel movements before a baby starts eating solid foods should be very soft, almost like the consistency of peanut butter or even looser. Therefore, a baby's stools that are hard before solid foods are the most obvious sign of infant constipation.
At first, breastfed babies may have loose stools because breast milk is easy to digest. However, when your baby is 3 to 6 weeks old, he or she will move on to having soft, large stools once a week and sometimes less.
Compared with breastfed babies, formula-fed babies tend to have more frequent bowel movements. Usually formula-fed babies will have a bowel movement at least once a day or every other day.
When parents introduce solid foods too early in the baby's solids, the baby may be more constipated. Also, if cow's milk (not formula) is present in a baby's diet too early, he or she may also be more prone to constipation.
2. Ways to stimulate babies to defecate
When the child has the above signs of suspicion of constipation, it is necessary to perform early and combine the following ways of stimulating the infant to defecate:
2.1. Peristalsis exercises Moving your baby's legs can help relieve constipation and stimulate the infant to have a better bowel movement.
For adults, exercise and movement tend to be the best gut stimulant. However, since a baby may not yet be able to walk or even crawl, parents or caregivers can help children do exercises in bed to relieve constipation by gently moving their legs as they move. is lying on his back to mimic the movement of a bicycle, increasing bowel movements and stimulating rectal expulsion.
2.2. Warm baths Warm baths have a relaxing effect on the muscles, including the abdomen, and help relieve stress and help children fall asleep. It is also a way of stimulating the infant to have a bowel movement, thereby helping to relieve some of the discomfort associated with constipation.
2.3. Dietary changes While breastfeeding, a woman may eliminate certain foods, such as milk, from her diet. It can take some trial and error to identify changes in diet that help, and chances are good that dietary changes won't affect your child's constipation.
For formula-fed babies, parents or caregivers may want to try a different formula to make bowel movements easier. It's best not to switch to a gentle or non-dairy formula without first consulting your pediatrician. If one change doesn't make a difference, continuing to try other recipes won't help.
If infants are old enough to eat solid foods, parents or caregivers should introduce foods rich in fiber, for example:
Peeled apples Broccoli Whole grains Peach Peach Plums 2.4. Give your baby enough fluids All babies usually don't need extra fluids because they're already well hydrated from breast milk or formula. However, babies who are constipated can get small amounts of fluids between feeds.
However, pediatricians sometimes recommend that parents add small amounts of water or occasionally fruit juice to their baby's diet when they are more than 2-4 months old and are prone to constipation.
2.5. Massage There are several ways to massage the baby's stomach to relieve constipation and also to stimulate the infant to have a better bowel movement:
Rub your baby's tummy in a clockwise circle with your fingertips. Walk your fingers around the baby's navel in a clockwise direction. Hold the baby's knees together and gently push the pillow toward the belly. Use the edge of your finger to stroke from the rib cage down through the baby's navel. 2.6. Add fruit juices A small amount of pure apple juice can help soften stools and make bowel movements easier. After your baby is 2-4 months old, your baby can drink a small amount of juice, such as 100% prune juice or apple juice. These juices can help treat constipation effectively.
Experts may advise parents to start with about 60-120ml of fruit juice. The sugar in juice is difficult to digest. As a result, more fluid enters the baby's intestines, helping to soften and break down stools.
However, parents or caregivers should not give a child juice for the first time without consulting a pediatrician.
2.7. When a child is constipated, measuring the child's rectal temperature with a clean, lubricated thermometer is an effective way to stimulate the infant's bowel movements, so it can help the child pass stools easily. easy.
It is important not to use this method too often, as it can make constipation worse. The baby may begin to refuse to have a bowel movement without help, or may begin to associate bowel movements with discomfort, leading to increased fussiness or fussiness during rectal temperature readings. really necessary.
3. When should a child with delayed bowel movements see a doctor?
Parents need ongoing assessment of their child's bowel movements, as part of daily child care.
Accordingly, the pediatrician should be called if the baby does not have a bowel movement after a day or two, despite the above-mentioned methods of stimulating the infant to defecate, or the child has other signs, such as: :
Blood in stool Baby looks irritable Baby seems to have colic Baby's constipation is not improving after taking basic steps Treatment usually starts with measures home remedies without medication. If these measures don't work, the doctor may examine the baby and prescribe medication to ease the bowel movement, such as:
Laxatives Enema Suppositories In short, constipation can make it difficult for a child to have bowel movements. toleration and irritability, even loss of appetite and growth retardation. At this time, parents need to actively apply ways to stimulate babies to go outside. If symptoms do not improve, even if your baby is 2 months and 3 days old, it is best to talk to your infant's pediatrician for additional options to help your baby have a comfortable bowel movement. More convenient.
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