Since you do not understand baby language (yet), your baby’s smiles, cues and other milestones serve as reassurance that your baby is happy and healthy. Constantly looking for the best remedies for anything unusual, another thing that new parents fuss about for is their baby’s poo. Read up also on toddler’s diarrhea.
Although it’s not so pleasant to clean up, regular poop is taken sign that your baby is eating well and healthy. Therefore, when this poop is not forthcoming, it is only expected for parents to be worried.
Constipation is when your baby finds it difficult to poop because the poop is too hard to push out. It could go on for days. Sometimes you can feel the stool as baby tries to push.
It’s usually caused by either reduced fluid or fibre intake in your baby’s diet or over zealous introduction of solids during weaning or transitioning to solids food at 6months. In the later case, your baby’s digestive system may be struggling to get used to the foods being introduced.
It’s important to note that your baby not pooing for days does not mean they are constipated. When a baby hasn’t pooped we need to consider the baby’s feeding and age first. If a baby is not getting enough food the frequency of poos reduce. On the other hand at certain periods in a breastfed infant’s life (eg. at 3 months) they may go up to 3 days without pooping only to have a blow out of completely soft poop on the 3rd or 4th fouth day.
Also note that , squirming or funny facial expressions while pooping doesn’t always mean your baby is constipated. Sometimes their are still trying to figure out the process of coordinating their muscles to poo.
What are the signs your baby is constipated? How can you deal with it?
Read on to find out!
Some signs that your baby could be constipated are:
Passing out hard poo can cause some redness and/ or bruising around your baby’s anus. Please aim to resolve your baby’s constipation ASAP.
Some home remedies you could try to relieve your baby’s constipation include:
Exercise is a good way to get your baby bowels moving and relieve constipation. However, since your baby many not be crawling or walking yet, you may have to step in to help.
You can try moving your baby’s legs while they are lying on their backs as if they were riding a bicycle. After a few cycles gently push their thighs towards their tummy while their knees are bent. This may help to stimulate bowel movement and relieve your baby’s constipation.
Warm baths have always been an age long remedy to relieve many symptoms; constipation being one of them. Giving your baby a warm bath will help their abdominal muscles to relax and reduce bowel strain. Follow this up with a gentle full body massage. This will help relieve the discomfort from constipation.
The diet of both mother and baby affects the bowel movement of the baby. Thus, a mother may have to make changes both to her diet and her baby’s diet if her baby is constipated.
Some other food you can try include:
Babies before the age of 6 months usually do not require extra liquids apart from their breast milk it is about 60-70% water. However, in the case of formula , if the instructions for preparation aren’t followed, the mix may be to thick. This leads to constipation. If your baby is constipated, supplementing formula with offering baby extra water may do some good. Please always follow the suggested proportions for mixing formula written on the packaging.
Adding some water or apple juice to your baby’s diet may help relieve constipation.
Gently massaging your baby’s tummy is also another great way to relieve constipation. Here are some ways you could do this:
Please expect a blow out of poop once the constipation is relieved. This is characterised by foul smelling mushy poop after the initial hard poop has been passed.
Constipation can be prevented by alternating high fibre meals such as pureed fruit with your dense, lower fibre mashed tubers and grains. For example, pap or a mashed rice dish for breakfast then mashed bananas or puréed pineapple and pureed carrots and beans or ewedu soup for dinner). Also consider incorporating vegetables such as a little scent leaf , basil or ugwu into your mashed tubers during preparation. For formula fed babies, remember to follow the preparation instructions stated on the labels.
Treatment of constipation can usually be managed with home remedies. However, sometimes, these home remedies may not work. You should call your doctor if;
In rare cases where home remedies do not work, your doctor may prescribe medications, such as:
However, never give your baby any medication without your doctors prescription.
A constipated baby is most likely going to be fussy and unhappy baby. You can try the home remedies outlined here to help relieve the constipation.
If your baby does not get better, you should speak to your doctor immediately.
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