How to relieve constipation in babies?
Surely you are going through this inconvenience, and that is that constipation in babies can be something quite delicate if it is not treated in time.
Let's see some interesting points to keep the baby care up to date, good health will always be a priority for the mother. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor how many bowel movements a week? How much force do you apply when performing them? And possibly how much is he evacuating?
Each of these questions are necessary to determine constipation in the baby.
How many bowel movements does your baby have per week?
If you are here, it is because you are concerned to know if your little one suffers from constipation. The truth is that the baby should have at least 3 bowel movements per week. By doing less than 3 we already verify that the process is difficult and it is classified as constipation.
Monitoring this process is essential, and we must never let it go or ignore it. We are here to help them fulfill their development in a perfect way and if the baby has less than 3 bowel movements per week, actions must be taken for their health.
What kind of food do you eat?
In general, for newborns who are breastfed, stools can occur once a day, on the other hand, it can happen that babies take advantage of every drop of maternal food for their development and the digestion process is not carried out.
For the formula-fed newborn, the process can vary, it is common that they also have their bowel movement once a day; however, it may take between 1 or 2 days to process your digestion.
Symptoms of constipation in babies
Has fewer than 3 bowel movements per week.
Various discomforts at the time of evacuation (pain, discomfort, crying, among others)
Large, hard stools, mostly with traces of blood on top.
As always, the first option is to take him to the pediatrician. Let us remember that some mothers consider this type of process to be normal, but always think that all babies are different and have different reactions, so the main recommendation is their pediatric consultation.
Causes of constipation in babies
Among the different causes we find 2 that are the main ones. The baby is having a weak intake of water or a diet with little fiber. These are essential for the intestine to function properly.
On the other hand, there are some other alterations that can cause constipation in your baby: change from breast milk to formula, changes in environment, incorporation of solid foods while still nursing, among others.
How to relieve constipation in babies?
If you still cannot go to the nearest pediatrician or doctor, we invite you to take the following actions, provided that you can safely take him to the doctor later.
Exercises to help your intestine: with the tips of your fingers you will massage in a circle following the needle of the clock or flex the baby's feet towards the stomach and gently stretch them, do it repeatedly. These are stimulation exercises.
Natural pear or apple juice: ideal to be able to soften stools in babies and make their evacuation less forced (only for older than 2 months)
Children's suppositories (only indicated by the baby's pediatrician) in the case of a long time without evacuating, that is, more than 3 days without the child being able to expel their stool, the suppository is recommended. It will always be necessary to do it under medical indication, and it is one of the most uncomfortable options for the baby.
To recommend it is good not to wait for the discomfort to happen, we invite you to do the exercises continuously so that it becomes a routine for them.
What should you avoid?
In the first place, all those tips or tales of the road that some people around you tell you. Why? You may end up doing stronger damage to your baby. Take care of his health and do not alter his state with very unlikely inventions that they say can help you in your bowel movements.
Do not worry, this is a common process that babies almost always go through, after a while their rate of bowel movements will normalize.