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Constipation is a disorder characterized by the difficulty or inability of a person to have a bowel movement. During the first months of a baby's life, both the coordination between the movements of his bowel and the relaxation of the sphincter of his anus, is not very efficient or has not matured enough.
In these cases, it is normal for the little one to be upset, cry insistently, move and raise their legs, and turn red to try to push the stool. These are some of the symptoms of constipation in babies.
You can tell that a baby is constipated when the little one becomes nervous and restless. She moves her legs incessantly, turns red from the effort, and does nothing but cry, of course. Gas and colic are inevitable when the baby is in this state. According to specialists, during breastfeeding babies tend to dirty their diapers almost every time they eat with stools, sometimes small and sometimes more abundant.
The frequency of bowel movements decreases as babies get older. From 2 months of age they generally only have a bowel movement once or twice a day. Everything will depend on the type of food you receive as well as your own nature, if the little one has an allergy, etc.
Constipation in the baby requires a quick intervention of the parents and the pediatrician, to avoid that the problem becomes a chronic discomfort, or that it is complicated. The longer the stool is in the baby's colon, the drier and harder it will become, and the more difficult and painful it will be to remove.
When the baby's stools are scarce, you must first rule out the possibility that he is breastfeeding well; If the baby does not eat, it is not that he is constipated but that he has nothing to evacuate.
In the first days of life, the baby must evacuate at least three times a day, if he does not do so it must be because he is receiving little food. If and when the baby stops having a bowel movement in a day or two your stools are hard and dry, you may have stopped having a bowel movement due to constipation. In this case, the pediatrician should be discussed.
For relieve constipation in babies, parents can follow some tips:
1. They can add a little extra water to the formula in the bottle. The water will soften the stool a bit and prevent it from being retained in the baby's colon. Some pediatricians, in fact, recommend lowering the bottles a bit, putting 35 ml instead of 30 ml of water for each level measure of milk. If constipation in the baby becomes persistent, it is advisable that you seek medical guidance.
2. There are 'anti-constipation' milks on the market, suitable to alleviate the problem.
3. Another option is lukewarm baths. A benefit for the baby's intestinal transit.
4. Massages are also very stimulating to help evacuate the baby. It can flexing the child's legs on the abdomen, making circular movements; place the hand on the baby's tummy (at the level of the navel), and massage it more deeply and horizontally, with the palm and the base of the fingers. Massaging the baby's back in an up and down motion can also help the baby to have a bowel movement.
5. Apart from special milk, a warm bath, massages, and water, one of the most used remedies by many parents is the glycerin suppository that is applied to the baby's anus. Be careful, inserting the tip of the thermometer does not offer any type of security and presents risks of injury to the baby.
6. There are also those who choose to give an orange juice greatly reduced in water to the child.
Before applying one or the other case, it is always recommended that you consult your pediatrician. Anyway, it is good to know that constipation can stop bothering babies from the fourth month of life, when, by medical determination, they begin to feed with compotes, purees, and creams of fruits and vegetables, rich in fibers.
Once the complementary feeding begins, that is, with the bottle and the introduction of purees and porridges to the baby, you can add some foods that help relieve and combat constipation. They are foods rich in fiber and that facilitate the baby's digestion. It is necessary to clarify that the introduction of a new food should always be consulted with the pediatrician, before offering it to your baby.
- In the purees it is recommended to use, in addition to the vegetables recommended by the doctor:
- Courgettes
- Green beans
A splash of virgin olive oil
- Green peas
- In the porridges it is recommended to use, in addition to those recommended by the doctor:
- Ripe pears
- Plums
- Berries
- Figs
It should be limited:
- Rice
- Refined flours
- Bananas
- Carrots
It should be increased:
- Intake of fluids, especially water, and do physical exercises.
Sources consulted
- Globedia.com
- Nutricion.pro
- Kidshealth.org
- ShandsHealthCare.org
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