How to recognize and care for a baby with constipation

Newborn Constipation What’s the situation like?

Constipation in infants is when the stool becomes hard and dry and reduces the number of bowel movements to less than 3 times a week. When the stool is dry, it slows down movement and makes it difficult to push the stool out. Therefore, children often feel uncomfortable and painful because they have to use force to push feces out. If constipation lasts a long time and is prolonged, it will directly have an impact on the baby’s health.

How to tell if your baby is constipated?

Recognizing the signs of a child’s constipation will help the mother adjust the diet to suit the baby’s digestive system.

– Children with bloating and indigestion: Try to observe and place your hand on the baby’s stomach, when you see the baby’s stomach is enlarged, the abdominal muscles are tight, maybe the baby’s stomach is full, indigestion.

– Children often cry and anorexia: The baby is playing and eating well but suddenly cries for no reason, refuses to eat, eats less, is irritable and grimaces are signs the baby is constipated.

Constipated babies are very uncomfortable. (Illustration)

– Children defecate less than usual: Normally, babies under 6 months will go to the toilet about 2-3 times / day and gradually decrease as the baby grows. With formula-fed babies, the number of bowel movements can be reduced. If the manifestation of defecation is less than usual, about 1-2 days, let alone 3 days without defecating, most likely the baby will be constipated.

– The child feels uncomfortable every time he goes to the toilet: When the baby has a bowel movement, the mother may notice that the baby often leans in to push, his face is redder, sweats more, and even cries in pain, indicating that the baby is constipated.

– Children with stools with blood in the stools: If you see blood in your baby’s stool, your baby may be constipated.

– Dry and slightly damp baby poop: Usually, babies who are constipated will experience stools that are dry, hard, like clay. At the same time, the stool is thick and indistinct.

– Children eat less than usual: Due to long-term constipation, the toxins in the baby’s body will not be eliminated, but there is a risk of being reabsorbed, causing the baby to lose appetite and fatigue.

How to treat constipation for babies 3 months and under

Actually there is not much difference between how to treat constipation in a 1 month old baby, how to treat constipation in a 2 month old baby, and how to treat constipation in a 3 month old baby. similar. . Mothers can apply this constipation remedy to babies from the age of 3 months and under.

It’s important to recognize that your baby is constipated. (Illustration)

– Additional amount of fluid for babies

Constipation in babies is often caused by a lack of fluids in the digestive tract, so you need to feed your baby more than every 2 hours.

– Change the type of baby formula

Formula-fed babies often have a higher risk of constipation than breastfed babies mother’s milk Formula milk is often more difficult to digest. To limit this situation, the mother should prioritize choosing milk with added soluble fiber to help the baby’s stools become softer, easier to pass.

– Bathe your child with warm water

If your baby is uncomfortable with constipation symptoms, a warm bath can help soothe him. Thus, the abdominal muscles will reduce the pain of bloating and stimulate bowel activity. If the child shows signs of constipation, prepare a basin of warm water, soak the baby’s bottom for about 5-10 minutes / time, 2-3 times a day. Note that this method is only valid for babies over 1 month old and above.

– Baby belly massage

It is also one of the effective home remedies for constipation in babies. Do this by placing 3 fingers on the left side under the baby’s navel and gently massage in circular motions for about 3 minutes. This will help provide comfort and improve bowel movements.

Traditional tips for treating constipation for babies

In addition to the usual ways to treat constipation in babies, some of the traditional tips below are also quite good for babies:

– Use honey to rub the anus

This is a way to deal with constipation for babies from the age of 1 month and above. Because honey has heat properties, when used for rubbing on children will help stimulate and contract the anal muscle ring, making it easier for the baby to pass stool. You can take a small amount of wild honey and apply it to the soft end of a cotton swab or you can also use a small onion and pluck the anus, poke inside the baby’s anus about 1 cm and outside. After about 5-10 minutes, your baby will have easier bowel movements.

– Use spinach to pick the anus

Like honey, spinach can be used for babies from 1 month and is also a safe and benign way to treat baby constipation from folklore. You only need to use the freshest, greenest, and stiffest spinach stems.

Tips for treating constipation in babies by the community with spinach. (Illustration)

The size of the spinach stem will suit the age of the baby. Take one stalk, wash and peel the stalk, pluck the baby’s anus about 3-4 times. In about 5-10 minutes, your baby will have easier bowel movements.

– Use grasshopper water

If you have grasshoppers, you can apply them by taking about 3 grasshoppers (the kind usually used for washing hair), roasting them, then putting them in 500ml of water, boil them together and let them cool. Then, the mother uses a syringe to pump into the baby’s anus. The water locust will help your baby defecate faster.

What should the mother eat when the baby is constipated?

When the baby is constipated, the mother should not use drugs or strange foods, especially with babies who are exclusively breastfed. Therefore, the most important thing is that mothers need to change their diet, eating the right foods to treat constipation is the best way. When your baby is constipated, you need to add the following foods/drinks:

– Yogurt: Contains beneficial probiotic bacteria that will help balance and stabilize the digestive system, improve intestinal motility in babies, and effectively prevent constipation symptoms in babies. If your baby has apples, you should eat 3-4 boxes of yogurt/week, combined with other foods if breast milk is hot.

Note that mothers should leave the yogurt for a while before eating, do not eat too cold or eat expired yogurt.

– Green vegetable: Some green vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, sweet potatoes, spinach, etc. are foods with high fiber content, very good for women. breast-feed and postpartum. Thanks to this content, the baby’s digestive system will be stable through the absorption of fiber and nutrients from breast milk. However, mothers should limit fat and should cook vegetables before eating.

When the baby is constipated, the mother should eat lots of green vegetables. (Illustration)

– Type of bean: Similar to leafy greens, beans are a high-fiber food, which is good for mothers with young children.

– Ripe Papaya: The content of vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber and the active ingredient papain in ripe papaya is very good for the digestive system, strengthens the immune system in children, and prevents constipation in babies. When the baby is constipated, the mother can eat ripe papaya during a snack or after a meal to cool the milk supply and treat constipation best for the baby.

– Drink enough warm water: In addition to a suitable and safe diet, you should add warm water. Warm water has the effect of adding more water, helping organs work smoothly, secreting more milk, stabilizing and cooling breast milk. When the mother’s body is fully hydrated, the milk supply will cool down, helping the baby to reduce constipation and get enough milk.

In addition, when a newborn is constipated, the mother should limit the intake of iron-rich foods, caffeinated drinks, energy drinks, tea, carbonated soft drinks, hot spicy foods, and foods that contain lots of oil, fat, seafood. .. helps to avoid irritation of the intestinal parenchyma, causing the baby to suffer from constipation for a long time.

When should a baby with constipation need to be taken to the hospital?

– Newborns experience constipation that lasts for approximately 1 week, the mother has changed her diet and supplemented milk for the baby but it has no effect.

– Children with constipation after birth, flatulence.

– Constipation in children has a direct impact on their health such as decreased appetite, weight loss, malnutrition, accompanied by vomiting.

Mothers note that it is very important not to use drugs for constipation in children without the appointment of a specialist.

at Blogtuan.info – Source: Eva.vn – Read the original article here