Nine months you did everything you could to give birth to a healthy baby, and now that you're home, you're wrapped up in warmth, love, cotton, warming. You take care of his diet, change diapers, apply sensitive skin to cream, hug, and stroke, but something feels wrong: your baby is crying, his exits are bad, and you suspect the little bonbon is suffering from constipation.
How do you know there is constipation for the baby?
Of constipation in adults and in children there is a medical definition: less than 3 departures a week, accompanied by stool hard, dry, go out easily.
When it comes to babies, the situation is a little different: If your baby is breastfeeding, his or her discharge will be very soft, brownish-yellow, and it appears very frequently, sometimes after every time you breastfeed. Nevertheless, it is natural for the port to be delayed for several days. Although breastfed babies may also suffer from gastrointestinal immaturity, constipation is very rare. Usually, breast milk is easily absorbed in the baby's digestive tract.
This is not the case for infants who receive infant formula (transcript), especially during the transition from breast milk to the transcript, or if you decide for some reason to feed the baby in a different formula than he is used to. In general, any change in diet, such as a transition from breastfeeding to transdermal or from breastfeeding or transdermal to solids, can cause a digestive disorder, especially constipation.
Today, the Ministry of Health recommends gradually exposing the baby to solid foods around the age of 4-6 months. At this age, more alert babies, eating more - and sometimes much more - so it makes sense that the transition to solids along with the growth jump will also change the frequency of ports.
The change in the frequency of ports can be confusing, so one of the signs of having constipation for the baby is the form of departure, that is, the appearance of darker, dense stools. Another sign, and disturbing to say, is whether the baby is crying and straining while leaving. But it should be noted: Although constipation can be accompanied by pain, restlessness and crying should be clarified and distinguished from abdominal pain that may indicate constipation and colic, which is considered a phenomenon that involves swelling, gas, discomfort, and crying - especially in the afternoon and evening.
Iron deficiency is one of the most common deficiencies among infants and children in Israel. Adding iron to your baby's diet can also change ports and even cause constipation for the baby.
Constipation in infants after the age of two can also appear as a "side effect" of weaning from diapers, confusion and pressure around moving from diaper to pot, attempts to hold back, as a result, a large number of bowel feces that makes it even more difficult to exit, ie - formation of a "vicious circle".
How to treat constipation in babies?
If you are concerned that the cause of constipation is the transcript you give your baby, you may want to change the type and switch to special transcription designed for these conditions. But in any case, it is not advisable to make a dietary change without the advice of the pediatrician, who will also be able to recommend the type of transcript suitable for your baby.
If you think your baby is resting while doing his or her needs, and especially if he seems to be suffering from abdominal pain, you should try to relieve him of a gentle massage of the abdomen, plus baby oil or cream. Massage the baby's abdomen in circular motions, or move his legs in circular motions.
Another option is to dip the baby in warm bathwater. After bathing, the baby's anus can be smeared with some lubricant that is suitable for use with babies.
If you think the cause of constipation is beyond solids, you should of course consult your pediatrician. In any case, the recommendation is to start with solids gradually, incorporate in your baby's diet nutritional fiber and vegetables and let him drink water after a meal of solids.
If constipation has begun after the iron-containing dietary supplement, consult your pediatrician or pharmacist about the preparation and consider replacing it with a different, more delicate and easier to digest iron supplement.
Also, there are preparations for relieving constipation for the baby, but should not be given without instructions from the pediatrician.
