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Baby Constipation
What is the best cure for baby constipation, is a question that many worrying parent ask. In order to answer that question, we first need to understand what constipation is and what causes it.What is Baby Constipation and What Causes it?
When the feces of a baby are dry, hard and look like little rocks, it is constipation. The baby may be in pain when emptying the bowels and there may be a little blood. On the other hand, when the baby strains a little or look concentrated when passing stool, all is normal as long as the bowel movement is soft and moist. So straining in itself does not indicated that the baby is constipated and you may not need to find a cure for baby constipation.
In order to find the cause, we basically have 3 situations:
- Breastfed baby
- Bottle-fed baby
- Milk and solid fed baby
Breastfed babies seldom get constipated. Breast milk is very easy to digest and is highly tuned to the babies need. It even contains a hormone that is called motiline. Motiline increases the movement of the bowels. If your baby is breastfed, fed regularly and still constipated, best to talk to your doctor, as there may be an other issue at play.
Bottled babies very often suffer from constipation, because the milk of formula given is much harder to digest (despite what the labels of these products often claim…). Bottled-fed babies statistically pass less stool than breastfed babies and as a result it will often be more harder and dry. The color is also different, more greenish rather than the mustard color for breastfed babies.
When a baby is introduced to solid foods, the bowel system of the baby need to change and cater for this. That period a baby often can get constipated and you will need to find a cure for baby constipation.
Cure for Baby Constipation
In order to find the best cure for baby constipation, there are a couple of things that you can try. For bottle-fed babies try to give some warm boiled (cooled of course) water between the feeds. Also re-read the instruction how to prepare the baby formula and convince yourself that you are doing it right. For breastfed babies, make sure the baby is fed regularly.
If the baby is on solid foods, make sure the portions are not too big, increase fruit and vegetables in the diet as that will contain a lot fibers that are essential for a healthy stool and cut back on the cereals for a short while. Also increase the water intake.
Massage the tummy of the baby in a clockwise motion and when changing the nappy, perform bicycle motions with the baby legs as those simple exercises can be the cure for baby constipation in many cases.
Medical Cure for Baby Constipation
If you have tried the above for a day or two and there is no improvement, contact your doctor. The doctor may prescribe laxatives. These can be taken orally, suppositories to be inserted in the rectum and for extreme cases an enema.
In all case, if there is blood in the motion of the baby, do not wait trying to find a cure for baby constipation, but go to the doctor immediately!
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