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Relieving & Preventing
Baby’s Constipation

Taking care of your little one comes with all sorts of challenges; from baby-proofing the house, to dealing with the changes in your daily routine, experiencing sleepless nights, and protecting your precious baby from any harm.

Like all moms, another obstacle that you may face in your parenthood journey is your baby’s bowel schedule and pattern. Just like adults, your baby’s normal bowel pattern can vary in color, consistency, shape, and frequency. Because of this, it will be tricky to determine whether your baby’s stool is normal or if they are showing some underlying problem- and the most common issue is constipation.

Having a baby is a life-changer.
It gives you a whole other perspective on why you wake up every day.

Taylor Hanson

Constipation
in Babies

Constipation is a condition where there is difficulty in emptying the bowels and shows an abnormal or unusual pattern of bowel movements. It is usually associated with hardened feces and a high level of constraint and lack of ease.

For babies, constipation happens when their stools are dry and hard, making it difficult to pass. However, a baby can also have frequent loose stools and may also experience constipation. With this vagueness, we’ve allotted this section for you to know how to distinguish what constipation to your little one means. So, what is normal?

So, what is normal?

A yellow and mushy bowel is perfectly normal for breastfed babies. But there are various shades of normal for baby poop. Here’s a color guide that you can use:

YOUR BABY’S 10TH MONTH GENERAL DEVELOPMENT:

  • Dark green to black- After birth, your baby’s first bowel movements should be black and tarry. This is referred to as meconium.
  • Yellow-green- As your baby digests breast milk, meconium is then replaced by yellow-green bowels.
  • Yellow- Breastfed newborns have loose, seedy bowel movements (light mustard).

  • Yellow or tan-For formula-fed babies, their bowel movements might become yellow or tan with hints of green. It will be slightly firmer than breastfed bowel movements, but no firmer than the consistency of peanut butter.

NORMAL BOWEL FREQUENCY:

  • Most newborn babies have at least 1 or 2 bowel movements a day. But after the first week, your little one may poo 5 to 10 times a day. She may pass a stool after each feeding. However, the frequency of bowel movements may decrease as your baby matures and eats more in the weeks ahead.
  • By the 6th week, she may not have a bowel movement every day. This is normal and usually isn’t a problem, as long as she seems comfortable, appears to be healthy and growing, and her stools aren’t hard.
  • Some infants don’t poop for a day or two or even for a week. If this happens, there’s no need to panic. Just make sure your baby is still eating and gaining weight.

The most important sign that will show that your baby is experiencing constipation is a poo that is crumbly, hard, dry and is like marbles in appearance. Other signs of constipation in babies include:

  • Trouble passing bowel
  • Irritability, crying, or discomfort while trying to pass stool. However, straining is normal when babies poo and it rarely means constipation.
  • Firm belly
  • Foul smell of poo
  • Over three days since the last stool
  • Isn’t eating as much
  • Less than three bowel movements per week

What Causes
Constipation In
Babies?

Your baby’s bowel movement is primarily influenced by diet. Here are some things that cause constipation in babies:

  • Dehydration- If your baby is not drinking enough liquids, her stools can get harder, drier, and more difficult to pass.
  • Unbearable pain or discomfort in the body- when your baby experiences pain or discomfort, the sympathetic nervous system (fight and flight reflex) activates and turns off digestive function. The discomfort and pain can come from an overload of waste build-up, colic, teething, too much food, or feeling ill.
  • Baby Formula- Your baby’s intestines can be sensitive to a formula or even a particular type of preparation. This can be in concentrated or powdered form.
  • Change in Diet- Most of the foods introduced to babies are starchy and if your little one isn’t getting enough water or liquid, they’ll experience trouble passing stools.
  • Dairy or Soy Allergy- If your baby has a milk allergy, she can experience constipation, colic or excessive gas, and other discomforts.
  • Supplements such as Iron- Vitamins and supplements with iron can make your baby’s stool hard and pellet form that may vary in color.

What if your baby is passing gas but not stool?

There may be times when your baby may pass gas, not poop. Although this may worry most parents, it shouldn’t be a cause for concern. Some infants may just get gassy in between bowel movements without being constipated. In most cases, gas and constipation will resolve on their own. You should remember that a baby’s digestive system is brand new. So, they still need some time to get a hang of it.

When is baby constipation considered a sign of something serious?

Consult your baby’s pediatrician if it has been more than three days since your baby had pooped. Call sooner if your baby is acting ill, or has a weak cry/ weak suck.

If constipation persists or your baby is acting ill or weak, your baby’s doctor will check for these three rare issues:

  • Infantile botulism- A rare disease indicated by several days of progressive frailty or weakness (starts with the face and neck and leads to total paralysis). It’s caused by botulism spores hiding in liquid sweets, such as corn syrup or honey.
  • Hypothyroidism: A curable condition where the thyroid doesn’t create and release enough thyroid hormone into the bloodstream. It is caused by an underactive thyroid gland. If left untreated, it can be a serious problem because it may cause slow mental development.
  • Hirschsprung’s disease: A birth defect that occurs when the nerves in the rectum didn’t develop properly. The baby’s rectal muscles become tightly clenched, then block the poop from passing, causing intestinal obstruction. Fortunately, this problem can be corrected through surgery.

A baby changes your dinner party conversation
from politics to poops.

Mo Johnston

Relieving and Preventing Constipation

When it comes to your baby’s constipation, there’s good news for every parent. It’s often easily treatable, and your precious one can be regular again before you know it. To help you further, your fellow Intuitive Moms prepared these guidelines for poop patrol and constipation relief.

Here’s Are Some Constipation Prevention Tips & Remedies

Your newborn’s bowel movement and stool pattern is an important window that will give you a glimpse of their overall health for the first few months of life. As parents, you may notice several changes in their stool during this time. This is usually a normal and healthy sign of growth and development. To prevent health and safety problems in the future, be sure to consult with your pediatrician throughout your parenthood journey.

You know what the great thing about babies is?
They are like little bundles of hope.
Like future in a basket

Lish McBride

HERE’S YOUR GUIDE TO RELIEVING & PREVENTING BABY’S CONSTIPATION
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