I ran into a friend the other day who was worried about her baby being constipated. There is a wide variety in normal bowel patterns among infants. If your baby's pattern suddenly changes, it doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong. As long as the baby is behaving normally, they could go as long as a week with no bowel movement. (If, on the other hand, the stool is hard or pellet-like, you definitely have a constipated baby).
If it has been a few days and you are worried, here are a few methods you can try to help things along. *
- use a rectal thermometer (use as normal), with a liberal amount of Vaseline - and be ready!
- give an older baby prune juice (or apple juice) or even pureed prunes
- mix 1 tsp. corn syrup with a little water (2-4 oz) and feed to your baby
*if your child's abdomen is hard or your baby is obviously suffering call your pediatrician immediately!
1 comment:
and for the opposite problem?
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