Newborn babies' most commonly encountered diseases are usually associated with constipation, where they have infrequent or difficult bowel removal. This malfunction can be traced back to either a lack of water in their diet or poor coordination between the nerves and muscles of the colon and bowel. The normal frequency of fecal removal among babies is on a daily basis.
When food is digested, it travels down the intestines that absorb water and nutrients. The unabsorbed components of the food become feces. This is only possible though when there is enough water left in the unabsorbed materials. In order for the fecal matter to move out of the rectum, the muscles in the lower intestines and rectum must be capable of making appropriate contraction and relaxation. Another identified culprit of constipation among infants is the switch from breast milk to formula or vice versa. Milk incompatibility could also be another cause.
On Your Baby's Poop
Within twenty-four hours, infants have their first fecal removal after birth. The stools are usually thick and sticky, which progress to soft yellow in the first week of their lives. On an average basis, breastfed babies poop eight to ten times up to their first week. Month-old babies who are breastfed have the normal habit of removing their bowels to four times a day. Those who are formula-fed of this age poop lesser compared to their breastfed counterparts. Their stool is usually tan or yellow and much harder. At two months old, babies remove their stools once or twice in a day.
The Danger of Constipation Among Babies
Infants who do not remove their bowels within the span of forty-eight hours from their birth must be immediately subjected to more thorough medical evaluation because it could mean a more serious malfunction such as:
" Hypothyroidism, a hormonal imbalance
" Meconium ileus
" Hirschsprung's disease
Newborn Constipation Cures
Available remedies that parents can do for their infants are simple, but a doctor's advice must be sought. Some of these remedies are the following:
- Breastfeed infants because the most digestible food for them is breastmilk.
- Feed the babies with water by using an eye dropper, or when they are already capable of suckling a bottle, provide them a bottle of water a day.
- Dilute 1/16 tablespoon of magnesium in water and administer the mixture to the infants by using a bottle.
- Gently massage the infants' abdomen using gentle little circular motions from left to right and up to down as often as ten times a day.
- A teaspoon a day of flax oil that may be mixed with breastmilk or water and fed using a bottle also helps prevent constipation.
- Administer an infant enema: Prepare lukewarm water. Place it into a bulb syringe. Use olive oil to ready the syringe and anus of the infant. Be sure that the bulb does not contain air bubbles. Insert the tip into the infant's anus at half an inch. Squeeze the lukewarm water in a very gentle manner. Repeat the procedure until the baby defecates. Consult with your pediatrician before doing an enema!
For another article on 11 Ways to Cure Newborn Constipation head on over to Colon Health Advice for more high-quality and easy to read articles.