Can I Give My Breastdfed Baby Something to Help Him Poop

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Read time: 6 minutes

What should I know most my infant's stool?

Empathise what is normal when it comes to a breastfed infant's bowel motion
How to care for both diarrhea and constipation
Know when you should contact your child's healthcare provider

When it comes to bowel movements in exclusively breastfed children, at that place is a wide range of normal. You lot might recollect and speak nigh the color, frequency, and consistency of stool more than y'all e'er thought possible. It's important to observe what your baby'southward 'normal' is, so that you can tell when your lilliputian i shifts into constipation or diarrhea.

What is considered normal poop in breastfed babies?

In the first few days of life, your babe may only have i-2 soiled diapers. The kickoff stool to pass is chosen meconium, a thick and dark tar-like substance your baby had stored up during pregnancy.ⁱ Within about iii-v days when your mature milk begins to come in and your babe begins to eat more than, stools will become more than frequent, typically 4 or more per day, and will look like a seedy yellow or take a slight light-green tint.² Normally, breastfed baby'southward stools are soft and sometimes fairly runny.^three

Most babies tend to poop less as they get older, while some continue to stool afterward every time they eat. During growth spurts, your little 1 may go several days without pooping.⁴ However often your baby poops, they'll be considered normal and healthy as long as baby'southward stools are soft and a normal colour.⁵

Infant diarrhea

It tin exist easy to error the common soft and loose stools breastfed babies pass for diarrhea. Changes in your baby'due south stool, like more than stools per 24-hour interval than usual, multiple stools per feeding, or very watery stools, can indicate diarrhea.^vi

Causes of diarrhea in infants

Diarrhea can occur due to a virus, parasite, antibiotics, or a reaction to changes in mom's diet.⁶ Some believe that diarrhea may occur due to teething or nasal congestion, but research does non support this.⁷ ^, ⁸

If your infant does have diarrhea, ordinarily it will non final very long and will resolve on its own.³ Even so, it's important to runway color, frequency, and consistency because one of the consequences of diarrhea may be dehydration. Infants are more susceptible to dehydration, so be on the look-out for symptoms of dehydration should diarrhea concluding longer than a few days.

According to the National Institutes of Health, signs of aridity in babies include:

Dry out eyes or rima oris
Niggling to no tears when crying
Fewer wet diapers than normal
Languor (less active than normal)
Sunken eyes and fontanelle (soft spot on the top of baby's head)⁵

It is important to continue nursing oft if your baby is experiencing diarrhea to assistance keep them hydrated.

If your infant is nether three months and has diarrhea; or your child (at whatever age) has diarrhea along with blood, mucus, pus, or continuous vomiting, contact baby's pediatrician.

Read more: Acute Diarrhea in Older Babies and Toddlers

Baby constipation

Constipation is extremely rare in healthy exclusively breastfed infants. When passing stool, it is completely normal for your baby's face to turn red, grunt, or make other noises.⁵ Your baby's abdominal muscles are notwithstanding weak and so they must work harder to take a bowel motility.^ten As they become older and their muscles get stronger, they'll be able to pass stool much easier! These noises are common and practise not necessarily mean your baby is constipated.

Causes of constipation in infants

The introduction of solid foods is one of the nearly mutual times for children to go constipated because the digestive system needs time to adapt.^five Also notation that a change in stool, such as it condign firmer and less frequent, is normal when introducing solids.¹¹ Adding in some formula may also crusade constipation.⁵ And occasionally, an iron supplement with higher amounts of iron may cause constipation in an infant.¹⁰

Your baby may have constipation if his bowel movements are pocket-size, hard, and dry. The consistency of the stool is a better indicator of constipation than the frequency.

Other signs of constipation include:

Fussiness
Spitting upwards more than normal
Belly pain and bloating
Having many less stools than your baby'south normal corporeality
Straining for more than 10 minutes without passing stool ⁵ ^, ^ix

If your baby'due south constipation is accompanied past vomiting, blood in stool, a swollen abdomen or weight loss, contact the pediatrician.

For more than data on constipation in older children or in formula fed-babies, read: Constipation in babies and toddlers.

How can I help baby with constipation or diarrhea?

Continue your babe hydrated

Continue breastfeeding, as nursing can aid proceed your niggling one hydrated. If your baby is older and has started solids, you can also offer additional fluids such every bit water.

*If your baby is between 6 and 12 months, the only boosted fluid that is recommended is water, and only a few extra ounces per day is needed.¹²

Beingness adequately hydrated can too help improve constipation equally well.

If you're withal noticing signs of aridity or constipation even with continued nursing, contact your kid's pediatrician.

Read more: Is Your Baby or Toddler Fairly Hydrated?

Be mindful of your own nutrition while breastfeeding

Occasionally babies will react to something in their mother'south breastmilk, and this may sometimes cause diarrhea or constipation.^vi Sure foods in mom'due south diet tin can also affect the stool color, but this is normal!

If you're concerned that your baby may be reacting to something in your diet, reach out to the Happy Baby Experts. Chat Now!

Read more: Is my babe reacting to something in my milk?

Inform babe'due south healthcare provider

If diarrhea occurs and your babe is under 3 months onetime, or there is also blood, fungus, pus or continuous vomiting; or if the diarrhea will not go away, contact your kid'south pediatrician correct abroad.

If your child is experiencing persistent constipation for ii weeks or constipation is accompanied past fever, vomiting, blood in stool, swollen abdomen or weight loss, contact your fiddling i'due south pediatrician.

A bit of Juice

If constipation does not improve, a small corporeality of 100% clip, apple, or pear juice may be added to breastmilk in a bottle as long as your baby is older than 1 month.⁹ The sugars in fruit juices can draw water into the intestines to help baby laissez passer the stool.

The general recommendation is giving 1 oz per mean solar day for every calendar month of life up to 4 months. For example, a 3-month-quondam would be allowed to take 3 oz per day.This technique should only be used charily; always contact baby'due south pediatrician before trying it.

Note that juice is non recommended for infants younger than ane twelvemonth sometime at whatsoever other time.

Massage your baby

The "I love you" massage for babies and toddlers tin be helpful in reducing constipation, abdominal pain, bloating, and gas.

Read: Baby massage: Benefits and techniques for all the details.

If eating solids, increment the amount of fiber in your child'southward diet

If your footling one has started solids, offer higher fiber foods to your baby twice per day, such as: fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains.^five ^, ⁹ Make sure these foods are in the consistency your little 1 can handle, and be sure to offering actress fluids someday you increase cobweb in your baby's diet.

Read more: Why Cobweb Matter for Babies, Tots, and Mama

Avoid adult treatments for constipation

Treatment for constipation in babies is dissimilar than for adults. Be sure to avert using mineral oil, stimulant laxatives, and enemas to treat constipation in infants unless a doctor instructs you to exercise and so.

Permit's Chat!

We know parenting often ways sleepless nights, stressful days, and countless questions and confusion, and we want to back up you in your feeding journeying and beyond.

Our Happy Baby Experts are a squad of lactation consultants and registered dietitians certified in infant and maternal nutrition – and they're all moms, too, which means they've been at that place and seen that. They're here to help on our costless, alive chat platform Monday – Friday 8am-8pm (EST), and Saturday – Lord's day 8am-4pm (EST). Conversation Now!

Read more virtually the experts that help write our content!

For more on this topic, check out the following articles:

Constipation in older babies or toddlers

Hydration to prevent constipation for the family

Why fiber matters for babies, tots and mama

Sources

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