Infant Constipation
Constipation is a condition where stools become harder and difficult or in severe cases impossible to excrete. If your child is suffering from Infant Constipation he will be troubled when they need to excrete and the movement and behavior of of bowel movements may change causing constipation in your baby.
Breastfed baby very rarely suffers from constipation because milk is very easy to digest and often does not cause any constipation. Breastfed babies also have several type of bacterias that help in breaking down the by products of milk in addition to that breastfed babies also have higher levels of hormone that increases the bowel movement. Because of the above reasons breastfed baby very rarely suffers from constipation but if your infant who is still breastfed is suffering from constipation it is very important to call your baby's doctor as soon as possible and ask for help or seek proper medical treatment rather then trying any home remedy for your infant to cure constipation.
Causes of Baby Constipation
Baby constipation is often caused by food and dietary intake but in some cases it may be a symptom of other underlying disease that your child can be suffering from. Bottelfed babies suffer from constipation very often because bottle milk is harder for an infant or baby to digest. If your baby only relies on bottle or formula milk he or she will have fewer bowel movements than a breastfed child and you will also notice that their stools are harder and thicker then a breastfed child.
Frequency of bowel movements depends on the age of your baby. Normally babies have several bowel movements in a day but once a baby starts eating solid food the frequency of bowel movement will then depend on the type of the food consumed at this stage when baby's food mostly consist of solid food constipation can be caused by dehydration and in such condition intake of excessive water can be very helpful.
If your baby becomes constipated that might be the signal of vicious circle this is because it will be painful for a baby to pass stools that have gathered in intestine and due to that cracks around the anus may appear that can further cause bleeding if one does not seek proper treatment.
How to treat your Infants or baby's Constipation?
There are lot of home remedies available to treat constipation. It is very important to understand that constipation is not a disease it is just a condition and most of babies do go through this condition atleast once or sometimes several times but constipation should not be left untreated as it can cause further medical complications. There are number of home remedies available to treat infant constipation some of them are listed here...
Home remedies to treat your Infants or baby's Constipation?
Increase the water or fluid amount in your babies dietary intake. Increase the dietary fiber intake amount which can be found in fruits such as fig, apricots and peaches. If your baby is an infant or cannot take solid foods than you should give juices of fiber rich fruits.
Massage can also be very helpful in relieving constipation. In order to do massage you should start at the belly button and massage outwards in clockwise direction but you should only continue this massage if your babies enjoy the massage or feels comfortable with it. In addition to massage you can also try some exercises that can help relieving constipation. Hold your baby's legs and turn them gently in a quick cycling motion by doing this you are putting gentle pressure on the intestines of your baby helping the move.
Bathing your baby can also be very helpful in relieving constipation and you can also apply some cream or petroleum jelly around the outside of anus.
What should be avoided during baby's constipation?
You should never try to stimulate stool movement by putting anything inside the baby's anus as that can cause severe damage.
If your baby is on bottle or formula milk make sure that you follow the guidelines on the package and make the mixture accordingly as too thick mixture can lead to constipation too.
If the constipation continues or condition gets worse you should consult your baby's doctor as soon as possible.