Constipation in babies

The gastro-colic reflex stimulates your baby to create and pass a stool when food hits the stomach. It is very active in the first weeks after your baby is born. Sometimes a baby will not pass a stool for forty-eight hours after birth. If this happens, the nurses will contact the pediatrician to examine the baby. If a baby has trouble passing stool after birth, it might be a sign of a condition called Hirschsprung’s. These babies lack nerve cells in the muscle that propels stool along the gut. Surgery may be needed to correct this problem. Sometimes the baby is a little dehydrated and a few ounces of breast milk, water, or formula will cause the baby to pass stool. And other times the baby just hasn’t gotten around to it!

Once home, your baby, if breast fed, he may continue to pass stool with each feeding. Formula-fed babies may pass stool less frequently. Some babies won’t pass stool as frequently — maybe once every few days. As long as the stool is not hard, there is no blood in the stool, and the baby is not crying when passing stool, your baby is not constipated. When passing stool while lying on their back, babies may strain and grunt, and their faces may be beet red. But if they are not crying and the stool is soft and without blood, don’t worry about constipation. If the stool is filled with mucus and blood, your baby may have a cow’s milk protein allergy and you should discuss this with your doctor.

If your baby is constipated, your doctor may have you do certain things to help the baby. If breast feeding, she will ascertain whether the baby is getting enough fluids by weighing the baby, looking at the condition of his skin and mucus membranes, and inquiring about frequency of urination. She may have you give a diluted (watered down) bottle of prune juice if your baby is over two months of age. If your baby is eating solids, she may have you substitute binding foods, which are foods that make stools harder to pass such as rice cereal, bananas, and applesauce, with high-fiber foods such as oatmeal or barley cereal, prunes, and apricots. Adding a bottle of water during the day (sterile if three months or under) may also help, especially if it is hot outside.

There are lots of products on the market for constipation, but rarely are any of these used for young infants. Most times constipation in this age group can be handled by a simple change of diet.

I believe genetics plays a role in gut motility. If one parent tends to have a sluggish gut, his baby may also. The genetics of gut motility, however, are not exactly known.

Has your baby had blood in his stool? Have you been confused about what constitutes constipation in a baby?

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