The first time your baby suffers from constipation can cause you a lot of angst as you watch them struggle to relieve themselves. Clinic nurses say some babies will poop ten times a day and others once in ten days.
What causes constipation?
Imagine you’ve been on a liquid diet your whole life, and suddenly you start eating foods of a thicker consistency in a variety of textures, flavours and compounds. During this phase, the body will slow down its usual processing speed to work out what to do with these new substances. “This is as a result of the gut getting used to breaking down and absorbing new types and textures of foods and nutrients,” says Dr Nelisiwe Balfour, a private paediatrician at Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital. According to Kath Megaw, a clinical paediatric dietician, other causes could be a lack of fibre in the diet, as well as dehydration.
Signs of constipation
- Restlessness or crying during a bowel movement
- Stool texture is hard and pellet-like
- There is a bit of blood in the stool
Massage and exercise
Getting your baby’s body moving can help to move things along in the bowel. Bath time or nappy changes are a great time to do bicycle legs while baby is on their back, pushing the bent knee gently against their tummy. You can also bend and straighten both legs, keeping knees and feet together. If they are crawling you can also encourage them to move around the house (ensure it’s properly babyproofed). An easy massage technique is to draw clockwise circles using your fingertips on baby’s tummy.
Treatment using diet
Foods high in fibre can help move things along. “The “P fruits” (pears, peaches, prunes, plums) help with softening your baby’s stool, so feed them often if they begin to have hard stools,” says Dr Balfour. You can introduce a little bit of water from 6 months which can help, or mix water with prune juice, which can be quite potent on its own. Likewise there are foods that can cause or worsen constipation so avoid bananas, carrots or rice during this time. “If constipation persists, it’s always best to contact your paed so they can provide the right guidance,” advises Dr Balfour.
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