My baby eats and drinks well as usual, but he hasn't pooped for several days. Is he constipated?
Before answering this question, the editor first tests everyone:
Why does the baby not poop for several days?
A.Constipation. B. Save your stomach. C. Poor appetite and eat less. D. All of the above.
In fact, the above are the reasons why the baby does not poop for several days, but from the problems, we found that the baby can eat and drink well as usual. From this, there is only one truth: The baby is full of belly!
So, why do babies have belly fat? How long will the stomachache last? What is the difference between stomachache and constipation?
Today, let’s talk about these issues.
Why do babies have belly fat?
Baby belly fat is a folk saying and a normal physiological phenomenon. Most of them appear in breastfed babies.
The reason why the stomach is full is because the baby's digestive ability gradually increases after the baby is full month, and it can absorb and digest breast milk more fully. As a result, there are very few food residues in the body every day, which is not enough to stimulate the rectum to form defecation.
At this time, when the food residue in the baby's body accumulates to a certain amount, the poop will be discharged at once, so the baby's stomach is actually the process of poop accumulation for the baby.
And this is also the reason why the baby will not poop for several days or even more than ten days when the belly is full, but will spurt out when he poops.
In addition, when a baby has a tummy, not only the frequency of defecation will decrease, but also the farts will be frequent and smelly. However, as long as the baby urinates more than 6-8 times a day and does not feel restless, the growth curve will be normal, Parents don't need to worry.
At this point in the science popularization, some parents may want to ask, although bloating is a normal physiological phenomenon, it is really hard to reassure if the baby has not pooped for a long time. How long will the bloating last?
This is a good question, let's move on.
How long will the stomachache last?
Generally speaking, the stomachache will continue until the stage before the baby adds complementary foods, and it will slowly get better on its own after adding complementary foods.
In other words, when the baby can add complementary foods at about six months old, the daily food intake and variety will increase, the food residues in the body will also increase, and the number of bowel movements will naturally increase.
However, it should be noted that due to individual differences in babies and the different levels of daily care given by parents, the duration of abdominal pain will also vary.
Some babies have good physiques and the parents take proper care of them, so the phenomenon of belly fat may end early. However, some babies have poor health and parents take improper care, and the belly fat may last longer or even turn into constipation.
Speaking of constipation, I believe that many parents may easily mistake stomachache for constipation. The editor has also received many inquiries about the two in the background.
So, what is the difference between stomachache and constipation? Let’s continue to find out.
The difference between stomachache and constipation
To distinguish between stomachache and constipation, we mainly observe from the following three aspects:
Observe the baby's mental state
When the baby has stomachache, his mental state is no different from usual days, and he can still eat They drink well and sleep well, but the old mother worries about their bowel movements all day long.
Constipation is different. The baby will have abdominal distension, irritability, frequent crying, and even affect appetite, resulting in a decrease in milk intake because there is always something in the stomach that wants to poop but cannot.
Observe the baby's behavior during defecation
When the baby has a bowel movement, although he will not poop for several days, as long as he poops, the process will go smoothly and his expression will be relaxed.
When babies are constipated, it will be quite difficult to defecate. They often make movements such as arching their backs and clamping their buttocks due to exertion.
At the same time, the baby will cry because of difficulty in defecation. The little face will turn red. The whole expression tells us that he/she has tried his/her best, but it is difficult to pull it out!
Observing the baby's poop characteristics
The characteristics of the baby's poop is also the key for parents to judge whether the baby is full of stomach or constipated.
When the baby has a stomachache, , the baby's poop is normal soft yellow poop or yellow paste, and when constipated, the poop is hard, lumpy, with a smooth surface, and some even have streaks. There is blood or mucus.
Through the above three aspects of observation, parents can well distinguish between stomachache and constipation.
As mentioned above, it is a normal physiological phenomenon for babies to have belly fat, so parents do not need to perform special intervention. But if your baby is constipated, you need to adjust your diet in time. If it's serious, you need to take your baby to see a doctor.
In short, the baby's poop and pee has always been a key concern for us parents. Many parents will be very worried when they find that their baby has not pooped for several days.
But as long as the baby is not constipated or has difficulty defecating, we can look at it from another angle. For example, if the baby does not defecate for several days, wouldn’t rounding it up be equivalent to saving us a lot of money on diapers?
Therefore, as long as the baby does not have any discomfort, let him/her have more or less diarrhea, and we mothers can relax.
