With the advent of a newborn in the family, the life of new parents changes dramatically. Now they are responsible for the new life, all their attention should be devoted to it. If you listen to mummies, then in the first days and weeks of a child’s life they are concerned about problems in the intestines: colic, gas, constipation. They bring a lot of discomfort to the crumbs, become the cause of moods and tantrums. The topic of our article will be constipation in newborns during breastfeeding. We will understand the main causes of such an ailment, when there are reasons for serious concern, and also consider treatment methods.
Is there any reason for concern?
Quite often, out of their inexperience, parents themselves come up with a problem. It is important to understand that each organism is individual, especially in a baby who has recently been born. If mom believes that the child should go to the toilet stably twice a day, then in the absence of such a frequency, she begins to panic. No matter what tests she exposes to her crumb, wanting to obtain the result, in her own opinion, necessary. Sometimes the cause of irregular stools is the excellent digestion of mother’s breast milk in the child, as a result of which he simply has nothing to poop so often.
Constipation in newborns during breastfeeding is still encountered and can indeed be a real problem, but not as often as it is customary to think about.
The intestines of the baby
If there is still constipation in the newborn during breastfeeding, what should I do? Before answering a question, it is necessary to understand physiology. In the first days after birth, the child eats the so-called colostrum. It is very small, therefore, exclusively primordial stool - meconium - leaves the baby's intestines. This is a consequence of the fact that the baby swallowed while in the womb. Mekonium has a saturated dark shade, most often black.
As breast milk stays with the mother, the feces become lighter and acquire a light brown tint. Should not scare parents feces greenish tint. At the same time, its consistency also undergoes changes: it becomes more liquid, similar to fat sour cream.
During the first month and a half of breastfeeding, the baby poaches 2 to 5 times a day. Some babies do this less often than worry parents. But in this matter, one should start from the well-being of the child. If he feels great, there is no cause for concern. After 6 weeks of life, the baby's stool becomes less frequent, for a two-month-old baby, the physiological norm is once a day. A kind of indicators of the normal functioning of the intestines of a child are the following conditions:
- weight gain;
- significant amount of feces;
- excellent health of the baby;
- lack of putrid odor of feces;
- regular urination.
In this case, you definitely should not resort to measures of forcibly inducing defecation in a child, because this can lead to a real upset of an already weak intestine.
Symptoms of a Problem
Constipation in a newborn baby with breastfeeding has a number of symptoms. It makes sense to talk about a problem when the lack of stool is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- irritability, poor sleep;
- severe straining during bowel movements, tantrums;
- poor appetite;
- bloating with pressing legs to it;
- the emission of gases with a sharp unpleasant odor;
- high density of exiting feces.
Talking about the reasons
For inexperienced parents without the help of qualified pediatricians, it’s quite difficult to figure out what is happening with the child, which is why in the first weeks of the life of the baby they visit the children's wards so often. The causes of constipation in newborns during breastfeeding are quite numerous. But every mom should know them in order to possibly prevent the development of the problem. So, the main reasons include:
- Errors in the nutrition of a nursing mother - given the fact that in the first months of life a child eats exclusively breast milk, when compacted feces appear, first of all, close attention should be paid to the mother's nutrition. You should exclude all those foods that can cause constipation: baking, white risk, strong tea, coffee and cocoa, bananas, fatty cheeses and meats. The cause of the problems in the child may be taking diuretics by the mother.
- Insufficient amount of breast milk - in this case, the child’s body absorbs everything that it consumes, the baby has nothing to do with poop.
- Fluid deficiency - for those who breastfeed on demand, this problem is not terrible. In the case of artificial feeding, mothers quite often, in their desire to feed the baby, mix the mixture too abruptly, which leads to the development of constipation.
- Taking antibiotics - it is far from always possible to refuse to take potent drugs. And just the negative factor of their intake is problems with the intestines, its disorders.
- Mental disorders - in the first months of life, the child is especially attached to the mother. Separation from her, even for a short period, can cause enormous stress, the result of which will be a violation of the stool.
- Early feeding - the digestive tract of the baby is adapted only to the digestion of breast milk, any other food, even a mixture can lead to disorders.
If you are looking for an answer to the question why a newborn has constipation during breastfeeding, you probably already found the answer for yourself. All the described reasons cause a physiological problem, when the baby’s intestines are completely healthy, only his activity is disturbed.
Types of constipation
Each mother should monitor the condition of the child in order to independently help the baby if necessary. It will not be difficult to determine the type of physiological constipation in a newborn with breastfeeding. And it can be atonic and spastic. The first is associated with a decrease in intestinal tone and is accompanied by a portion of dense feces, and then liquid. The cause of spastic constipation is intestinal spasm. The child defecates in feces, like sheep's poop. In both cases, constipation will hurt the baby and cause him irritability. Without the help of parents and a pediatrician, the crumb certainly can not cope, and action should be taken immediately.
Methods of struggle
Signs of constipation in newborns during breastfeeding indicate the causes of the problem. In turn, treatment should begin with their elimination. Perhaps, additional manipulations can be abandoned.
In case of spastic constipation in a newborn, an excellent method of treatment will be a tummy massage: it should be soft, stroking. It should be done exclusively clockwise, in the direction of the intestine. Hypoallergenic massage oil is allowed. Thermal exposure is a great opportunity to overcome constipation in a newborn with breastfeeding. It is enough to put a warm diaper on the baby’s tummy, and then press it to yourself - literally in a few moments it will become much easier for the baby. Putting the baby on the tummy is another method that allows you to overcome constipation in newborns by breastfeeding. Komarovsky, who is trusted by millions of modern mothers, in principle, we strongly recommend, whenever possible, to refuse to take medications and take into account the physiological characteristics of the body of a newborn baby.
Drug treatment
Why does a newborn have constipation during breastfeeding does not go away even after massage and heat exposure? In the absence of the result of the methods just described, it is necessary to proceed to drug treatment. In no case do not self-medicate - be sure to consult a pediatrician observing the baby.
"Dufalac" - perhaps the most famous drug that has a targeted fight against constipation in newborns. With all its effectiveness, it remains absolutely safe for crumbs. Despite this dosage, the frequency of administration should be prescribed only by a doctor. The drug is not addictive, therefore, suitable for regular use, as soon as necessary.
Good drugs are Espumisan and Sub-Simplex.
Candles and microclysters
In rare cases, the pediatrician can prescribe glycerin suppositories or microclysters to the newborn, which will help the feces exit the intestines. These are extreme remedies that can lead to unpleasant consequences. They certainly should not be carried away, because you can get to the situation when the baby will poop exclusively through the action of candles or enemas.
Traditional medicine methods
Our grandmothers left us a legacy of a lot of really effective methods of dealing with various diseases and ailments. But when dealing with infants, one should be extremely careful with traditional medicine. Many recommend inserting a small piece of soap into the baby's anus, thereby provoking a bowel movement. So doing this is strictly forbidden, which should be remembered for a lifetime. Soap is an active alkali, which at the moment will cause a burn of the intestinal mucosa and lead to irreversible consequences.
You can not stimulate bowel movements and other means, for example, cotton buds. Do you think this is impossible? But I must admit, there are such mothers. The mucous membrane of the baby is sensitive to any irritants, it is quite easy to damage it. And then to the pain of constipation, you will add to your miracle the pain from the irritated mucosa, which, believe me, will cause a real nervous breakdown.
Prunes for breastfeeding from constipation of the newborn are considered a very effective way to solve the problem. Dried fruit is enriched with vitamins, fiber, contributing to the normalization of the intestines, not only the baby, but also the mother. But here's what is remarkable - prunes when breastfeeding from constipation of a newborn in the case of children under 3 months are fatal. Experts strongly recommend introducing it into the diet of crumbs only after six months. The stomach of the newborn is certainly not prepared for such food.
Advice
Constipation in newborns during breastfeeding is still less common than in children in mixtures. Of course, the problem requires an immediate solution, but only if it really exists. To begin with, eliminate the root cause if possible, then try massage, gymnastics and heat exposure. And only last resort to the help of even the most harmless drugs.
Prevention
Constipation in a child, especially a newborn, is better to prevent than to treat. That is why you should not forget about preventive measures. First of all, eliminate those factors that contribute to the delay in regular stool. These include:
- Nutrition - by weighing the baby before and after feeding, you can determine a single serving of breast milk without complex mathematical transformations. Why is this necessary? In order to exclude such a reason as overeating or a shortage of breast milk.
- Drinking fluids - be sure to give your child clean water before meals.
- Gymnastics and massage - during wakefulness, carry the child in an upright position, lay on the tummy, do gymnastics with him and do lung massage, which will avoid problems with the intestines and its microflora.
- Regular ventilation and humidification.
The treatment of constipation in newborns during breastfeeding, with all its harmlessness, requires strict monitoring by a pediatrician. For all questions, it is better to consult with him, because a method suitable for one child can harm another.