What should I do if my two-month-old baby has not defecated for four days?

My baby is two months old. Recently I found that he hasn't had a bowel movement for four days. What should I do? I am very anxious because I am afraid that this will cause intestinal problems for the baby. Since the baby is young, I did not use any medication, but the toxins in the body cannot be discharged. The baby is listless every day and often cries. My family is very worried. My baby has always been breastfed and has never had such a problem. What should I do?

What should I do if my two-month-old baby has not defecated for four days?

It is best to breastfeed newborns because the whey protein in breast milk is easy to digest and stimulates intestinal peristalsis, thereby making the baby's bowel movements smooth. This is why babies who drink breast milk rarely suffer from constipation.

Babies who are fed with milk are prone to constipation, which is mostly because the casein content in milk is too high, which makes the stool dry and hard. To avoid this situation, you can add an appropriate amount of white sugar to fresh milk, with the amount of sugar added being 3 to 8 grams per liter of milk. At the same time, you should give your baby plenty of water. Fruit juice is also a good choice because it can stimulate the intestines. Babies fed with formula milk also need to replenish water.

Abdominal massage is an effective way to prevent and treat constipation. Gently massage around your baby's belly button in a clockwise direction with your palms regularly every day to stimulate intestinal peristalsis and help your baby defecate smoothly.

Pay attention to training your child to have good bowel habits. Babies can be trained to have regular bowel movements from 3 to 4 months old. Because intestinal motility speeds up after eating, the child often feels the urge to defecate, so it is generally advisable to let the child defecate after eating. Establishing a conditioned reflex of defecation can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

If massage and dietary adjustments still fail to induce defecation in your baby, you can use a clean cotton swab dipped in olive oil to stimulate the baby's anus. This method is generally very effective. If a baby under 4 months old is still unable to defecate after this method, you should consider going to the hospital for treatment.

Massage

Place your palm flat on the baby's navel with your palm facing down, and gently massage in a clockwise direction. This not only speeds up the baby's intestinal peristalsis and promotes defecation, but also helps digestion.

The above content is about the solution to the problem of a two-month-old baby not having a bowel movement for four days. Mothers can help their babies do massages every day to promote gastrointestinal motility, and they need to let their babies drink more water. Mothers of breastfeeding babies also need to eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, so that the baby can absorb some breast milk after drinking it, which will change the situation of dry stools.