How old is the baby?

"Holding back the bowel movement" is a folk term, which actually refers to a change in the baby's bowel movement pattern. Generally speaking, the phenomenon of abdominal distension mainly occurs in breastfed newborns. The occurrence of abdominal distension is related to the continuous improvement of the baby's digestive system. This is a very important signal, indicating that the child's gastrointestinal absorption function has been greatly improved. So, at what age does the baby start to have a stomachache? Let’s take a closer look below.

What is "Zan Du"?

With the increase in breastfeeding rates, the baby may not defecate for 2-3 days, or even 4-5 days without any pain. The stool is still yellow and soft, without any lumps, and the amount is not particularly large. This phenomenon is called abdominal retention.

This is because during the period from around one month old to two months old, the baby's digestive ability improves and can fully digest and absorb breast milk. There are not many remaining residues, which are not enough to stimulate the rectum to form a bowel movement, so the baby's bowel movements will also be reduced.

It also shows that the quality of the mother's breast milk is very good and the nutrition is balanced, and the baby's digestive ability is very good, which leads to the baby's insufficient intestinal peristalsis (because it is too easy to absorb and does not require sufficient peristalsis), resulting in the phenomenon of "stomach retention".

How many months does the baby start to have a stomachache?

If your baby has constipation, it is normal bowel movement due to breastfeeding and the mother does not need to be too anxious. However, studies have suggested that the amount of breast milk at this time is just enough or slightly insufficient for the baby, so the ideal frequency of bowel movements should be adjusted to 1-2 times a day. In order to better ensure the rapid metabolic needs of infancy and seize the opportunity to cultivate good bowel habits in babies, it is possible to effectively prevent constipation in the future. Parents can take the following measures:

1. Have bowel movements regularly. Since constipation usually starts to occur around 2 months old, it is important to train your child to have regular bowel movements (e.g., early morning and evening) so that they can develop good bowel habits early.

2. Do abdominal massage every day.

(1) Use your palm to gently rub the baby's abdomen, with the navel as the center, rotating from left to right 10 times, rest for 5 minutes, and then massage 10 times again. Repeat 3 times;

(2) Place the baby in supine position and hold the baby's legs to do flexion and extension exercises, stretching and flexing once, for a total of 10 times, and then flexing and extending one leg 10 times. This will help the baby's bowel movements and facilitate the discharge of stool;

3. Drink more water. For fat babies with constipation, you can feed them some boiled water or vegetable or fruit juice between two feedings every day. Adding complementary foods after they are 6 months old can completely solve this bowel movement problem.

4. Increase milk supply. If the child's bowel movements decrease and weight gain is not ideal due to insufficient breast milk, you can give the child some formula milk in time; if the baby is more than 4 months old, you can also add a little rice soup, which can better improve the bowel movement.

5. Stimulate anus for defecation. Twice a day, about 20-30 minutes after the baby feeds, apply an oily topical medication (such as chloramphenicol ointment) to the baby's anus, put soft paper on it, gently push and press the anus, and do it slowly 10 times. Generally, the baby will feel the urge to defecate or have a bowel movement soon. Dip a sterilized cotton swab in vegetable oil and gently insert it into the baby's anus to induce a bowel movement in the rectum.