Patient's question:
Babies who are exclusively breastfed may have one bottle of formula per week when their mothers are away. At two and a half months, they previously had 67 bowel movements, but in the past two days, they have had only two to three. Additionally, they seem to struggle and feel pain when urinating. Is this normal? Is it common for babies at two and a half months to have many bowel movements in a day?Doctor's answer:
First, it is necessary to confirm whether the baby is truly experiencing constipation and struggling to have a bowel movement, as sometimes what appears in the baby may just be an illusion. If the baby only has a bowel movement every three days, but the stool is large in volume and relatively soft, then it does not have constipation. Some babies may make a pained expression while defecating, turning red in the face and making a "hmm" sound. This usually occurs because the baby's coordination has not yet fully developed; some muscles need to be tightened, while others need to be relaxed. Therefore, some babies may not know how to control different nerves, so they tighten relevant muscle groups by tightening muscles such as the face.