Patient's question:
The baby is seven and a half months old. It hasn't had a bowel movement in about ten days. When I see the baby straining to poop, it just can't pass it, and it cries a lot. Then I gave the baby a glycerin suppository, and it pooped a little while crying. These past few days, the baby's face has been red and cracked. What could be the reason for this?Previous treatment and effectiveness: None.
Desired help: Ask the doctor what's going on? How can it recover quickly without medication? How can it maintain a bowel movement once a day?
Doctor's answer:
Lactose deficiency can also cause infant constipation, especially for infants who drink cow's milk. If constipation recurs, it is important to carefully check for this possibility. The lactose content in breast milk is 7.5%, while in cow's milk, it is only 4.8%. Therefore, infants who drink cow's milk lack fermentable substances in their intestinal tracts because they cannot obtain sufficient fermentation, making their stools more prone to becoming dry. On the other hand, apart from the difference in content, the type of lactose in breast milk is different from that in formula milk. Breast milk contains beta-lactose, which promotes the normal growth of beneficial bacteria. Additionally, breast milk contains super enzymes that aid in absorption. Whey, the main protein in breast milk, is friendly to the intestines, soft, and easy to digest, so breastfed babies have very smooth stools. In contrast, the lactose in formula milk is alpha-lactose, which affects the normal growth of beneficial bacteria. The main protein in formula milk is casein, which forms rubbery curds that are very difficult to absorb and rarely fully digested, with most of it being excreted as waste. Moreover, cow's milk contains more casein and calcium than human milk, which can lead to the formation of various insoluble calcium soaps in the stool, causing constipation.Advice: If breastfeeding, the constipation may be due to insufficient milk supply, often accompanied by symptoms such as poor weight gain and crying after feeding. For this type of constipation, simply increasing the feeding amount can alleviate the symptoms. For infants fed cow's milk, increasing the milk intake and sugar content can help. Specifically, the sugar content of the milk can be increased from the original 5–8% to 10–12%, and fruit juice can be added appropriately. For infants under 3–4 months old, adding a lot of milk porridge to the milk can be beneficial. The carbohydrates in the porridge are partially fermented in the intestines, which can stimulate intestinal motility and aid in bowel movement. For infants over 4–5 months old, appropriate complementary foods can be introduced. It is best to chop spinach, cabbage, green vegetables, and chrysanthemum greens, cook them with rice porridge, and make various delicious vegetable porridges for the baby to eat. Additionally, the B vitamins in complementary foods can help restore the normal tone of intestinal muscles, which is beneficial for bowel movement. If dietary adjustments do not improve constipation, honey water can be given to the baby. This can be done by drinking honey water regularly or adding honey to the milk for feeding, which is usually more effective.
Doctor's Inquiry: I hope this information is helpful to you.