Patient's question:
A 35-day-old infant hasn't had a bowel movement for 4 days. This symptom appeared after vaccination. What should we do? Is this normal?First follow-up question: Is there no problem with her diet? She is breastfed, and there are no eye discharge or anything like that, so it shouldn't be due to internal heat. We took her to the pediatric hospital, and the doctor didn't say much, just prescribed some digestive medicine. But after taking it for several days, there hasn't been any improvement.
Is it related to the vaccination? Because she used to have bowel movements several times a day before vaccination, but now she hasn't had one for several days. The baby doesn't seem to have any other symptoms, just...
Doctor's answer:
Hello: Then may I ask if the child has any other symptoms? Is there any abnormality in their diet? Children who drink milk often suffer from constipation, and each bowel movement is very painful. Some may even tear their anal sphincter. The child may cry and refuse to defecate, causing the parents great anxiety. How can this situation be avoided? You can try the following methods:(1) Add a moderate amount of sugar to the milk, such as 10 grams of white sugar in 100 milliliters of milk.
(2) Give the child some honey water.
(3) Pay attention to feeding the child high-vitamin supplementary foods such as fresh fruit juice, vegetable water, and apple puree.
If the child struggles very hard to defecate and finds it difficult to pass stool, you can cut a piece of soap into a stick or use a glycerin suppository to insert into the anus. If it still doesn’t work, you can use infant glycerin suppositories or seek medical attention at the hospital. Never give the child laxatives casually.
Children who frequently suffer from constipation should, in addition to dietary adjustments, also persist in doing exercises to strengthen their abdominal muscles, which is beneficial for defecation.