Patient's question:
My child hasn't had a bowel movement for over a month. I have been giving him a laxative every few days, but he also talks nonsense and eats well. What's going on?Past treatment history and effectiveness:
- Drinking four-mo-tang ()
- The help it provided: Having a bowel movement is good
Doctor's answer:
Constipation. Mainly：Infantile constipation is primarily assessed based on the quality and quantity of stool, as well as whether it has any adverse effects on the baby, rather than confirming it by the frequency of bowel movements. Each baby has different bowel movement patterns, which are also related to the type and amount of milk they consume. Generally, breastfed infants have more frequent bowel movements compared to formula-fed infants, and the stool of formula-fed infants tends to be harder than that of breastfed infants. If a baby has not had a bowel movement for 2–3 days but then easily passes a single, moderately hard stool with normal volume and shows no other discomfort, it is not necessarily constipation, and parents need not worry. However, if the stool is dry, small in quantity, and difficult to pass, or if the baby becomes agitated, cries during defecation, or even develops a fear of bowel movements, this indicates a pathological condition. Common causes of constipation include intestinal obstruction, Hirschsprung's disease, improper diet, overheating, and hypothyroidism. Short-term consumption of Sizima decoction may be helpful.