Patient's question:
My baby is four and a half months old. His stool is often green, and his tongue has a yellow and greasy coating. He is formula-fed and seems to have no sense of hunger. Sometimes he goes without eating for 8 to 9 hours, and I have never heard him cry from hunger. He doesn’t eat once during the night. For a while, he avoided the bottle, but after taking Similac and Children’s Health Tablets, his condition improved. However, his sense of hunger is not obvious—he will eat if offered, but won’t if not. He once had curd-like diarrhea (five times a day, which was resolved by taking Smecta). I’m not sure if this is due to indigestion or food stagnation. How can I cultivate his sense of hunger? Will this prolonged situation affect his physical and intellectual development? Thank you!Doctor's answer:
??????If the baby has poor digestion or indigestion, you can check if the baby's abdomen is swollen or if they are spitting up milk, as well as the frequency and consistency of their bowel movements (whether they are sticky, frothy, or green). Indigestion is a term used in traditional Chinese medicine, but it can also refer to digestive issues in Western medicine.If a child is not interested in eating, the first step is to rule out whether the abdomen has been exposed to cold and whether the bowel movements are normal. Additionally, if the baby has a cold, they may also lose their appetite. It is recommended that the mother observe the situation and consider giving the baby pancreatin oral solution or lactase tablets to aid digestion. If the condition does not improve, it is advisable to seek medical attention.