Your Baby's Bowels and Constipation

There are a lot of misconceptions about what constipation is and its significance in babies.

Can Infrequent Bowel Movements Still Be Normal?

Since milk is such a nutritious substance, sometimes almost all of it is absorbed and there is little left to move along, and stools become infrequent. For example, some perfectly normal breastfed infants only go once a week. Other infants just have a slower (but completely normal) gut, so they also go infrequently.

Prolonged, severe constipation can have a medical cause (for example, if the muscles in the intestine don't work or there is some sort of blockage), but that's a very rare occurrence, while infrequent, hard stools, on the other hand, are very common.

Constipation Defined

There is no medical harm in the stool staying in the body for a long time, and the frequency of your baby's bowel movements (BMs) does not really define true constipation. True constipation occurs when the baby's stools cause significant difficulty and discomfort when being passed, because they are very dense and hard. This definition excludes the baby who has soft, easy-to-pass stools once a week, even if he seems to strain a lot in the process.

Tips for Concerned Parents

• Try a different brand of formula if you're bottle feeding. (Constipation should never be considered a reason to discontinue breastfeeding.)
• Add a little non-absorbable sugar or dark fruit (prune or pear) juice to your baby's formula. Or just give some extra water or electrolyte solution between feedings, especially in hot weather.
• Try a little help from below, like a glycerin suppository or a well greased thermometer if the addition of a little sugar does not work.
• Remember that most babies with infrequent BMs are not truly "constipated" and nothing needs to be changed.

When to Worry About Baby's Constipation

Contact your pediatrician if the infrequent, hard stools seem to be causing significant discomfort to your baby. But keep in mind that infrequent but soft, easy-to-pass BMs are not constipation and rarely require intervention.