A newborn cannot go big: – what to do?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

After the baby was born, the processes of adaptation to the still unknown world begin in his body. Most often they are associated with the instability of the digestive system. While getting used to a new type of food, the baby's stomach and intestines begin to work unstably, which makes his parents worry. The most common consequence of this is the situation when the newborn cannot go big for several days. What to do in this case and where to turn? Let's try to answer this important question.

Constipation due to breastfeeding

Many young mothers repeatedly wonder why a newborn does not poop. There are actually several reasons for constipation in a baby of the first year of life, and the most relevant of them is the reaction to breastfeeding. Among pediatricians, the normal emptying of the intestines in a child who feeds exclusively on mother's milk is a period of 1 to 10 days. In this case, parents do not have to resort to auxiliary measures and force the body of the crumbs to get rid of accumulated waste. Usually a newborncan go away in a big way due to the fact that the body processes almost all the microelements received from breast milk, and excess fluid comes out with urine. If a delay in emptying causes intestinal colic in a child, then you should consult a doctor for advice.

Newborn bottle-fed: causes of constipation

The opposite is the situation when the baby is on artificial or mixed feeding. If in this case the newborn does not poop for 3 days or more, this may be the cause of intestinal dysbiosis, which is a fairly common cause. It is again impossible to perform any auxiliary actions in the form of enemas, the use of gas tubes and laxatives without prior consultation with a pediatrician. It is possible that parents will have to abandon the infant formula they feed the baby, because it was its composition that could cause a delay in emptying. If the newborn cannot go big, the lead pediatrician will most likely recommend taking the baby's feces for analysis to determine the percentage of bacteria and prescribe one or another medication to improve his digestion.

What to do when a newborn can't go big due to lack of enzymes?

Another most common cause of constipation in infants may be pancreatic enzyme deficiency. If your babyhave made just such a diagnosis, then you should not panic, because there are excellent drugs that ideally replace natural enzymes and promote better digestion. The amount of substances is usually replenished over time, so this ailment is unlikely to annoy your child after the introduction of vegetable complementary foods into his diet.