Congratulations, mama! You've made it through the first few weeks of breastfeeding and now have a beautiful bundle of joy in your arms. As you gaze at your little one, you can't help but feel so grateful... until it's time for them to poop. Yes, that dirty word nobody likes to talk about - poop.
As a new parent, you'll quickly realize how essential poop is to ensuring your baby stays healthy and happy. But what happens when your breastfed baby refuses to go number two? Don't worry; we've got you covered with our poop 101 guide.
The Science behind Pooping
Before diving into practical solutions for getting your breastfed baby to go poo-poo, let's start by understanding why babies need this daily dose of relief. In a nutshell:
- Babies typically pass stool around three times per day within their first month
- Breast milk provides all the necessary nutrients for creating smooth bowel movements
- Regular pooping helps eliminate harmful bacteria from the body
Now that we understand how vital poops are let's see how we can assist our little ones in producing high-quality stools.
Signs That Your Little One Needs Help With Defecating
If there's anyone who knows when something isn't right with their baby - it’s most definitely mommy! Here are some signs that indicate when junior needs help letting everything out:
- Straining: If they're red-faced or tense up while pushing during feeding or diaper change.
- Overstretched Stool Time: Are they taking more than three days between BMs?
- Hard Clumps in Their Diaper: Or rabbit pellets may suggest constipation issues.
- Foul Smells: A bad smell may denote an accumulation of waste gas due to excessive retention.
- Lethargy: If your baby seems less playful or irritable, it could be an indicator of discomfort.
If one or several of these signals arise, then you need to take prompt action.
Tips and Tricks for Facilitating the Poop Process
Assuming you've identified that your baby has constipation issues, what can a loving parent do to help?
Hydration
Your little one may require more fluids. Given that breast milk contains 80 percent water (yes, you read that correctly) the following measures will help inspire their inner fluid intake craving:
- Add water: Give them additional drops of freshwater.
- Nurse twice as often: Especially during hot spells when perspiration causes dehydration risks.
- Massage breasts with warm towels prior to each nursing session (talk about rejuvenation!)
Fibre
Introducing foods like fruits dense in insoluble fibre items will bump up bowel activity levels in babies 4 months+:
| Solids rich in Insoluble Fiber |
|---|
| Carrots |
| Sweet Potatoes |
| Blueberries |
Let's go shopping!
But if your child is eight weeks old or less hold off on solid food. BC [Medical Journal] confirms bowels require time before digesting solids – indeed we must not rush mother nature!
Rub The Belly The Right Way
With age-old ancestry approaches from the Mayan civilization coupled with Zulu culture cast only positive ancient traditions on this method; simple yet highly effective by elevating our baby’s spirits! Rounded circular motions around infant erect ribcage beginning clockwise aid cramps such as those arising through difficulty clenching any body area due to blocks in coordination proper gas emissions ultimately increasing stool passing ability.
Give yourself five minutes each day alone with junior and see how they respond over time - who doesn't love a good massage anyway? But make sure both yours and junior's hands are clean beforehand.
Petrol For Baby
Nope not for the little one to drink moms and dads!! It’s topical use. Applications using petroleum jelly (commonly available at drug stores) may help lubricate the insides of colons, helping your wee one move their stool out easier.
Smear a bit on bum rashes if present too! If you are unsure about introducing anything new, check with your nurse or paediatrician first as noted in [American Family Physician].
Tummy Time Always Helps
Placing junior on his/her stomach prior to feeding sessions will allow gas formation movement thereby improving their faecal extraction rate. Also lying down after mealtimes raises juices from our baby 's digestive system's base facilitating easier bowel motions further aiding digestion – Yay!
Plus being able to hang out and observe everything is much more captivating than staring at the ceiling.
Potty Party Makeover - Yes Indeed!!
The moment has arrived: You can tell that it's coming up any minute now... so let us turn this usually embarrassing scenario into an enlightening educational event! Start toilet training by laying a diaper while setting junior upon atop relaxed attire suitable for pooping then sing songs cheer along rewarding accomplishments i.e successful excretions furthermore permitting them increased opportunities beyond furniture-bound attempts motivating confidence praise worthiness!
You’ll hear us say most importantly several times within this guide parents must show infinite patience throughout every attempt ultimately educating but never imposing wayward contingencies whereupon any stress boosts tension causing exactly opposite outcomes i.e NOT transferring over general hygiene habits directing potty choices towards only adults after all no parent wants the latter matter becoming some permanently carried trigger-nasty-phobia-mark over which authority naturally reduces substantially through limitless kindness understanding humor warmth empathy hugs encouragement positivity supportiveness firm yet fair doggedness amicable tolerance basking "unconditionalf love" knowing millions have survived such situations including sleeping challenges weaning processes suppertime switch-ups and sticky diaper malfunctions.
Probiotic Therapy
As a final resort, probiotics might be the solution for stubborn constipation woes: In regulation of gut bacteria which are intrinsic to fibre breakdown aiding stool evacuation (yes, these actually exist too!) standard names you can search include Lactobacillus acidophilus Bifidobacterium lactis examples most frequently used in treating infantile colic - although it's never advisable to take before consulting with your healthcare physician prior further exploration elsewhere.
Poop certainly isn't our favourite topic or something that brings joy as we carry on through this adventure. However, it’s necessary if you want junior happy healthy comfortable any time of day – or night! Let us know how things go using these pointers but ultimately embrace every moment with its teenage giggling goodbyes when he/she no longer needs assistance completing such rituals... at long last!