It is said that many parents believe that babies are prone to getting heaty from drinking formula milk, and breastfeeding is considered more ideal. Indeed, the benefits of breastfeeding are widely known, but not every mother can achieve exclusive breastfeeding. For children who are fed formula milk, there may be issues with constipation at times. The heatiness caused by infant formula often directly affects bowel movements, such as leading to constipation. When faced with a situation where newborns fed formula milk are not having bowel movements, what measures can we take?
One method is to give the baby a moderate amount of water between feedings. Compared to breast milk, formula milk differs in fatty acid structure and oligosaccharide content, which may result in slowed intestinal peristalsis in babies, causing hard stools or dark yellow urine. Therefore, giving water to babies between feedings can help clean the oral cavity, provide mild hydration, but excessive water intake should be avoided.
Additionally, abdominal massage is a good way to promote babies’ bowel movements. Lay the baby flat, gently place the base of your right palm on their abdomen, and massage in a clockwise direction from the upper right to upper left and then to lower right, gently rubbing for about ten minutes each time, repeat two to three times daily until the situation improves and maintain the effect for some time. This can enhance abdominal blood circulation, stimulate intestinal movement, not only solving constipation but also increasing appetite.
Furthermore, consider supplementing babies with probiotics. Whether the baby is fed formula or a combination of breast milk and formula, they may encounter several days of constipation due to not adapting to the formula or unstable digestive system function. For younger babies, adjusting intestinal function can be achieved by feeding probiotics to relieve constipation symptoms. As the baby grows older, starting from about four months when introducing complementary foods, introduce foods with larger food particles such as fruit puree, vegetable puree, and children over one year old can also include coarse grains to increase dietary fiber intake. The B vitamins in complementary foods help restore intestinal muscle tone and promote smooth bowel movements in babies.
