Question
The infant has been on a mixed feeding diet. Now, they are fed eight times a day, with each feeding about 100ml of formula. Recently, they have been having a bowel movement every two days, and the stool is green. Today, there is less stool, and it is hard. It seems like they are having difficulty defecating. Do they need to go to the hospital?
Answer
Parents should clearly handle the issue of infants’ dry stool by focusing on preventing its occurrence. Therefore, it is important to advocate for reasonable feeding of infants and to cultivate good living habits in them (not being picky or biased in food choices, having regular bowel movements every day). Strengthening physical exercise for infants with dry stool, they should normally eat more vegetables, fruits, drink more water, and consume more fatty foods, as well as engage in more physical activities. Dry stool will improve. If the infant frequently experiences constipation, they can take some traditional Chinese medicine under the guidance of a doctor for adjustment.