Question
A 40-day-old baby often has small, intermittent bowel movements during the first month after birth. Sometimes, after changing diapers, a small amount of feces is excreted again, and even some are released when passing gas. In addition, the baby frequently farts. What could be the cause of this defecation phenomenon?
Answer
Not all small bowel movements in babies necessarily indicate constipation. This could be due to the baby absorbing breast milk too thoroughly. If the baby has extremely small and hard bowel movements, it may indeed be constipation. Parents can try massaging the baby’s abdomen to help alleviate the symptoms. If the symptoms are severe, parents should take the baby to the hospital for treatment.