Question
My baby has been suffering from diarrhea since birth while breastfeeding. Lately, when we added formula milk, the baby stopped having bowel movements, but it seems a bit unusual! There hasn’t been a bowel movement for two to three days.
Answer
Your baby is experiencing physiological diarrhea, which is often due to poor digestion of breast milk. Generally, it does not interfere with the baby’s growth and development, and symptoms will gradually improve as you introduce solid foods. Since your baby’s bowel movements improved after being given formula milk, it indicates that your baby has constipation. Constipation is usually caused by insufficient water intake, delayed bowel movements, slow intestinal peristalsis, and overly greasy diet. Therefore, you should not worry too much. It is recommended that you gradually introduce easily digestible complementary foods, always maintain a balanced and diverse diet, such as liver puree, vegetable congee, meat congee, rice flour, egg yolks, fish, etc., eat small meals frequently to avoid causing indigestion in the baby. You can gently massage the baby’s abdomen clockwise to facilitate intestinal peristalsis. Encourage your baby to drink warm water and engage in outdoor activities regularly to increase calcium absorption through sunlight exposure. This will help in the appropriate digestion of calcium and vitamins. I hope my explanation is helpful to you!