Question
My two-month-old baby has bowel movements eight times a day. The stools are normal yellow but occasionally have a bit of redness. The baby strains and makes noises during bowel movements, and the face becomes flushed. The baby sleeps and eats normally, and the underarm temperature is 37.3 degrees Celsius. The baby looks energetic. Is it diarrhea? Is it normal for a two-month-old to have bowel movements so often? What kind of treatment is needed?
Answer
In general, one to three bowel movements per day are considered normal. If the stools are very loose, it may still be due to dietary issues. If there’s a bit of blood, it could be gastroenteritis. In that case, my suggestion would be to give the baby some probiotics to adjust the gut flora.