Question
My baby is 7 and a half months old and hasn’t had a bowel movement for about ten days. She strains with all her might but can’t go, and she cries very heartbreakingly. After using an enema, she only had a little bowel movement. For several days without a bowel movement, her cheeks are always red and cracked. What’s going on? I haven’t treated this before, and I want to know how to make the baby feel better quickly without using medication, and to maintain daily bowel movements?
Answer
Lactose deficiency may cause constipation in infants, especially those fed with formula milk. If constipation occurs, it should be checked in this aspect. The lactose content in breast milk is 7.5%, while that in formula milk is only 4.8%. Therefore, the intestines of babies fed with formula milk lack fermentable substances because they cannot obtain enough fermentation, making the stool dry. In addition, the lactose in breast milk is β-lactose, which is beneficial for the production of normal bacteria, and breast milk contains super enzymes that aid in the baby’s absorption. Whey is the main protein in breast milk, which is friendly to the intestines, soft and easy to digest, so babies breastfed with breast milk usually have smooth bowel movements. The lactose in formula milk is α-lactose, which affects the production of normal bacteria. The main protein in formula milk is casein, which forms rubbery curds that are not easy to absorb and are rarely completely digested, most of which become waste. The content of casein and calcium in cow’s milk is higher than that in breast milk, which can lead to the formation of various insoluble calcium soaps in the stool, causing constipation. Suggestions: If breastfeeding, it may be due to insufficient breast milk supply, often accompanied by symptoms such as no weight gain and crying after feeding. This kind of constipation only requires increasing feeding…