Question
My nine-month-old baby is experiencing difficulty in defecating again. When she has a bowel movement, she cries, and her stool is very hard and sticky. There has also been blood in the stool recently, with bleeding occurring for the past five to six times. The frequency of bowel movements is low, sometimes only once a week, and the longest time without a bowel movement was 11 days during the postpartum period. What kind of dietary adjustment should I make? She also eats bananas and is fed a mixture of breast milk and congee. She drinks 3-4 times of water a day now. Should I pay attention to anything?
Answer
The main issue with the baby is difficulty in defecating. Since a child’s gastrointestinal function is not fully developed, if the baby is breastfed, the mother should pay attention to her diet, eating more fresh fruits and vegetables to provide abundant dietary fiber. When introducing complementary foods, it’s important to ensure a variety of vegetables and fruits to maintain intestinal moisture, which is beneficial for bowel movements. Additionally, giving the child some warm water daily is also very important.