Question

What should I do if my newborn hasn’t had a bowel movement for five days?

Answer

For newborn constipation, you can try the following eight methods:

  1. Increase fluid intake.
  2. Adjust the mother’s diet to keep it light and ensure she drinks plenty of water.
  3. Perform abdominal clockwise massage on the baby twice a day, for 5 to 10 minutes each time.
  4. If constipation persists for several days, you can use pediatric enemas.
  5. Feed more fruits and vegetable juices.
  6. Control the speed and amount of breastfeeding, and dilute the formula concentration.
  7. Use soap bars or radish sticks soaked in saltwater to stimulate bowel movement.
  8. Inject enemas into the rectum to stimulate defecation.