Question
The baby’s muscle tension was checked while the doctor was holding its stomach with one hand. A silver yuan-sized medal was stuck to the baby’s stomach at the time. The baby had been very cooperative, but cried when its stomach was lifted. The baby cried loudly and refused to breastfeed before bedtime. After being comforted to sleep, it slept until noon, and then cried loudly again and refused to breastfeed, acting as if something was uncomfortable. The baby had a bowel movement one day before and didn’t have one today. I want to know if the baby was hurt by the doctor lifting its stomach. The baby never cried during breastfeeding before. The baby has been exclusively breastfed. Thank you.
Answer
During a careful examination, the doctor’s actions are gentle and will not harm the baby, let alone injure its internal organs. The baby’s crying before bedtime and refusal to breastfeed might be due to seeing the doctor’s clothes or being frightened during the detailed examination. Since the baby is not familiar with doctors, it feels sad and insecure when its stomach is held by the doctor, leading to a sense of fear and subsequent crying. If the mother does not promptly comfort the baby after a detailed examination to completely alleviate its discomfort, the baby may develop a psychological shadow. This is why there is crying at bedtime again. In such cases, mothers should talk more with their babies and comfort them thoroughly to eliminate any sense of insecurity, and play soothing light music for the baby so that it can forget about the unpleasantness and return to normal life.