My Baby Has Hard Stool

Eating high fiber foods can make it easier to pass hard stools.

My baby has hard stool.

We often use the bristol stool scale which shows the range of stool textures from one to seven. When baby constipation is wreaking its havoc baby s poop comes out in hard balls. The problem is that your baby has an uncontrolled stooling reflex and the muscles by the anus do not relax at the proper time so your baby pushes hard with the diaphragm and the belly muscles while holding the anus tightly closed and it looks like your baby is very constipated because they will do this over and over again without results. If baby s poop is thin and watery and has red streaks or her poop is a raspberry color that looks like congealed fat it may signal a bacterial infection.

But if your baby seems to be in pain or you have any concerns call your doctor. Infrequent stools that are not soft in consistency clay like stool consistency hard pellets of stool long periods of straining or crying while trying to have a bowel movement streaks of red blood in the stool lack of appetite a hard belly. If baby s poop is hard and dry a sign of constipation and contains red streaks it s likely caused by small tears in the skin created by straining to poop. Drinking more water can help soften.

As infants move from a liquid to a predominantly solid diet their stools can become harder and uncomfortable to pass. One is rabbit like pellet shaped poop and seven is pure liquid santo domingo says. Most often the hard stools are due to the baby s digestive system not really coping with solids and this will improve over the months to come. If your child goes more than a few days without a bowel movement and then has a hard stool they may be experiencing constipation.

For example research has. Fruits and vegetables are examples of. A few foods are commonly associated with constipation. This change is even more dramatic if your baby has become accustomed to the natural laxative effect of breast milk.

As the baby is approaching toddler age it is also common that they start eating more pasta and bread which can both lead to constipation. Various constipation medications may help with passing a hard stool. What to do then. Constipation is defined not just by the frequency of bowel.

Signs that indicate constipation in a baby include. In rare cases a medical problem causes lasting serious constipation. His doctor may want to check to make sure his intestines are absorbing food and nutrients properly some rare types of baby poop could suggest a more serious problem. Your baby eats solids and consistently has undigested food in his poop.