My Baby Has Hard Stool

Constipation is defined not just by the frequency of bowel.

My baby has hard stool.

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. Signs that indicate constipation in a baby include. The same goes for cow s milk. 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.

As infants move from a liquid to a predominantly solid diet their stools can become harder and uncomfortable to pass. But if your baby seems to be in pain or you have any concerns call your doctor. 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. 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.

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. When baby constipation is wreaking its havoc baby s poop comes out in hard balls. Eating high fiber foods can make it easier to pass hard stools. This change is even more dramatic if your baby has become accustomed to the natural laxative effect of breast milk.

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. For example research has. Drinking more water can help soften. What to do then.

One is rabbit like pellet shaped poop and seven is pure liquid santo domingo says. Fruits and vegetables are examples of. Your baby has hard pebbly stools in his diaper three or more times. Hard stools are common from time to time.

Your baby eats solids and consistently has undigested food in his poop. In rare cases a medical problem causes lasting serious constipation. 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. We often use the bristol stool scale which shows the range of stool textures from one to seven.