How to regulate baby's constipation diet is the key

Do your children have long-term constipation problems? They haven't had a bowel movement for several days. When they finally feel the bowel movement, the stool is too hard, which makes their little butts hurt so much. The children are sweating and crying because of the bowel movement. Wow... constipation is like a world war. It turns out that "constipation is not a disease, but it hurts when it happens." Whether it is a small sheep's stool, or a long bowel movement, a big one that bleeds, enema is definitely not a long-term solution. How can we improve the baby's constipation constitution? Professional Chinese medicine practitioner Yu Ma shares two tips!

The first step: Children's massage to clear the stomach and intestines

Children are small in size, so special pediatric massage methods have certain effects. The effect is more significant for children under 3 years old. For older children, acupoint massage may be the main method, supplemented by medication.

1. Abdominal massage: Massage the baby's belly in a clockwise direction for 3-5 minutes to promote gastrointestinal motility and smoother bowel movements;

Tip 2: High-fiber food + drink more water

(1) Water-soluble fiber: sweet potatoes, potatoes, oats, brown rice, barley, dried beans, vegetables (broccoli, carrots, seaweed), fruits (apples, pears, bananas, citrus fruits)

(2) Insoluble fiber: wheat bran, whole wheat bread, cereals, vegetables

Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes syndrome differentiation and treatment. Constipation alone has different syndrome types, which need to be judged by questioning, tongue diagnosis, and pulse feeling. There are two main directions for the treatment of children's constipation from the perspective of internal medicine:

1. Heat in the stomach and intestines

Because of the heat, the water in the body is burned dry, so the stool is dry and hard, and there may even be bleeding or anal fissures. Children's lips or tongues will be redder, and they are prone to dry mouth, cracked mouth or bad breath. Eat less roasted, fried and spicy food, drink more water and eat more vegetables and fruits. Seed foods such as black sesame, pine nuts, almonds, etc. contain oil, which can help lubricate the intestines and relieve constipation symptoms. For Chinese medicine, doctors often prescribe prescriptions containing hemp seeds, almonds, cassia seeds, etc.

2. Weak Qi and blood

Constipation is not always caused by anger! Some children cannot defecate because of weak Qi and blood, which makes their intestines unable to move. Children with this type of constipation have a bad complexion, are thin, have poor appetite, and eat less, so they don't defecate for a few days or don't have the strength to defecate. Chinese medicine practitioners often prescribe prescriptions containing Qi and blood supplements, such as Sijunzi Decoction, Codonopsis, and Astragalus for Qi supplements, and Siwu Decoction for blood supplements. Eat less raw and cold food to avoid further consumption of Qi and blood.

In addition, you should also be careful not to eat only one kind of fruits with cold or hot properties. Excessive cold fruits may slow down intestinal peristalsis, while excessive hot fruits may cause the gastrointestinal tract to tend to be dry and hot, thereby causing dry and hard stools.

However, parents do not need to be too nervous. Unless you eat a lot of fruits a day, or only eat one type of fruit for a while, it is not easy to affect the gastrointestinal tract and cause constipation. Generally, fruits and vegetables still contain fiber, so proper supplementation is good for the gastrointestinal tract.