Imitators of Constipation

• If breastfed and over 1 month old: Infrequent BMs every 4-7 days that are soft, large and pain-free can be normal. Before 1 month old, infrequent stools usually means an inadequate intake of breastmilk.
• Grunting or straining while pushing out a BM is normal in young infants. (Reason: difficult to pass BM lying on back with no help from gravity). Infants commonly become red in the face during straining.
• No BM after more than 2 days (Exception: Breastfed and over 1 month old)
• Brief straining or pushing for less than 10 minutes can occur occasionally at any age.
• Large BM’s - Size relates to amount of food consumed and BM frequency. Large eaters have larger stools.
• Hard or dry BM’s are also normal if passed easily without straining. Often relates to poor fiber intake. Some children even have small, dry rabbit-pellet-like stools.