Stool Staying in the Colon Too Long
The colon's job is to dehydrate the stool. The water removed from the stool gets reabsorbed into the blood. If the colon removes too much of the water, the stool can become very hard and dry. This can make the stool very difficult for a newborn baby to pass. Stool can end up in the colon too long for a bunch of reasons. These include having a naturally slow colon, a lack of stimulation to the colon and a blockage to the colon. While many parents may think a lack of expelling feces is constipation, constipation actually describes the characteristics of the stool rather than the frequency of them. See the Resources section for a link.
Inadequate Nutrition
If a baby is not taking in enough he can become constipated. A baby's body needs water to fuel the breakdown of food and to help pass the stool. If a baby is dehydrated from not getting enough breast milk or formula, a newborn can become constipated. Most doctors will tell parents to increase the amount of liquids (breast milk, formula or in some cases diluted juice) to help relieve their baby's constipation. Check with your pediatrician before feeding your baby anything besides breast milk or formula.
Change of Diet
A newborn baby's digestive system is sensitive. A baby can become constipated if he is switched from breast milk to formula. A baby can also become constipated if his formula is changed. Infant formulas can leave residue in the colon making stools hard to pass. While it is unlikely for a breastfed baby to become constipated, formula fed babies may experience constipation. Babies who eat soy-based formulas may experience more constipation than babies who eat milk-based formulas because of the increased residue soy formulas leave behind. A baby's digestive system wasn't designed to process formulas and the residue left behind. Adding cereal to baby formulas can increase the residue and make constipation even worse.
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