6 Month Old With Painful Bowel Movment and Blood When Wiping

by Jennifer
(Jefferson City, MO, USA)

I just introduced my nursing 6 month old to her first solid food, avocado, and this morning she was fussy and almost holding her breath with pain.

As I changed her diaper, she was in the process of finishing the bowel movement. The feces is much thicker, of course, than it was with just breastfeeding and rice cereal, and I noticed blood as I cleaned her bottom. I do not notice blood in the stool, just on the baby wipe as I wiped the anus. I'm assuming her anus is bleeding due to stretching out further than it has before to produce a thicker bowel movement.

Does this sound correct? Should I stop feeding her the avocado? Should I introduce a different food now that it has been several days on just avocado?

Is there anything I can do to alleviate the pain or to soften the stool so it can be more easily passed?

Find answers and comments to this question below.

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Baby Help Line Response:

Hi Jennifer!

Poor girl! It is quite common particularly for breastfed babies to become constipated when they start with solid foods.

Go slowly and try mixing the veggies you give her with prune purée or give a table spoon to her as a dessert with every meal. You can also try giving her some prune juice if she prefers that.

I've found prunes as being one of the most efficient ways to soften baby stools. Also remember to always either offer breast milk or water every time you give her solid foods. Breast milk is best, since that is a great laxative.

Regarding the avocado, that is actually a great first foods for a baby. It is very healthy and easiy to digest compared to many other possible first foods. In addition to containing healthy fats, which are beneficial for the baby's brain development, avocado has been shown to enhance a person's absorption of the nutritients in other vegetables too if eaten together. (You can read the article on how avocados increase the carotenoid uptake here. Cartenoids are strong antioxidants, with important anti-inflammatory properties. So long story short - continue with the avocado, but combine it with for example prune puree and a lot of breast milk, to really help your baby's digestive system.

Once your baby is getting slightly less uncomfortable from the solids and you want to try other tastes, you can find some baby food recipes
to start with here.

I hope this helps,

Paula

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