Constipation in infants

This problem of digestion, like constipation, occurs in many infants and can occur due to many factors. How can parents make sure that the baby really has constipation, and how can the baby be quickly helped?

To determine if your baby is constipated, you need to simultaneously evaluate the frequency of bowel movements, the consistency of the feces, and the condition of the baby. If a child has a stool for a few days, then such a condition is considered constipated when such a delay manifests itself systematically, while the baby is restless, crying during straining.

A constipation chair is often represented by hard lumps or a hard lump sausage. Fecal masses in the form of smooth or ribbed sausages, as well as pasty feces are not characteristic of constipation.

• Most often constipation in an infant has been provoked by such factors:
• Insufficient water intake. This reason is especially relevant for infants fed formula, but even toddlers. breastfed It is worth adding if the crumb is in hot conditions or in a heated room with dry air.
• Not enough milk from mom.
• Sharp changes in baby's nutrition, for example, adding a mixture of foods, complementary foods, changing the mix, changing the diet of a nursing mommy to the infant's diet.
• Allergic reactions.
• Congenital abnormalities of the digestive system.
• Functional disorders of the digestive tract.
• Disorders of metabolism of potassium and calcium, rickets, thyroid disease.
• Take nursing mother or baby of some medicines, for example, antibiotics, iron supplements, antispasmodics and others.
• Fear of pain during stool.

Lack of stool may be a manifestation of bowel invagination or obstruction. These pathologies require immediate care and surgical treatment. If the baby did not cough up for 1-3 days, and then a bloody clot emerged in the crumbs, immediately call an ambulance. Also, you should be alerted to such symptoms associated with constipation, such as fever, vomiting, refusal to eat, and strong crying.

Constipation can be one of the symptoms of such serious diseases:

1. Dolichosigmoid With this disease, the sigmoid colon of the child is elongated, because of which it bends over and unnecessarily puts pressure on the rectum.
2. Lactase deficiency. This pathology is characterized by a lack of an enzyme that breaks down milk sugar. In this case, constipation in crumbs alternate with loose stools.
3. Hirshsprung disease. With such a disease, the innervation of certain parts of the intestine is impaired, as a result of which they contract and spasm, hindering the advancement of fecal masses.
4. Dolichocolon, double colon.
5. Celiac disease
6. Myasthenia, scleroderma.
7. Hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, diabetes mellitus, hyperparathyroidism.

First of all, you need to try to identify the cause of difficulty defecation in the baby, eliminating the obvious reasons that are easy to correct. It is important to take into account the type of feeding of the baby, since in breastfed babies, the causes of constipation are one, and in children-artificials, there are others.

The actions of the parents will be:

• Correction of the feeding mother's menu.
• Compliance drinking regime crumbs.
• Using a humidifier in winter (when heating is on).
• Change of milk formula.
• Food change
• Frequent laying on the tummy.
• Massage the abdomen baby movements in a circle.
• Gymnastics with a baby - pressing bent legs to the stomach.
• Adding to the diet of the baby older than 6 months apple puree, prunes, peach, apricot, decoction of dried fruits.

If such actions did not help, you should go with the baby to the pediatrician. The doctor will help determine the cause of impaired defecation and advise effective ways to cope with constipation.

Enema does not apply to natural ways of causing emptying. It should be used only in emergency cases and after consulting a doctor. It is not recommended to carry out enemas to the child systematically.

A safe enema option for newborns is microlax. This is a ready solution, presented in the form of microclysters.

Lactulose is a lightly prebiotic. laxative effect. It does not develop addictive. In addition, this tool has a beneficial effect on the state of the intestinal microflora.

Drugs, including lactulose, are goodluck, normase, dufalak, romfalak, portalkom and others. There are no contraindications to such drugs, so they are allowed for children of any age, but since it is difficult to choose the dosage in each case, lactulose syrup follows after the appointment of a doctor.

Such a tool is considered safe and harmless for small children, but many pediatricians advise against using glycerin candles for babies. The use of such candles is permissible only in the form of emergency care after consulting a doctor, when other means did not work. Babies are given candles for children or candles cut into quarters for adults. More than once a day you can not put such candles. If the agent did not work within an hour, it is prohibited to repeat the injection of the candle and you should immediately call a doctor.