Constipation in infants: causes, what to do, how to treat?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

A baby has appeared in the family! This is a great happiness, but at the same time great anxiety for new parents. There are many reasons for concern, especially if the child is the first, and young mother and father still do not know anything and do not know how. One of the reasons that makes you worry is the stool of a newborn. If it is regular, parents will not get enough. But what to do if the baby is constipated?

Who is called a baby

First of all, it is worth understanding: who is a baby? It is generally accepted that a baby is a baby that feeds on mother's milk, in other words, is breastfed. This opinion is fundamentally wrong.

Artificial kids are also babies. Doctors refer to this category absolutely all babies aged from twenty-eight days to twelve months. Another name for such children is newborns.

Peculiarities of digestion and breast stoolbabies

A newly born baby has immature all systems, including the digestive system. In order for everything to take shape and “fall into place”, it will take a certain amount of time, and until then it will be useful for parents to know the physiology of their baby.

The number of bowel movements in babies who eat mother's milk, and crumbs who are given formula, is different. The first can go to the toilet "in a big way" after each feeding (or even immediately during it). The latter, as a rule, manage with one or two "campaigns" per day. At the same time, the appearance of the stool can be very different for some and for other babies - from liquid to thick, until the work of the intestines improves (by about four months). So, if you see “liquid gruel” instead of “thick sour cream” in the diaper, you should not panic - if the child is active, cheerful and his behavior has not changed in any way, then there is no reason to worry.

Babies who are formula fed tend to have thicker stools and also smell quite unpleasant. In addition, depending on the type of mixture, the color of the stool can also vary - from light yellow to dark green. Both artificialists and naturalists may have pieces of mucus in their feces - this is normal.

By about six months, the baby will "do things" no more than three or four times a day (we are talking about those who are breastfed), by the year - even less. But it is important to know the following: it happens that, eating only mother's milk, the baby poops only once every few days. With his general good he alth and mildtummy, this situation is not critical - this is not constipation.

What is considered constipation

You can talk about constipation in a baby if, along with the lack of defecation, the nature of the baby's behavior also changes. He often cries, even screams, attempts to empty the intestines lead to nothing, which causes even greater whims. The baby's tummy swells, it becomes hard to the touch, as if made of stone, and the child constantly presses his legs against it. In addition, the baby may become lethargic and begin to refuse food, as well as restless sleep. In some cases, there is also a lack of gas and even vomiting. All these signs eloquently testify to real problems with the stool, and in this case we can safely say: yes, the child has constipation.

If parents have found several (or even all) of the above symptoms in the behavior of their baby, do not wait for everything to go away on its own, especially if this problem recurs regularly. In this way, you can only harm your child. Therefore, first of all, you must immediately contact a doctor - call an ambulance or a local pediatrician. Only a qualified specialist is able to figure out what is really happening with the baby, confirm or refute parental fears and, if necessary, prescribe and / or conduct competent treatment. In addition, it is important to know: in a newborn, stool comes out quite easily, and there is no need to push hard - like an adult - a child does not need. If the baby does thismaneuver, this is the first "bell" that you should beware.

What is the danger of constipation

You need to understand that such a nuisance can happen to a baby at any age - even in a month, constipation in a baby is not such a common occurrence. However, this problem is not fatal, although it can do enough harm to the child. Constipation is dangerous because if feces linger in the body for a long time, the toxins contained in it enter the baby's body. Because of this, the general condition of the crumbs worsens.

Constipation in the baby: what to do?

First of all, don't panic. Many young parents immediately begin to sound the alarm and fuss, forgetting to "keep a face." Meanwhile, this is absolutely necessary - after all, the baby feels the parental state (especially the mother). Their overexcitation and excitement will be transmitted to him, but he is already so bad. Therefore, you should not aggravate the well-being of your own child, you should, on the contrary, calm down, pull yourself together and begin to act.

So, what to do with constipation in babies? If this happened for the first time, you can try folk methods of dealing with the problem (they will be discussed in detail below). If nothing helps and / or this situation is repeated regularly, you should immediately, as already mentioned, contact a doctor for qualified help.

Possible causes

Why is my baby constipated? This question interests all new parents. Almost anything can affect the stool of a newborn baby. Some causes of constipation in infants (so to speak, common to different types of feeding) are as follows:

• transition from breast to mixture (quite abrupt and unexpected);
• an infection or cold picked up by a child;
• insufficient amount of water drunk per day (of course, this is especially true for formula babies);
• introduction of complementary foods not according to the norm or not on time;
• lack of tone in the rectum;
• allergic to bovine protein – casein found in both breast milk and some infant formula;
• medication for mother or baby;
• dysbacteriosis.

If a baby has rickets (a metabolic disorder, abnormal bone development caused by a lack of vitamin D), then he may have chronic problems with stool. Also, some psychological processes can cause constipation in infants - for example, developing schizophrenia.

A lot of different diseases can cause indigestion in a baby. Among them are diabetes mellitus, intestinal obstruction, problems with the thyroid gland, nervous system or brain, and so on.

In addition, artificial and natural babies have their own, special causes of constipation. Read more about them below.

Breastfeeding

Can a baby who eats only mother's milk be constipated? Of course, it can, and the reason for this in the first place is the corny wrong diet of mommy. A lactating woman has to stick to a certain diet - but this is so difficult to do when all sorts of goodies andbeckon from all sides. As a result, the mother eats the "forbidden fruit", and the baby suffers. It must be remembered that foods such as white bread, bananas, milk, coffee, rice, meat, and even nuts (which many doctors, by the way, recommend to increase lactation), can cause constipation in a child.

To be fair, constipation during breastfeeding is not very common. Mom's milk is well digested in the infant's tummy, because it contains many useful enzymes that contribute to proper digestion. However, when constipation does occur, the reason for this, in addition to that already indicated, may be a lack of breast milk. Quite often, a woman does not have much milk, and if the baby does not receive supplementary food in the form of a mixture and, accordingly, does not eat enough, he has nothing to go to the toilet with - constipation occurs.

Mixed

Mixed feeding is called such feeding when the baby first sucks the mother's breast, and then he is supplemented with an artificial mixture. Babies are often transferred to this type of feeding when the mother has little milk, and it can cause constipation in the newborn. The baby managed to get used to mother's milk and it can be difficult for him to change to other food. Now his body receives milk of two different types, for the digestion of which different enzymes are required. It is difficult for the fragile digestive system of the crumbs to cope with this difficult task - and constipation happens.

To somehow solve the problem of constipation in infants on a mixedfeeding, you can try to change the mixture. Now there are many different mixtures aimed specifically at improving the functioning of the digestive system. There are also special fermented milk mixtures - which contain "live" bifidobacteria. However, you should not experiment on your own with the he alth of the baby, choosing mixtures for him. It is best to consult a pediatrician who will tell you what is best for the child.

Some advise giving children a decoction of prunes and raisins - they help improve bowel function, and constipation can occur due to a lack of water in the body. To avoid constipation in a mixed-fed baby, he must receive a sufficient amount of fluid. Dried fruit infusions are recommended because they are rich in various useful substances, but if parents are afraid to give this to their baby, you can limit yourself to ordinary boiled water in the right quantities.

For artificial feeding

Many people say that constipation in a bottle-fed baby is a fairly common problem precisely because of the type of nutrition itself. The mixture is absorbed by the small ventricle harder than light mother's milk, which provokes constipation. In addition, the cause of this trouble may be non-compliance with the proportions in the dilution of the mixture. As a rule, the manufacturer on the jar warns that it is necessary to clearly regulate the ratio of water and measuring spoons with the mixture, but some do not pay attention to this, because of which, again, the child suffers.

Some mixescontain palm oil, which can also cause difficulties with stools in crumbs. This problem can also appear if the baby has changed the mixture drastically or he generally constantly eats different mixtures.

Constipation treatment

So, if nevertheless such a nuisance happened, how to help the baby with constipation? First of all, you can try to alleviate his suffering by massaging the tummy - gently pressing on it with the palm of your hand in a clockwise direction. It is also recommended to put a warm cloth or heating pad on the baby's tummy. In addition, you can play "bicycle" - work with the legs of the crumbs, first one by one, and then together pressing them to the stomach.

Another method is to take a warm bath, but this is more suitable for older babies than babies at the age of one or two months. You can try to put the baby on the tummy (by the way, it is advised to do this before each feeding, because in this case the food will be absorbed better and the gases will begin to go off easier).

Be sure to monitor the frequency of feeding. If a baby who feeds on mother's milk should be fed at his request, then artificial people are usually fed according to the regimen. It is necessary to set a certain time period and try to strictly adhere to it. If you feed your baby more than the selected period, his tummy will not have time to digest heavy food - hence the constipation.

A baby who is already more than six months old and who receives complementary foods can be given prunes or beets to stabilize bowel function - of course, after preparing them. Theseproducts contribute to the improvement of the digestive system. You can also try to feed your child with an apple, zucchini, cauliflower - it is best if these are not store-bought purees, but home-made ones.

Extreme measures to treat constipation in infants include medication. It must be firmly remembered: almost all laxatives are contraindicated in infants until they reach one year of age. There are only a few drugs that parents of newborns can safely use (but again only as a last resort!). This, for example, is Duphalac syrup based on lactulose (a single dose is 5 milliliters, allowed for children from the first months of life). For babies who are already six months old, there is another medicine - Forlax, which can be taken for a fairly long course - up to three months.

But you should not insert soap into the child's anus (this is a very common folk method). It contains an alkali that can cause burns to the mucous membrane.

Is enema the solution?

It is generally accepted that the fastest and most effective method of dealing with difficult bowel movements is an enema. It really is. However, is it possible to give an enema to a baby with constipation?

The answer will be yes, but only in the most exceptional, severe cases. Like laxatives, enemas are not recommended for routine use in infants. At the same time, it is necessary to choosesoft syringe, which should be filled with no more than thirty milliliters of warm boiled water. The tip should be liberally lubricated with petroleum jelly and inserted into the baby's anus very carefully and no more than one and a half centimeters.

An enema is a very effective and emergency measure of help, but it must be remembered that its frequent use leads to the destruction of beneficial microflora in the intestines and disruption of the natural process of its release. The child will get used to constant stimulation and will not go to the toilet on his own, which is why you should not abuse this remedy.

Using the gas tube

As an analogue of an enema, it is often suggested to simply stimulate the child's intestines. For this purpose, the baby's anus is irritated either with a gas outlet tube, or with a cotton swab, or with a finger in general. This is not to say that this is a very good method - after all, the rectum of the crumbs is very delicate, and it is very easy to damage it. However, in isolated cases, you can help the baby in this way. At the same time, it is better to use not a finger, but a special gas outlet tube - they are now sold in any pharmacy and have the most positive reviews. Constipation in infants is easily eliminated if one end of the tube is lowered into a container of water, the other, narrower, previously lubricated with petroleum jelly, gently inserted into the baby's anus. First the baby will pass gas, then the stool.

Using rectal suppositories

Rectal glycerin tablets are also used to treat constipation in infants.candles. There are such specifically for babies - they are absolutely safe, have a mild effect and help to quickly fix the problem, literally within an hour. However, candles, like an enema, like a tube, are also not worth getting carried away - for the same reasons. By the way, you don’t need to stuff a whole candle into your child - just one third will be enough for him. But if the candle is placed, but the "miracle" did not happen, it is imperative to call the doctor.

Helpful tips

It is best not to treat constipation, but to prevent it. To do this, you can:

• Massage the tummy.
• Lay on your tummy more often.
• Do gymnastics, including "cycling".
• Give more fluids to drink.
• Make prune puree for complementary foods.

One way or another, constipation in infants is not uncommon. However, with the right approach and the absence of panic on the part of parents, this problem can be de alt with quite easily.