One of the most common problems that parents may face is a violation of bowel movements, expressed in constipation. Out of ignorance, many parents begin to stuff children with laxatives or make enemas. However, for children in their first year of life, these treatments can do even more harm to their health. In this article, we will look at how to help an infant with constipation.
How to recognize constipation
So, when should parents sound the alarm and seek help from a pediatrician? Constipation in children under one year of age is a violation of the bowel movement, which persists for a certain period of time. They are manifested primarily in the prolonged absence of independent bowel movement. The duration of the absence of stool is determined by the age of the child, his diet, concomitant diseases and other causes.
To determine the presence of constipation, first of all, the frequency of the stool is taken into account. Constipation in a baby while breastfeeding is considered to be a lack of stool for 2-3 days. Normally, the intestines should be emptied 1-2 times a day. Moreover, the younger the child, the more often the bowel movement occurs. In the first months it reaches 6-10 times a day, in the first six months - up to 3-4 times a day, in the second six months - up to 2-3 times.
Constipation in a baby with artificial feeding will be considered the absence of bowel movement for 1-2 days. Usually, child artisans fulfill their needs more often than natural children. This is because the finished mixtures are digested worse, and, therefore, more feces are formed.
The consistency of the chair and the well-being of the child
In addition, stool consistency is also assessed to diagnose constipation in children under one year old. Normally, stool in infants looks like porridge. If it resembles semi-decorated "sausages" or it will be fully decorated, then we can talk about the presence of constipation. Even if your child empties his bowels regularly, this texture is not normal.
Closer to a year, the child’s chair is somewhat formed due to the introduction of complementary foods. Now, normally, it will look like "soft sausages" or "thick gruel." With constipation, dense "sausages" or even "sheep" balls appear.
After 2 years, the chair is usually fully formed and looks like an adult's chair. Density and drier feces of a larger size will indicate constipation.
The well-being of the child is also an important diagnostic indicator in identifying constipation in children up to a year. Normally, the process of bowel movement should not cause discomfort or pain. Allowed only a small voltage, "straining" in the process of defecation. However, if you observe that the baby is very tense, pushing, crying, he is anxious, refuses food and his attempts to empty his intestines become painful, then these are the first symptoms of constipation in infants with breast or artificial feeding.
Observing these symptoms in a child, you should immediately consult a doctor. The causes of constipation can be not only malnutrition, but also endocrine or organic pathologies. If constipation cannot be eliminated on time, then the child’s body will be constantly intoxicated due to accumulated feces in the body.
Causes of Stool Delay
To answer the question of parents: “Why does the baby have constipation?”, You need to study the diet. If, for example, a baby is breast-fed, then stool retention from breast milk is a fairly common occurrence in the life of infants. This means that the mother consumes those foods that provoke constipation in the baby. In this case, you need to revise the menu of the nursing mother.
Constipation in a baby with artificial feeding may appear from an unsuitable mixture or its change. Then you need to more carefully select the mixture for the baby, make sure that it does not contain ingredients that fasten the chair, and that it is suitable for the child's age.
Also, stool reduction can be noted with the introduction of complementary foods. This may mean that you introduced a certain product into your child’s diet too early. It is still necessary to postpone its use.
Often there is constipation during teething. In addition, drug therapy, in particular taking antibiotics, can provoke disruptions to the bowel movement. They lead to dysbiosis, which in a fragile child's body manifests itself as constipation. Here it is necessary to drink a course of prebiotics in order to normalize the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract.
It happens that your child is prescribed a drug that helps to absorb vitamin D ("Aquadetrim"). However, one of its side effects is constipation.
Types of bowel movements
Constipation in children up to a year has different symptoms. Their types depend on the causes of decreased intestinal motility. Allocate:
- Atopic constipation. There is no urge to empty the bowel. There is bloating and a large number of rarely leaving stool. Body temperature remains normal.
- Spastic constipation. Under the influence of spasms in the intestine, feces take the form of balls. In this case, the child suffers from painful bowel movements, is irritable and becomes moody.
- Constipation with blood. Usually, with this type of constipation, feces come out in a trickle. This indicates the presence of neoplasms in the rectum. Both constipation and vomiting may occur. In such a situation, it is necessary to undergo a full examination of the child.
How to help baby
If there is constipation in a baby while breastfeeding, then the first thing that mom needs to do is to review his diet. It is possible that you eat foods that fasten the baby's stool and make the bowel movement difficult. It is important that in the diet of a nursing mother there should be a sufficient amount of liquid, as well as products containing fiber - vegetables and fruits. What needs to be removed from the diet is strong tea and coffee, flour products (especially from white wheat flour), sweets, rice and semolina porridge, pomegranates, pears, quinces. In addition, mom needs to eat fermented milk products and products that are natural laxatives every day. For example, diluted beetroot or carrot juice, grapes, prunes, dried apricots and the like. The main thing is that your baby does not have allergies to these products.
If there is constipation in a baby on artificial feeding, you must strictly follow the instructions for breeding mixtures. It is also important to use products suitable for your baby's age and composition. If chronic constipation is detected, then special mixtures are prescribed for such children. They can be sour milk or with the addition of oligosaccharides, prebiotics, lactulose or carob beans.
Prevention of constipation in infants
To prevent constipation in a baby on mixed feeding or on any other, it is recommended to do daily gymnastics and massage. As for gymnastics, everyone knows that physical activity has a positive effect on digestion. For this, the children are placed on their tummy before meals or 1-2 hours after feeding, allowed to move freely, knead arms and legs. For more information on the complex of gymnastic exercises for babies, you can consult a pediatrician.
Locomotor activity contributes to the passage of air and excess absorbed food. It is at this moment that the child has regurgitation. Also, the movements of the baby contribute to the formation and promotion of feces in the intestine.
Massage of the baby implies light circular strokes of the tummy clockwise for 1-2 minutes. This form of tactile contact can be combined with gymnastic exercises. For example, pull the baby's legs to the tummy and also make circular movements with them.
Drug treatment
Treatment of constipation in a child up to a year involves taking mild and gentle laxatives. As such funds, Dufalac, Lactusan, Prelax, as well as candles with glycerin, Buscopan in candles and prebiotics are recommended.
In addition, microclysters, vent tubes, or classic enemas are allowed as a means to combat the difficulties of defecation. The volume of an enema for an infant with constipation depends on its age. Up to 2 months, the amount of water in the pear should be 10-15 ml, up to six months, the volume doubles, that is, 30 ml, and up to a year another two times, that is 50-60 ml.
In addition, the pediatrician can prescribe to your child medications that normalize the intestinal microflora, namely:
- "Acipol" - contains lactobacilli. It effectively eliminates the causes of constipation and normalizes bowel function.
- "Bifidumbacterin" is a broad-spectrum drug. For the treatment of children, they are used in the form of candles.
- "Primadofilus" - a probiotic, a dietary supplement. Destroys pathogenic microflora in the intestine. You can take even newborns.
Suppository for constipation
The most common remedy for stool retention is rectal suppositories. Today, there are many different suppositories for babies from constipation. The prevalence of their use is determined by the safety of this tool and the speed of absorption. But which candles are best used in such a situation?
- Sea buckthorn candles. This is a natural product that is most suitable for children in the first year of life, as well as for pregnant women. They contain sea buckthorn oil, which envelops the intestinal walls and helps to get rid of overdried and solid feces without harming the intestines. In addition, these suppositories also have anti-inflammatory, wound healing, antiviral and antimicrobial effects. Their use is allowed even in cases where other agents can exacerbate the situation, for example, with hemorrhoids, wounds or fissures of the rectum.
- Glycine candles. The active substance of these suppositories is glycine. Although this drug has a mild laxative effect, it can facilitate bowel movement once. They are mainly not prescribed by doctors, as they are not able to remove the cause of problems with bowel movements. Candles are absolutely safe and acceptable for use by pregnant women or children up to a year, but it should be borne in mind that their active substance can cause an allergic reaction.
- Glycerin candles. This is the most common remedy. The active substance glycerin may have a different dosage. It contains 1.5 mg in candles for adults, and 0.75 mg in children. In addition, this drug may have a variety of names ("Glycerol", "Glycelax", etc.). The effect of the drug is that it irritates the walls of the rectum, liquefies feces and gently removes them. Usually, glycerin suppositories are taken for a week to normalize the intestines. However, it should be noted that prolonged use of the drug can lead to side effects, which can manifest as allergies, diarrhea, or bowel obstruction. This tool can be used even by newborns, but in this case a quarter or a third of the suppository is usually enough. In any case, before using a laxative, you should always consult your doctor.
- Candles with papaverine. Despite the fact that there are no children's candles with papaverine in pharmacies, doctors often prescribe them for their small patients. The essence of the drug is that it affects spasms of the intestinal muscles, thereby relaxing it and contributing to the process of bowel movement. Usually, up to six months, the drug is not prescribed, but the situations are different. A single dose is 5 mg, and this is about a fourth of the suppository. In addition, the drug has a very affordable pricing policy and costs no more than 70 rubles.
- Gas-forming candles. The active substance is sodium bicarbonate. This substance forms carbon dioxide, stimulating the mucosal receptors and feces literally "pushed" out. The most common are Calciolax and Ferrolax. This drug is approved for use in childhood, as there are practically no contraindications to it.
If during several receptions the candles did not produce the desired effect, then it is imperative to consult a specialist.
ethnoscience
Alternative medicine is available only if the problem is irregular or first appears. Then auxiliary methods of traditional medicine will help reduce the negative impact of drug therapy.
An effective means of combating constipation is porridge from germinated wheat. To cook it you need to take 2 tbsp. raw materials, grind it in flour and pour 1 tbsp. boiling water. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. It is better to eat such porridge in the morning, without adding salt and sugar. This tool can also be used as a prophylaxis once a week.
Sterilized vegetable oil will help stimulate intestinal motility. Now it can be purchased at almost every pharmacy. But you can cook it yourself. To do this, pour ordinary vegetable oil into a glass jar, you can use olive and hold it in a water bath for half an hour. Take it you need 1 tsp. before you eat. This can be done either in the morning or in the evening. Since this technique is safe, it is well suited in the fight against constipation in children under one year old.
As a laxative, you can use boiled carrots and beets. Cooked vegetables are rubbed on a coarse grater and seasoned with vegetable oil. You can add prunes or low-fat sour cream. This will only increase the effectiveness of the dish. It is better to use it in the evening for dinner in order to empty the intestines without problems in the morning.
Another natural laxative is senna grass. To make a decoction of it, you need 2 tsp. herbs pour 3 tbsp. boiling water and leave to infuse for 3 hours. Then the broth is filtered and consumed in 3 tsp. every 3 hours until bowel movement occurs.
It is worth paying your attention that even home remedies for combating constipation should be used only after consulting a doctor.
What does Komarovsky say?
Speaking of constipation in a baby, Komarovsky argues that if there is no stool for even several days, then you should not worry about this. This indicates that breast milk is completely absorbed in the baby's body.
Stool frequency is not an indicator of constipation. If the stool is rare, then this is not a cause for concern. But there is one BUT: the absence of bowel movement is not classified as constipation, if the baby is calm, eats well and the bowel movement is not accompanied by pain and crying.
According to Dr. Komarovsky, a stool delay of up to 5 days, in the absence of deviations in behavior or other unpleasant symptoms, is not constipation. Even 8 days of lack of bowel movement in natural children who feed only on breast milk is also a normal option.