Constipation in an infant - what to do: medications, massage, nutrition

In a newborn child and an infant, the formation of all body systems continues, which began in the mother's womb. The gastrointestinal tract is no exception. During the first year of life, the entire tract undergoes a debugging of functioning, and the manifestations of this colic, flatulence and stool disorders, which are expressed in diarrhea or constipation. According to medical statistics, every fifth infant in the world suffers from constipation. And if the signs of diarrhea and gas are easy to recognize, then it can be difficult to understand that your baby is worried about constipation, especially for young parents.

Constipation in a baby - how to recognize

According to statistics, artificial babies or from the combined feeding group are more susceptible to constipation than infants. But this does not mean that a child cannot be constipated with full breastfeeding. Much in this case depends on the nutrition and digestion of the mother and the characteristics of the children's digestive system.

By the way. Ensure comfortable functioning of the digestive systems and take the problem seriously, it is imperative coordinating their actions with the pediatrician - this is the initial task of the parents of the newborn baby. Unresolved problems with stool in infancy can interfere with the proper formation of the gastrointestinal tract and further cause complications and diseases.

What is constipation

If we are talking about a child under one year old, from a medical point of view, constipation is considered difficult defecation (absence of stool) for more than a day. Of course, this is an average indicator that varies depending on the characteristics of the organism of a particular child, his age within a year of life, the nature of feeding and other reasons.

By the way. Newborns up to one month of age normally empty their bowels as many times as they eat if they are breastfed. Then the number of bowel movements is reduced, remaining within four per day. Artificials of any age, even an early one, empty their intestines only 2-3 times a day, regardless of the number of feedings.

Without a specialist examination, it is quite difficult to understand when an unstable bowel is to blame for a delay or temporary cessation of bowel movements, and when a child suffers from constipation. But in any case, there is a rule to control bowel movements: their quantity, the nature of the stool, consistency, color, smell, and how the baby behaves in the process of stool discharge. In case of any changes, especially with difficult stool escape and its absence for more than a day, constipation can be assumed.

Table. Signs of infant constipation.

Sign	Description
Altered general condition	Increased moodiness, unreasonable crying.
Atypical behavior during bowel movements	Anxiety, vain attempts, grimaces of pain on the face, chaotic movements of the arms and legs.
Changed stool character	In most cases, there is no stool for more than a day. When it finally appears, it is solid. It can be "peas" or fecal plug, followed by loose stools.
Stool frequency	Attempts to have a bowel movement can only be successful once every one or two days.
Altered bowel condition	It is not possible to empty the intestines completely. There is bloating and no gas waste.
Poor appetite	The kid may refuse to eat or eat much less than what is supposed to be. It is especially dangerous when breastfeeding, when it is difficult to control the amount eaten, the child may be malnourished for several days.
Changes in the quality and quantity of sleep	Sleep becomes restless, often interrupted. The child sleeps less. During sleep, he pulls his knees to his stomach and twists his legs.
Vomit	This symptom can occur immediately after eating, if the stomach is completely full. It can be easily distinguished from the typical regurgitation of babies. The masses released from the mouth are of a larger volume than during regurgitation, and are not accompanied by the release of air. The baby spits up not in the "column" position, but lying down, almost immediately after eating.

Advice. If there is a suspicion of constipation while breastfeeding, the mother should change her diet by adding or by increasing the share of products such as boiled beets, stewed pumpkin, prunes, apricots, apples, etc. Further. Children older than 6-8 months, if they do not have allergies, on the recommendation of a doctor, can begin to introduce these products in the form of complementary foods.

Finding one or two of these signs does not yet say one hundred percent that your baby is constipated. But if there are several symptoms and they are clearly manifested, an appeal to a pediatrician is necessary.

In parallel with diagnosing constipation, the doctor should exclude:

• an intestinal reaction to medications, if the child takes them;
• reaction to the introduction of complementary foods;
• changes in the maternal diet, in the case of full breastfeeding;
• dysbiosis;
• possible allergic reaction;
• factors of unstable formation of the gastrointestinal tract, provoking temporary difficulties in its work.

By the way. If, in the presence of one or two signs concerning rare bowel movements and a change in behavior to a more restless one, the baby still does not lose appetite, and the nature of the feces is not hardened, perhaps the mother's milk is absorbed so well that the baby simply has nothing to go to the toilet with often.

Why babies suffer from constipation

If constipation is diagnosed or suspected with a high degree of probability, it is necessary to determine the causes of constipation before starting treatment. This is important because in the initial stage, infant constipation can be eliminated simply by removing its causes.

1. Lack of fluid in the baby's body. It is especially often observed among artificial people in hot summer, as well as in winter due to dry air in apartments. Increase your water dose. Drink even breastfed babies.
   

   Water can be given from a bottle or spoon.

2. Improper nutrition of a nursing mother. Here, balancing the maternal diet is necessary, with the addition of foods that improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
   

   Nutrition for a nursing mother should be complete and balanced.

3. Unsuitable mixture for an artificial baby. In this case, the mixture must be replaced, but this should be done carefully and gradually, replacing not the entire portion at once, but part of it, and only after coordination with the pediatrician.
   

   It is important to choose a mixture that will be well absorbed.

4. Eating certain foods. Make sure that there is no iron in the composition of baby food. And from the maternal diet, it is necessary to remove or significantly limit the consumption of refined foods, fat, tea, bread, coffee, nuts, polished rice, bananas.
   

   It is worth limiting the use of certain foods

5. The use of medicines. Changes in the work of the gastrointestinal tract of an infant infant may occur due to medication taken by a nursing mother. These can be antibiotics, iron supplements, antispasmodics, antidepressants, drugs containing bismuth, NSAIDs, muscle relaxants and anticonvulsants. In this case, these drugs must be excluded (by agreement with the doctor, of course).
   

   Nursing mothers should use medications only as directed by a doctor.

6. Milk deficiency. Often, an elementary shortage of milk, which for various reasons begins to be produced in smaller quantities, can cause "hungry constipation" when food is absorbed into the intestinal walls, and the stomach has nothing left for processing.
   

   Your baby may not have enough milk

7. Lure. Usually normalizes all gastrointestinal functions, but can cause constipation if the wrong foods are introduced, in large quantities and too early. It is necessary to monitor the reaction of a child prone to constipation to new foods especially carefully.
   

   Complementary foods can cause constipation

8. Abrupt replacement of the mixture. With the disappearance of milk and the introduction of a mixture, or with a sudden complete change of the type of food, constipation may occur as a reaction. Whenever possible, new dairy foods are introduced gradually.
   

   The transfer of the baby to another mixture should occur gradually.

9. Psychic changes. Psychological constipation is not at all a fairy tale, as many believe. This is a diagnosis that occurs when a child's body finds itself in atypical conditions. Any stress - separation from the mother, fear, pain during bowel movements - can lead to psychological constipation. Diet and a comfortable psychological environment will help to cope with the phenomenon. Also, babies can deliberately slow down the chair closer to a year in order to manipulate their parents. If they showed concern about the lack of a chair, excessively pitied and took care of the baby at the slightest delay in defecation, manipulation is quite possible. Neutral-calm behavior of adults with constipation will help to avoid it.
   

   Constipation is due to stress

10. Cold. Any infection that causes a fever will make the stool harder and can cause constipation.
    

    Constipation occurs in babies with colds

Constipation as a Sign of Disease

Violation of the nature of defecation, expressed in hardening and delayed passage of feces, may indicate the presence of a serious illness. In any case, parents should not independently treat constipation in an infant, but especially should not do this if this phenomenon is one of the signs of pathology.

What diseases can constipation indicate?

1. Violation of the anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract.
2. Genetic predisposition.
3. Development of diabetes mellitus.
4. Hepatic diseases.
5. Improper formation of the gastrointestinal tract, disruption of its work.
6. Beginning rickets.
7. Diseases of the nervous system.
8. Autoimmune myasthenia gravis.
9. Changes in the function of the spinal cord.
10. Allergic manifestations of cow's milk protein intake.
11. Allergy to food.
12. Congenital hypothyroidism.
13. Lack of lactase.
14. Congenital dolichosigma.
15. Congenital agangliosis (Hirschsprung's disease).

If for 12 diseases from the above list, constipation can serve as an indirect symptom, then the last three directly lead to constipation.

Lactase deficiency

It occurs if the baby's body is absent at all or produced in insufficient quantities of an enzyme that promotes the breakdown of lactase. In this situation, constipation alternates with diarrhea on an ongoing basis.

Dolichosigma

With this, most often congenital disease, the sigmoid colon is elongated and has many kinks. It puts pressure on the rectum, slowing down the passage of feces. The emptying of the intestines is constantly difficult.

Hirschsprung's disease

With this disease, which is also congenital in most cases, the innervation of the intestine is disturbed. As a result, some of its parts stop working due to the constant being in a state of spasm. Hence, chronic constipation occurs.

Important! In all the situations described above, only a doctor with the appropriate qualifications can diagnose a disease or name another cause of constipation. If you are not a healthcare professional and do not have such qualifications, do not try to diagnose the baby on your own, and even more so on your own to treat him.

How is constipation in a toddler treated?

Since the primary task is to determine and eliminate the cause that caused constipation, the algorithm of actions in case of parents' suspicions of this diagnosis should be as follows.

1. Careful observation of the child's behavior throughout the day and fixing all deviations.
   

   Examination of a baby with constipation

2. Visual inspection of feces when the child manages to go to the toilet.
3. Visit to a specialized doctor or call a therapist at home.
4. If your baby is breastfed, you can apply it to your breast more often than usual while waiting for a doctor's examination.
5. The artificial person must be supplemented with water between feedings in such volumes that a portion of water is equal to a portion of the mixture.
   

   Feeding the baby with water

6. You may need to change the mixture if the doctor recommends one that contains a higher number of lactobacilli.
7. If the child is already six months old, apples and vegetables can be introduced into the diet, having previously agreed with the pediatrician.
8. For breastfed babies, the mother can change her diet by adding foods that improve bowel function.
   

   The effect of foods on intestinal motility

9. In the diet of a one-year-old artificial, prone to constipation, vegetable soup must be present.
10. At any age, physical activity, massage and laying on the stomach help to activate the baby's digestion process.
    

    Approximate massage technique

About nutrition

Before running to the pharmacy for laxatives and enemas, and even before going to the doctor, the parents of a child who has reached the age of the first feeding, it is necessary to attend to its introduction in advance, especially when the baby has started constipation.

Lure

It should be said that, although each organism is exclusively individual, after six months, almost all babies are ready to try food other than breast milk or milk formula replacing it. And these should be vegetables, and not "from a jar", but fresh ones prepared by their parents themselves.

By the way. In packaged store-bought baby foods, preservatives and other harmful substances are still added. Wouldn't it be better to get a blender or a steamer that will help you make vegetable puree for your baby at home.

Of course, it is also necessary to buy vegetables at points of sale, which guarantee their safety. And you should not introduce products out of season, start, for example, in winter with summer berries or in summer with citrus fruits.

Mother's nutrition

For mothers of newborns and babies who are breastfeeding, pediatricians recommend adjusting their own diet, without waiting for the child to become constipated.

Products that are anchored should be limited or excluded altogether. Most of the diet, ideally, consists of plant components, fiber, easily digestible protein, healthy fats.

About enemas and laxatives

The first and most effective ways to cope with constipation in an adult are local remedies, such as enemas and suppositories, and laxatives. The former act by contact and help to liquefy the stool, eliminating constipation quickly. Laxatives, although slower to act, still help to effectively cope with constipation, the effect and speed depend on the dosage.

Important. For young children, especially infants under one year old, enemas and laxatives are used only as an emergency measure of last resort. Before resorting to them, it is necessary to enlist the recommendation of a doctor and try preliminarily milder means of influence.

How can an enema harm a child?

1. First, the entrance to the rectum in an infant is very delicate and easily traumatized.
2. Secondly, enemas wash out their intestines, the microflora necessary for its proper formation and good work.
3. Thirdly, an imbalance in the flora leads to a decrease in muscle tone and disruption of the natural process of defecation.
4. Fourthly, the failure of the microflora prevents the absorption of nutrients by the intestinal walls.
   

   It is undesirable to put an enema for a baby

What's the problem with laxatives?

Relaxation medications also have contraindications, especially in infants. Taking laxatives is indicated only when nothing else works, and it is not possible to rid the child of stagnation of feces in the intestines in another way.

For babies under the age of one year, almost all laxatives are contraindicated. The only exceptions are a few tools, which will be discussed in detail below.

A laxative, like any other medicine, can only be prescribed by a doctor.

All remedies for constipation in children

After all the necessary warnings to parents that they should not engage in self-diagnosis and even more self-medication, consider all the existing methods of getting rid of constipation of a child, so that if the doctor recommends a particular remedy, the parents know what to do.

Massage

Massage can help to effectively and effectively relieve the condition of the baby and in most cases of constipation. It relieves spasm, increases intestinal tone, activates peristalsis. Along with physical activity, exercise, regular laying on the stomach, all these measures can get rid of the problem of constipation or serve as their prevention.

The massage should be done correctly, with soft circular movements, stroking the baby's tummy clockwise with warm hands. Do not press. Perform the procedure for about five minutes before meals or between feedings, but not after the baby has eaten. For additional effect, you can put a warm diaper on your baby's belly.

By the way. The warmth helps to cope with muscle spasms and relieves the baby's condition in pain, including due to difficult bowel movements. Warm baths or the warmth of the mother's body - any method will do. At the very least, use your tummy to touch your baby more often.

Mechanical stimulation

This is so gracefully called in medical terminology irritation of the anus of a child. The procedure is delicate, but bowel emptying can be almost instantaneous, within a few minutes.

A cotton swab is abundantly lubricated with baby cream without additives and shallowly (literally half a centimeter) is inserted into the baby's anus. Twist gently several times. Wait for a bowel movement.

The method helps with a mild form of stool congestion, not associated with any disease. There is a risk of scratching the mucous membrane, so you need to act very carefully and not resort to this method too often.

Gas outlet pipe

Another "device of our time" that helps not only to cope with flatulence, provoking infant colic, but also with the challenge of defecation.

A gas outlet tube is inserted into the anus according to the instructions for use. It has a mechanical irritant effect and activates the process of defecation.

Candles

Rectal suppositories, designed specifically for newborns and infants, are able to soften stool and provoke bowel movement. This method is not as "hard" as setting an enema, therefore it is used quite often (on the recommendation of a doctor, of course).

The dosage is also determined by the doctor, but usually one eighth of the suppository is enough for the newborn. The candle is divided along, sharp corners are smoothed out, the suppository is carefully inserted into the baby's anus.

By the way. Some substances in suppositories can cause itching and burning, allergies and discomfort. Therefore, in principle, candles are also classified as emergency methods, despite their popularity and ease of use. In addition, if an hour after the introduction of the suppository, defecation did not occur, it is necessary to consult a doctor again, avoiding repeated administration.

Setting an enema

In order to give an enema to an infant at home, you will need a 20-30 ml syringe. It is filled, depending on medical prescriptions, with a decoction of medicinal herbs, oil, solution, or boiled clean water cooled to room temperature.

A syringe is inserted into the anus of the baby no deeper than one and a half centimeters. First, the tip must be lubricated with baby cream or petroleum jelly. The contents are slowly injected into the intestine.

You should not use warm water or a decoction, its temperature should not be higher than + 37 ° C, otherwise the liquid will be absorbed into the intestinal walls without having the desired effect on the feces.

The tip of the syringe should not be traumatic, choose not plastic, but silicone or latex.

Advice. Modern doctors often prescribe Mikrolax micro enema, which is much easier and more effective to use. The product is specially designed for babies. In microclysters there is a water-salt-glycerin solution. The action begins within a quarter of an hour after administration.

Laxatives

This section, as applied to infants, will not be as extensive as for adults. Children under one year old should generally not be given most of the existing laxatives.

1. The already mentioned "Mikrolax" is allowed from the contacts.
   

   Enema "Microlax"

2. The oral agent is Duphalac syrup and all analogs made from lactulose (Prelax, Normolact). Dosage - according to the doctor's recommendation. If the child is breastfed, the mother can take Duphalac and its analogues.
   

   Duphalac

3. From six months discharged "Forlax". Its advantage is that it can be used without addiction for three months, so the drug is prescribed for difficult chronic constipation.
   

   Forlax

Soap and other "grandmother's" advice

It is important! Never, no matter how much mothers, mother-in-law and other older and wise comrades insist, do not introduce a child into anus soap, glycerin candle and other items that were used in ancient times by our grandmothers. There are a lot of harmful impurities in candles today, which can not only cause allergies, but also damage the intestines. Soap, even the most childish and neutral, contains alkali, which will literally burn the walls of the rectum.

Even a small fragment of this folk remedy, when in contact with the baby's mucous membrane, can cause global problems. Do not risk the health of the child, use only approved products recommended by the pediatrician.

Video - Abdominal massage for constipation