6 months constipated baby

Symptoms, Treatment and When to Call a Doctor

Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Constipation (con-sta-PA-shun) in infants can worry parents. Most of the time, your baby is not really constipated. They may not have developed a routine for pooping yet. Some babies do not develop a bowel movement (BM) pattern for a while.

An infant’s BM pattern can change if their diet changes, like switching from breastmilk to formula, starting solid foods, or drinking less formula than usual. If your baby’s stool (poop) is not soft or easily passed, then they may be constipated.

In rare cases, constipation may be caused by a lack of nerves going to the intestines or by a problem with the way the intestine formed at birth. Your baby can be tested for these conditions if your health care provider feels it is needed.

Signs of Constipation

less stools than their usual pattern
straining more than normal to have a bowel movement
a change in how the stool looks from soft and mushy to:
- small, hard pebbles, or like a large, round golf ball
- loose and watery
abdomen (belly) bloated or swollen with gas
painful cramps

Treatment

If your baby is not eating baby food yet, you may give 1 to 2 ounces of 100% fruit juice (pear, prune, cherry, or apple) once a day. Stop the juice if their stools become too loose.
If they are old enough to eat baby foods, feed them pureed pears, peaches, or prunes instead of giving them juice.
If your baby eats cereal, it may help to give oatmeal, wheat, or barley cereal. Rice cereal can cause constipation in some children.
Sometimes giving your baby a warm bath to relax them or exercising their legs, like riding a bicycle, will help stimulate the bowels to move (Picture 1).
If it has been a few days since your baby has pooped and the juice or pureed food has not worked, then you can try a glycerin suppository. Place your baby on their back. Gently push the suppository into their anus (bottom). Suppositories are meant for occasional use.
Contact your baby’s health care provider before giving them laxatives, baby mineral oil, or enemas to treat constipation.

Medical Therapy

Your child’s health care provider may order the following treatments:

Give your child medication.
Check your child’s temperature using a digital, rectal thermometer. Put a small amount of petroleum jelly (Vaseline®) on its tip before inserting into the rectum. Taking a rectal temperature may stimulate the baby to pass stool.

When to Call the Health Care Provider

Call the health care provider if any of the following occurs:

Your baby is irritable and seems to be having stomach pain. Infants will pull their legs up to their stomach and cry when they are in pain.
Your baby has constipation and develops vomiting, and their belly looks like it is bloated or filled with gas.
You see blood in their stool.
Their constipation does not get better with treatment.

If you have any questions or concerns, call your baby’s health care provider.

Constipation: Infant (PDF), Spanish (PDF), Somali (PDF), Arabic (PDF), Nepali (PDF)

Signs and Ways to Offer Relief

Since baby arrived, you’ve probably talked about poop more than you ever imagined. While it might be frustrating to change all those diapers, it’s even more stressful when baby has trouble going or stops altogether. Baby constipation is rough, but sometimes, it’s hard to tell if baby is actually suffering (how little is too little?). Suffice to say, you’ve got poop questions, and we’ve got answers. So is your wee one plugged up, and what does constipated baby poop look like anyway? Here, we’ll give you the lowdown on baby constipation, symptoms to look for, remedies to try and more. You’ll learn what you need to know to get to the bottom of infant constipation and get baby’s belly back on track.

In this article.
Baby constipation: What’s normal and what’s not?
Signs of constipation in babies
What causes constipation in babies
How to help a constipated baby
Baby constipation: When to worry
How to prevent baby constipation

Baby Constipation: What’s Normal and What’s Not?

To figure out if your child has a bout of baby constipation, it’s helpful to know how often infants tend to go. For the first three months, a breastfed baby might have anywhere from 5 to 40 bowel movements a week. Since breastfed babies absorb so much of the milk they take in, some can go up to three or four days—or maybe even a week—without pooping. But as long as when they finally do go it’s soft, pain-free and blood-free, it’s all good, says Lisa Santo Domingo, a pediatric nurse practitioner and medical director of Johns Hopkins Hospital’s Pediatric Chronic Constipation Clinic. Their formula-fed counterparts can have anywhere from 5 to 28 BMs a week (or about two a day).

As infants age, breastfed and formula-fed babies start to have about the same number of poops—so from 6 to 12 months, they’ll both experience an average of two poops a day. Keep in mind, these numbers can vary greatly.

There’s a pretty wide range of what’s normal when it comes to how often baby poops. Children up to 4 years of age have to fulfill two or more of the following criteria for at least one month to be diagnosed as constipated, says Santo Domingo:

Two or less bowel movements per week
A pattern of painful or hard bowel movements
History of excessive stool retention
A large fecal mass felt in the rectum during a physical exam by baby’s doctor

Signs of Constipation in Babies

In addition to the symptoms mentioned above, you’ll probably notice a few other signs of baby constipation. Irritability and a decreased appetite, which might disappear shortly after baby passes a large stool, are often telltale clues.

Worried about all that moaning and groaning? Take a deep breath; it’s perfectly normal and isn’t a sign of constipation in babies. “Grunting and straining to push out a stool is normal in young babies. It’s difficult for them to pass a bowel movement while lying flat on their backs and not getting any benefit from gravity,” says Trina Blythe, MD, a pediatrician at Progress West Hospital in O’Fallon, Missouri.

Babies’ bodies often need time to figure out the whole pooping process, like learning how to relax their pelvic floor to have a bowel movement. “A lot of parents come in and think their child is constipated, when what they’re really dealing with is infant dyschezia—a condition in which an otherwise normal, healthy infant will have at least 10 minutes (though often more) of straining, crying, irritability and maybe turning red or purple in the face while trying to have a bowel movement,” Santo Domingo explains. These symptoms continue until baby finally goes—but the resulting stool is actually soft.

Baby constipation can cause a child to be irritable and fussy, refuse food and push away the bottle. Toddlers who can walk may start going to a corner and squatting or hiding. “The most prevalent cue is when a child starts tip-toeing,” Santo Domingo says. It’s like an instinct they have, feeling that the straighter their body, the better they’ll be able to withhold pooping, which may be painful or scary for constipated children. Even babies who are able to pull themselves to stand will try to straighten out as much as possible when they’re dealing with constipation.

What does constipated baby poop look like?

When baby constipation is to blame, baby’s poop comes out in hard balls. “We often use the Bristol Stool Scale, which shows the range of stool textures from one to seven: One is rabbit-like, pellet-shaped poop, and seven is pure liquid,” Santo Domingo says. “We define constipated stool as anything that falls into levels one through three, with three looking like a collection of grapes or corn on the cob. ”

Another common sign of constipation in babies is a small amount of blood on the outside of the stool—this can happen when a constipated baby passes stool large enough to create a tiny fissure around the anus. If you’re seeing a significant amount of blood, call your child’s doctor right away.

What Causes Constipation in Babies?

So what causes constipation in babies? Really, it could be due to a number of factors, from foods they’re eating to passing illnesses to family history. Here, we break down the most common reasons behind baby constipation:

Change in diet. More often than not, a change in diet is the culprit causing baby constipation—whether it’s because you’re shifting from breast milk to formula, transitioning baby to cow’s milk or introducing solid foods. “The introduction of cow’s milk protein—and an allergy or intolerance to it—is probably the largest contributor to baby constipation,” says Santo Domingo. When baby has a cow’s milk protein intolerance (CMPI), their immune system sees the milk protein as something bad it needs to fight off (like it would with harmful bacteria or viruses). This negative reaction to the protein is what leads to a constipated baby with an upset stomach and other intestinal problems. But the good news is that most babies will grow out of it: 50 percent of infants who have CMPI regain tolerance by 12 months, and more than 75 percent will be back on track by age 3.
Solids. When baby is about 4 to 6 months of age, you can start experimenting with different solid foods. This is when many little ones begin to experience baby constipation for the first time. “For infants who have already started baby foods, giving foods that are high in fiber will help treat and prevent baby constipation,” says Blythe. She recommends feeding them at least two servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily, and making sure they’re well hydrated.
Illness. When baby’s not feeling well, they’re probably not eating or drinking as much as usual, which can throw their system out of whack and result in infant constipation.
Certain medications. High-dose iron supplements or and certain pain medications can lead to baby constipation. Your doctor can let you know if baby’s medicine could be to blame.
Prematurity. Premature babies tend to have more trouble with infant constipation than full-term babies. Since their digestive systems aren’t fully developed yet, food moves more slowly through the GI tract and isn’t always properly processed, which can lead to dry, hard stools.
Family history. Certain issues like Hirschsprung’s disease, cystic fibrosis, chronic constipation and celiac disease (which often can’t be diagnosed in children until they’re closer to age 3) can also be a contributing factor.

How to Help a Constipated Baby

No parent likes to see their child in discomfort and distress, so knowing how to help a constipated baby can make a world of difference. First and foremost, though, it’s important to realize that constipation in newborns can be a different issue than constipation in older babies. If your baby is not even a month old yet, talk to your pediatrician right away—at this age, constipation could be a sign of an underlying issue, such as Hirschsprung’s disease, a rare congenital condition that happens in about one out of 5,000 births and typically requires surgery. (FYI: This is among the reasons everyone at the hospital is so obsessed with the timing of your newborn passing their first meconium.)

Additionally, if you’re exclusively breastfeeding, it’s important to count those dirty diapers each day because infrequent stooling might actually be a sign of not enough feeding volume, says Blythe.

But if you’ve spoken to your pediatrician and ruled out other issues, there are some baby constipation home remedies and treatments you can turn to. Here are some things you should—and shouldn’t— try to help a constipated baby:

Baby constipation home remedies

For baby constipation relief, you can try giving infants under 6 months with hard bowel movements some water—about one ounce. Heard of giving apple or prune juice for baby constipation? Babies 6 to 12 months can have two to four ounces of apple, pear or prune juice a day until their stools soften. “The sugars in juice basically bring water into the bowel to help soften the bowel movement,” Santo Domingo says.

You may have been told that using a rectal thermometer can help offer some infant constipation relief, but Santo Domingo doesn’t recommend any kind of rectal stimulation as a remedy. “You always run the risk of perforation, especially given that that area could be irritated,” she says.

She also discourages giving baby mineral oil or Karo syrup for baby constipation. “We’ve found that it doesn’t help. Karo syrup doesn’t soften the stool—it just coats it to make it easier to pass, but you’re still passing a large stool. And with mineral oil, there have been some reports of aspiration.”

Baby constipation medicine

Wondering what to give a constipated baby? The options are limited. For children who don’t respond to water or juice, you may consider trying a small glycerin suppository to help relieve baby constipation, suggests the Mayo Clinic. It’s important to note, however, that these are meant for occasional use, and shouldn’t be a regular part of baby’s routine.

Some well-meaning friends may recommend gripe water or gas drops. These remedies are generally considered safe, but there’s little evidence these options work to relieve baby constipation. However, many parents say that the former alleviates colic and other tummy troubles and the latter works miracles breaking up gas bubbles. If your doctor gives you the go ahead, there’s no harm in trying either option.

Similarly, probiotics for baby constipation have been increasing in popularity lately, but Blythe remains skeptical. “Probiotics haven’t yet been proven to relieve constipation in infants, so I generally don’t recommend them.” Still, anecdotally, many parents swear by infant-safe tummy and probiotic drops that can help balance bad and good bacteria in the digestive tract. What’s more, while the evidence isn’t concrete, some research indicates that prophylactic use of probiotics can help alleviate some types of digestive troubles in infants. Suffice to say, it doesn’t hurt to try. Of course, before you give baby constipation medication or remedies at home, check in with your pediatrician.

Baby foods that help with constipation

In some cases, your baby’s doctor may want to consider eliminating cow’s milk for a short period of time to see if that’s causing constipation.

For babies eating solids, you can also offer certain baby foods that help with constipation: Try feeding barley or oatmeal cereals, prunes, peaches, plums, apricots and most vegetables. There’s no need to completely eliminate binding foods like bananas and rice, but it’s a good idea to cut back on them if you’re noticing baby constipation symptoms. “Bananas and rice are common binding agents, because they are soluble fibers that soak up water as they pass through your system, and tend to bulk stools,” Santo Domingo says.

Baby massage for constipation

Want to know how to relieve constipation in babies quickly? One of the easiest things you can try is giving baby a massage. Blythe recommends trying a gentle tummy massage of the left side of the belly to help stimulate the colon. And you can do exercises with baby as well. “Bicycling the hips and holding the knees up in a squat position helps simulate the movements needed to have a bowel movement,” Blythe says. You can also try a warm bath. ‘

Baby Constipation: When to Worry

Baby constipation can be pesky, but it’s typically not cause for concern. Still, if constipation lasts for two or more weeks or if it’s accompanied by other symptoms, including fever and abdominal swelling, reach out to your pediatrician, recommends the Mayo Clinic. If you see blood in your child’s stool, you’ll also want to check in to make sure there are no other issues at play.

How to Prevent Baby Constipation

As for preventing infant constipation, unfortunately there’s a lot you can proactively do. “Prevention really comes down to recognizing the warning signs, and trying to stay on top of them,” Santo Domingo says. Of course, monitoring baby’s diet for foods that cause constipation, giving them a diverse assortment of fibrous fruits and veggies and keeping them hydrated may help.

About the experts:

Trina Blythe, MD, is a BJC Medical Group pediatrician at Progress West Hospital in O’Fallon, Missouri. She received her medical degree from Albany Medical Center in New York.

Lisa Santo Domingo, DNP, MSN, is a pediatric nurse practitioner and medical director of Johns Hopkins Hospital’s Pediatric Chronic Constipation Clinic. She received her doctor of nursing degree at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.

Plus, more from The Bump:

What to Do for a Gassy Baby

Colic 101: How to Help Soothe Your Colicky Baby

Why Babies Get Hiccups (and How to Get Rid of Them)

Constipation in children under one year old

Usually, parents of babies are worried about the exact opposite problem - too frequent stools. Therefore, not everyone immediately understands what to do if a baby under one year old has constipation.

Gastroenterologist, hepatologist GMS Clinic Sergey Vyalov gave an interview to parents.ru and spoke about constipation in children under one year old.

Introduction

Constipation, also known as diarrhea, stool retention, discolia, caprostasis, difficulty in emptying the bowel is not a universal condition with unambiguous characteristics. Each person, including a child, has his own indicators of the norm and deviations from it, associated with age, intestinal microflora, diet, state of mind and hormonal background, concomitant diseases. Yet there are a few common points of reference. nine0003

What is constipation?

Specialists diagnose constipation if the baby does "big" things:

regularly and without problems, but passing dry and hard stools;
with difficulty - the child has to push, the feces do not come out on the first try;
less than 5 times per day.

In the first six months of life, constipation is a rather rare occurrence, rather, on the contrary, in the period from 0 to 6 months, 6-10 bowel movements per day are considered the norm. Breastfed babies have more frequent bowel movements, while artificial babies have less. nine0003

Up to 6 months constipation is rare

Usually, parents of babies in the first months of life are alarmed by the opposite of constipation - too frequent bowel movements. But in a baby, regardless of whether he eats breast milk or formula, the intestines should work exactly like this - in a mode that is considered diarrhea for older children and adults.

There should be no other option, at least until the introduction of complementary foods at 4-6 months. After all, the baby receives mostly liquid food, the waste products of which have the same consistency and leave the intestines without encountering any obstacles on the way - the baby has not yet learned to control the sphincter that restrains the release of feces. nine0003

The baby's intestines have just begun to "get acquainted" with microorganisms that come from mother's milk, from her skin (the baby licks the nipple), from the environment. Far from all new "partners" are accepted: there are rejected ones, those who have not taken root, and so on. Checking and rejection are accompanied by loose, unstable stools.

Too frequent bowel cleansing does not need correction and treatment if the child is gaining weight and developing properly. Normal appetite and sleep, gas, absence of fever and other signs of illness indicate that parents have nothing to worry about. If the mother of a baby, tired of changing diapers 10 times in one day, wants to change the situation and asks the doctor to prescribe fixing medicines for the baby, then, unwittingly, she will doom her baby to chronic constipation. nine0003

Not according to the rules

And yet, in the first 6 months, constipation in infants is not excluded. It can be called:

microflora transmitted from the mother;
insufficient fluid volume;
stress.

Let's say a woman has too many methane-producing bacteria in her stomach and intestines that cause constipation. They grow rather slowly, ferment, releasing carbon dioxide, which contributes to flatulence and bloating. With this deviation, the woman lives, adapted and learned to solve the problem with the intestines in one way or another. Noticing the same thing in a child, she decides that the baby has inherited her features and "saves" him with the same means, making a mistake. Babies should not be given laxatives, especially those containing senna. The baby's body gets used to such drugs too quickly and without them it can no longer cleanse the intestines. nine0003

Constipation in a baby up to 6 months is also provoked by a lack of fluid and hormonal fluctuations. At 6 months, the baby should receive a lot of moisture - about 140 ml per kilogram of weight per day. A breastfed child gains this rate from mother's milk and does not need additional sources of liquid (but only if there is no predisposition to constipation). Little artificers are soldered from the moment they switch to a mixture.

If a woman is tense or nervous, then her level of the stress hormone cortisol rises. Through breast milk, saliva or sweat, the substance enters the baby's body and also provokes constipation. nine0003

Even if the mother does not breastfeed the baby, the constipating microorganisms sooner or later get to the gastrointestinal system of the crumbs and make negative changes in it.

Constipation after introduction of complementary foods

The kid grows, improves skills, and it's time to introduce him to new foods. These circumstances, on the one hand, help to improve peristalsis, and on the other hand, increase the risk of constipation.

nine0002 By six months, the baby is already trying to control defecation, because he realized that after it there are unpleasant sensations - itching, burning and other discomfort in the areas where the feces get. In order not to experience discomfort, the child tries to restrain the urge. At first, he does not succeed, because the rectum has already learned how to work - reflexively contract and push out waste. And after a couple of months, everything works out, the baby wins and enters the path leading to chronic constipation. To get the baby out of this vicious circle, the mother must minimize the duration of the baby's skin contact with feces and expand the baby's diet by mastering complementary foods.

nine0003

Proteins, fats and carbohydrates that are part of the products are absorbed in the small intestine, and do not reach the large intestine, where feces are formed. What can not be said about fiber. While the baby is drinking breast milk or formula, this component of the dishes is not familiar to him. Even if a nursing woman herself consumes a lot of plant foods, the baby does not get anything. Fiber, as already noted, is not absorbed in the intestines, does not enter the bloodstream, which means that it is not in breast milk. For the first time, a baby gets fiber with complementary foods by trying its first 25 grams of mashed potatoes from zucchini, carrots and other vegetables. Plant fibers literally attract all waste to themselves, as a result, fecal masses are formed, which help the intestines to master the correct peristalsis. There are a lot of muscles in this section of the gastrointestinal tract, in the intestines, they must learn to consistently contract - tighten and relax in order to squeeze waste out. nine0003

The next new product should be introduced one month after the previous one. The novelty is likely to cause more frequent and loose stools at first. If it does not have a green color and does not foam, there is no need to run to the doctor and ask to prescribe fixatives. Be patient, after a while the innovation will be mastered and will bear fruit. Instead of liquid and shapeless yellow-white feces, you will see brown feces that have formed.

nine0008 Special constipation

There are other causes of constipation in babies. Unfortunately, they are much more difficult to deal with, since these are developmental pathologies, diseases, and injuries.

Acute constipation. It develops for anatomical reasons, for example, due to obstruction of the large intestine, or during intussusception - the introduction of one part of the intestine into another, which causes blockage of the lumen. Against the background of complete well-being, the baby suddenly becomes restless, cries, refuses to eat. The attack ends as unexpectedly as it began, but after 3-5 minutes it repeats and intensifies: one or two vomiting appears with an admixture of green bile. If the stool passes, then blood impurities are visible in it. After 5-6 hours, the stool stops, and bloody discharge comes out of the rectum. At the same time, the baby's stomach is soft. The temperature is usually normal. The child may even lose consciousness. With such symptoms, you need to call an ambulance. nine0003

Hirschsprung disease. It is based on a violation of the innervation of the large intestine - the central nervous system cannot control this section of the gastrointestinal tract. As a result, processed food accumulates in the intestines. The picture of the disease is quite diverse. If only the short part of the intestine is affected, then constipation forms gradually, and it is possible to do without surgical intervention for quite a long time. When a longer segment is affected, the absence of stool is fraught with a serious condition and immediate surgical intervention is required. nine0003

infectious attack. If in the first months of life the baby suffered an intestinal infection, the nerve cells in the large intestine may die, which will lead to a delay in the act of defecation, accumulation of feces and the development of constipation. With dysentery, the so-called toxic megacolon is possible (a sharp expansion of the colon). The child develops impaired consciousness and repeated vomiting. The abdomen increases sharply due to a greatly enlarged intestine. The complication requires emergency surgical care. nine0003

Problems with the CNS. Injuries during childbirth and the syndrome of infantile cerebral palsy also affect the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, as they are associated with various complications, such as impaired swallowing, regurgitation, and vomiting.

Vasculitis. Vascular inflammation extends to the nerve plexuses and sensitive cells located in the intestinal wall.

Disorders in the work of the endocrine system. With hypothyroidism (lack of thyroid function), the movement of contents through the intestines slows down. With dysfunction of the parathyroid glands, constipation occurs due to a violation of mineral metabolism, with diabetes mellitus it becomes the result of damage to the nerve plexuses of the intestine or dehydration of the child's body. nine0003

Medical constipation. Before giving your child any drug prescribed by a doctor, carefully read the instructions. For example, anemia remedies containing iron can cause constipation. Observance of the rules of intake will help to avoid it - directly during meals, reducing doses of iron when introducing foods with a high iron content into the diet - buckwheat, apples, greens. Particular attention should be paid to constipation resulting from treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, neuroleptics, sorbents and antibiotics, which cause intestinal dysbacteriosis. nine0003

Diseases and conditions accompanied by constipation are not so common in infants. Many pediatricians do not immediately remember them. Before getting to the truth, they prescribe a lot of unnecessary drugs, forgetting about effective bowel examinations, such as x-rays.

Source: parents.ru

Constipation in a child under one year old - what to do?

Constipation is experienced by 20 to 35% (according to other sources - from 3 to 40%) of children in the first year of life. nine0095 1 Constipation may be a temporary functional disorder or may require adult intervention. We tell how a mother can help a baby suffering from constipation, whether this delicate problem can be prevented, and in what cases it is necessary to consult a doctor.

What is considered constipation in the chest?

Constipation is one of the seven most common functional disorders in newborns, when the intervals between bowel movements increase, and the intestines are not systematically emptied completely. nine0003

A newborn is definitely constipated if during the month you observe at least two of these signs:

the baby defecates less than twice a week;
has had stool problems before;
feces dense, large in diameter;
a lot of stool has accumulated in the rectum;
when passing stool, the child turns red and cries.

It is normal if a baby up to four months of age defecates 1-7 times a day, and in the period from four months to two years - up to 1-3 times a day. nine0095 1 The type of feeding is also important: on artificial, instead of 2–7 times, a child can defecate 1–4 times a day.

Dyschezia - not to be confused with constipation!

Sometimes constipation of the newborn is erroneously referred to as another temporary condition in infants, dyschezia, which usually resolves before nine months of age. With dyschezia, defecation also occurs painfully, but the reason is different. It is well known to pediatricians and some experienced mothers: when a small child has not yet learned how to simultaneously tighten the abdominal muscles and relax the muscles of the pelvic floor, he pushes, blushes and cries for several minutes, after which he successfully defecates. At the same time, the feces are always soft, which is not typical for real constipation. In other words, the child is just learning a new skill for him, and the main thing you can do to help him is to just be there, hold him in your arms more often and stay calm. nine0003

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Types of constipation in children

There are two main types of ³ constipation in children of the first year of life:

Acute constipation, when there is no stool from time to time for several days, after which the intestines continue to work normally. If, against the background of acute constipation, gases have ceased to flow, and the child shows with all his appearance that his stomach hurts, consult a doctor as soon as possible so that he excludes intestinal obstruction. nine0003

Chronic constipation, when problems with defecation occur systematically for three consecutive months. In case of chronic constipation, the child has to strain strongly during defecation, fecal smearing appears, and with light pressure on the left lower abdomen, seals can be detected - fecal masses that have not passed away.

Causes of constipation in children under one year old

In breastfed babies, there can be only one reason for constipation on the part of the mother - the wrong diet. On the part of the child, there are more potential causes, and they differ depending on age and the introduction of complementary foods. nine0003

Why constipation occurs in children from 0 months to a year :

The work of the nervous and endocrine systems, which affect the motility of the gastrointestinal tract, is disturbed.
Previously, the child had an intestinal infection, which led to a decrease in sensitivity, and now does not recognize the urge to defecate.
The muscles of the anterior abdominal wall are weakened due to hernia or physical inactivity, when a decrease in motor activity causes dysfunction of the motor system of the body. nine0095 4
Cracks around the anus make defecation painful, the child is afraid and mechanically prevents the exit of feces.
The baby has been diagnosed with a systemic disease.
Medication interferes with intestinal motility. The culprits of constipation can be anesthetics, anticonvulsants, diuretics, calcium channel blockers.

If constipation occurs after 6 months , that is, after the introduction of complementary foods, then the child is most likely:

Not getting enough dietary fiber. They bind water, and already it softens the stool.
Regularly eats a hearty dinner shortly before going to bed. This is undesirable, as intestinal motility slows down at night.
Does not drink enough liquid regardless of the type of feeding.

When should a child be seen by a doctor?

In most cases, constipation in a newborn goes away on its own or thanks to the efforts of the mother, who has chosen the right tactics of care. nine0003

However, still seek medical attention if your baby has any of the following symptoms:

meconium has not passed within the first two days of the baby's life;
mucus, blood streaks of scarlet color or in the form of "raspberry jelly" appeared in the feces;
fever or vomiting has been added to constipation;
stool became "sticky" or "greasy".

Additional "alert criteria" include constipation that began before the age of one month, bloating, ribbon-like stools. nine0003

In case of constipation in a child, the doctor must first rule out pathological conditions. Do not rush to make a diagnosis yourself: not only the symptoms of constipation listed above are taken into account, but also the general physical and motor development of the child, which only a medical professional can evaluate during an on-site examination.

How to help with constipation before a visit to the doctor

Recommendations for all newborns, regardless of the type of feeding

If you have not found any alarming symptoms, congratulations, then the problem is most likely temporary. However, it is not necessary to wait until constipation goes away on its own - you can help your child survive this unpleasant functional disorder and alleviate his condition. Your main assistants will be an active drinking regimen and diet therapy. nine0095 1

Make sure that the child's diet contains the optimal amount of proteins and fats - their excess inhibits intestinal motility.
Regardless of the type of feeding, offer water in the amount of one serving of milk/formula for children 6 months and older.
After the introduction of complementary foods, regularly include in the menu foods by age, rich in dietary fiber: vegetables (Brussels sprouts, broccoli, asparagus, carrots), fruits (apples, peaches, bananas), berries (raspberries and blackberries), cereals (oatmeal, buckwheat, corn, barley). Add some vegetable oil to vegetable puree. nine0018
Offer your child foods fortified with prebiotics. After eight months of age, regardless of the type of feeding, unadapted sour-milk drinks such as kefir, yogurt or biolact can be added to the diet in small volumes (up to 200 ml per day).

How to help a baby with constipation while breastfeeding (LB)

First of all, make sure that your child is eating optimally - at the right frequency and in the right amount. Both underfeeding and overfeeding can cause stool problems. nine0003

Since constipation usually occurs in the baby at the same time as the mother, it is reasonable to diversify the diet of a nursing woman with foods high in dietary fiber, vegetable oils, fermented milk products, and also drink enough fluids (preferably pure water). ¹

If constipation is caused by a food allergy, the mother should avoid strong allergens: eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and seafood.

Treatment of constipation in newborns with artificial feeding nine0009

Don't change your baby from breastfeeding to bottlefeeding because of constipation - for any functional disorder, breastmilk is still the preferred food for babies under one year of age! If for some reason you were unable to establish breastfeeding, consult a pediatrician about changing the mixture - for constipation, the Comfort series and fermented milk mixtures are recommended, which include prebiotics, adapted lipids and partially cleaved protein. If constipation is caused by an allergy to CMP (cow's milk proteins), choose highly hydrolyzed or amino acid formulas. But feeding a child with an allergy with a mixture based on goat milk is not worth it - 90% of children allergic to CMP develop allergic reactions to goat's milk. ¹ As with breastfeeding, avoid underfeeding or overfeeding.

Contraindications for constipation in infants

At first glance, it seems like a good idea to use prebiotics as a nutritional supplement without including them in formula or fermented milk products. However, remember that prebiotics should not be taken systematically for a long time, and even more so without a doctor's prescription. nine0095 1

Infantile constipation is rarely associated with pathologies. However, if it is not diagnosed in a timely manner and measures are not taken, it can lead to the appearance of systematic abdominal pain, loss of appetite, fecal incontinence, and anal fissures. ² That is, non-intervention can only exacerbate the problem, which is in its infancy.

How to prevent constipation in newborns

To prevent constipation in children who for some reason are on artificial feeding, they are transferred to mixtures with prebiotics. Also, the pediatrician may recommend a mixture with fructo- and galactooligosaccharides (Comfort series). In any case, do not change the mixture yourself, without consulting a doctor. nine0018
After the introduction of complementary foods, children need to make a menu in such a way that it contains daily foods rich in dietary fiber, as well as fermented milk products enriched with bifidus and lactobacilli. Prunes and dried apricots, bran bread, baked apples help in the prevention of constipation.
For chronic constipation, after consulting a doctor, laxatives can be used to prevent the child from holding back stools.

If a child in his first year of life has difficulty with bowel movements, monitor his condition and, if breastfeeding, start diet therapy in parallel with the transition to an active drinking regimen. The sooner you fix the problem and start prevention, the more likely it is that in the future you will rarely experience constipation in a healthy, normally developing child. nine0003