What to do if the child has constipation: adequate measures

For many parents, there is no worse disease than constipation in a child. This violation delivers suffering and pain to the crumb, which he constantly complains to his parents with the help of shouting and crying.

What should young parents do in this case? How to prevent a problem?

In pediatric practice, constipation in children is common. The lack of stool for several days, painful defecation and refusal of the pot, bring anxiety to many parents. Constipation is a slow progression of feces through the intestines.

This problem can occur in both the baby and the preschooler, is also the most common gastrointestinal disease. Many parents do not attach importance to this and do not turn to doctors, which harm the child's health.

The main factor-provocateur

Frequent constipation in a child is a common phenomenon, the main cause of the violation is considered to be malnutrition. The use of adult food leads to a kind of "blockage" of the intestine.

Parents should think about unacceptable products in the diet of children, which include salt, smoked, sweet, fatty, sour. It also provokes constipation and the lack of food in the baby's diet rich in fiber.

Features of the problem according to age

The reasons for constipation in children depend on the age of the small patient. There are indicators of normal frequency of stool in children:

1. At the age of birth and up to 9 months the frequency of defecation is 6 to 10 times a day. If the baby is breastfed, the chair occurs more often. At frequency of a chair its or his quantity or amount small - with a teaspoon of a kashitseobraznoj a consistence. The reason for constipation in infants is the lack of drinking water by the nursing mother, and in artificially fed children - frequent changes in diet and lack of drinking. Constipation is considered if the stool is absent for 24 hours and the consistency is firm.
2. Children from 1 year and up to 2.5 years go to the toilet at least 6 times a week, the chair is already formed. If the child has a tendency to constipation, then the intervals of walking on the pot increase, and the defecation itself is painful.
3. In children older than 3 years the frequency of the stool should be 1 time a day or 2-3 days. Depends on the composition of food and the amount of liquid consumed.

Symptoms of violation

Constipation in children can be:

1. Organic ( 5%) occurs in the child from birth and is the result of an anatomical defect in the intestinal segments. Underdevelopment of the nerve endings of the walls of the intestine leads to the fact that its lower divisions narrow, and the upper divisions widen. This slows down the movement of stool. This pathology is rare. More often is the lengthening of one of the parts of the large intestine, which starts uncontrolled and strongly moves, disrupting the progress of the feces to the exit. This disease occurs in children 3-4 years of age. Symptoms of organic constipation in infants is a reduction in the number of defecations and their short duration. The child experiences turbulence, swelling, and abdominal pain due to the accumulation of feces in the intestine, when the obstacle described above interferes with its exit.
2. Functional constipation( 95%) in children is very common and depends on many factors. On breastfeeding, the quality of the chair depends on the nutrition of the mother and the composition of the baby's feeding, an important role is played by the lack of water intake. On artificial feeding - from frequent changes in the mixture, diet, lack of fluid. Excess in the diet of the baby protein and fat violates the regularity of the stool. Constipation occurs if the child has such diseases: iron deficiency anemia, rickets, CNS damage in childbirth, intestinal dysbiosis, food allergy. Frequent use of drugs that stimulate digestion, leads to violations of the intestine and constipation. Symptoms of functional constipation are: hard feces, similar to beans, stiffening with defecation, occupying the fourth part of the time of excrement, in one case out of four there is a feeling of not emptying the intestine, a feeling of obstruction to calves during defecation and stools less often 2-3 times a week.

Children aged 2 to 6 years are often embarrassed to go to the toilet and deliberately restrain defecation.

Moving, getting used to a kindergarten or divorcing parents, and also teaching to a pot is a psychological obstacle to bowel movement. Parental support is important here: it is necessary to talk with the child in time and explain how to go to the toilet correctly.

The opinion of Dr. Komarovsky on the causes and treatment of constipation in children:

First aid

What should parents do before examining the doctor to alleviate the suffering of the child who has constipation? In this case, it is necessary to cleanse the intestines of your child with an enema. To do this, boiled water is used at room temperature, in which 1-2 teaspoons of glycerin can be added to enhance the laxative effect.

The use of vaseline oil, which is not absorbed by the intestines, can help to soften the fecal masses.

Enema is an emergency aid for constipation, so it is not recommended to use it constantly, because the intestine should not get used to such a bowel movement. In such cases it is better to use a candle with glycerin.

An effective way to help a child is a tummy massage. To do this, you need circular movements clockwise from the navel and gradually increasing the circle of rotation to massage the tummy baby.

It is enough to massage for two minutes, but several times a day.

Follow-up therapy

When a child is suffering from constipation, parents should not ignore a doctor's visit. The pediatrician should prescribe blood, urine, feces for helminths, coprograms and, according to their results, send them to the right specialist: endocrinologist, surgeon, gastroenterologist, neurologist and other specialists.

Treatment involves achieving regular bowel movement every day or every other day, at about the same time. The chair should become soft, and defecation fast and painless.

Treatment for each kid is individual and long-lasting. So a psychological problem can be eliminated within two years.

Features of nutrition

The first point in the treatment is the appointment of a relaxing diet. Changing the diet is punitive, therefore, for the effectiveness of treatment it is recommended to change the eating habits of all family members.

In such cases it is necessary: ​​

• to limit the intake of food resulting in thickening of feces: rice, pastries, pasta, cow's milk, bananas and apples with peel;
• refuse from gas-producing products: tomatoes, cabbage, mushrooms and legumes;
• not to drink coffee, tea, chocolate - they reduce peristalsis of the intestine, as well as enveloping soups and kissels;
• that the feces move faster through the intestines, it is important to include foods rich in fiber: fruits, vegetables and grains;
• it is necessary to eat whole grain bread and bran;
• you can eat lean meat, butter, chicken eggs;
• should drink plenty of unboiled water without additives and gas;
• it is necessary to add in food more fermented milk products: kefir, yogurt, yogurt.

The child has to move a lot, play mobile games, go for a walk, ride a bike, skate. You can do curative gymnastics, in a play form, offer various exercises aimed at improving intestinal motility.

Medical treatment

In some cases, the doctor prescribes the use of laxatives. Treatment with such drugs should be no more than 2 weeks, otherwise acclimatization or side effects in the form of an allergy or diarrhea may occur.

Up to 3 years of age, lactulose-based drugs( Dufalac) are recommended. It has no side effects and is safe for small children.

To stabilize the work of the intestine and eliminate spasms, antispasmodics and prokinetics are used. Spasmolytics should be taken if the child has pain and discomfort in the tummy. Here is appointed Papaverin, No-Shpa and candles with belladonna extract.

Prokinetics contribute to the improvement of the work of the stomach and intestines, promote the advancement of stool. One of these drugs is Domperidone, which removes pain and gas, normalizes bowel evacuation.

Also shown to children herbal cholagogue preparations to improve the pancreas and gallbladder. To improve the intestinal microflora, Bifidumbacterin, Lineks and others are recommended.

Traditional medicine

From the national recipes the most suitable for children is the use of wheat bran and sea kale. They should be drunk abundantly with water after use. They swell from the water in the intestines and dilute feces, which facilitates rapid emptying.

Effective and tincture of senna leaves - 1 tbsp.spoon on a glass of water - it is able to relax without the appearance of spasms. The child should be given an infusion of one spoon 3 times a day.

Babies of infants with constipation is better to give vegetable oil a few drops before feeding, as well as watering with dill water.

It is better not to know how to treat

. The best prevention of pediatric constipation is the use of a sufficient amount of liquid, food rich in fiber, active lifestyles, constant walks.

Parents should timely identify and treat diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, endocrine and cardiovascular systems that cause disruption.

Is it dangerous?

The consequences of untreated constipation in crumbs can be unpleasant and even dangerous. Constipation can lead to dysbiosis, cracks in the of the rectum, hemorrhoids, paraproctitis, intoxication of the body, which is manifested by lethargy, pallor of the skin, headache.

When poisonous substances enter the blood, they cause pustular diseases, skin peeling and icterus. Frequent constipation can lead to a weakened immune system.

Constipation in toddlers can be treated well if the therapy is competent and timely. To treat a violation of sufficiently effective and safe methods, funds and drugs.

It is important to fulfill all the doctor's prescriptions, according to which you can achieve a daily chair in a child without pain and discomfort.