In every kid's life, sometimes this unpleasant situation occurs when his bowel movement becomes rare, his feces are dense, and his discharge is even painful. It's about constipation.
What should be the frequency of the child’s chair?If the baby is breastfed, then at least twice a day, in the case of feeding with a mixture - at least once a day. In the second case, children are more likely to suffer from constipation.
Causes of constipation:
a) related to nutrition
- monotonous nutrition of the child and mother, low content of fruits and vegetables in the mother's menu;
- undernourishment baby;
- improper introduction of complementary foods;
- non-compliance with the proportions in the preparation of the mixture;
- low fluid intake by the baby;
- iron deficiency.
b) features of development
- Anatomical features and congenital malformations of the gastrointestinal tract;
- spasm of the anal sphincter;
- hypothyroidism;
- cracks and inflammatory changes of the anus;
c) inadequate child care
- uncomfortable conditions (cold pot, wet diapers, etc .;
- motor mode is insufficient.
It also happens that constipation in a newborn combines several causes of stool retention.
Constipation in newborns and infantslife occurs due to spasm of the anal sphincter in combination with the wrong diet of the mother. The kid feels discomfort, pain in the stomach, so he is naughty and worried.
If a feeling of the abdomen is found, in the form of a dense cord, one of the sections of the large intestine, immediately consult a doctor.
What treatments for constipation can help your baby? How to treat constipation?
Try to alleviate the condition of the newborn by applying the following methods of treating constipation:
- Stroking the tummy clockwise;
- regular gymnastics, massage, putting the baby on the stomach;
- bending and unbending the legs of the crumbs;
- the adoption of a warm bath;
- careful stimulation of the anus with the help of the vent tube (in exceptional cases, extremely rarely);
- use of enema.Like the previous one, this method should be used if other methods did not help, as frequent enemas inhibit the urge to deformation. To cure the extinction of the urge, it will be necessary to apply medication.
Treatment of constipation should be comprehensive. Constipation in a newborn may be due to improper nutrition of the mother and child.
It is necessary to exclude foods from the mother’s diet.which contribute to the accumulation of gases in the stomach (cabbage, black bread, mushrooms, grapes and others). It is also necessary to reduce the amount of animal fat in the diet of a nursing mother and partially replace it with vegetable fat. Eating foods high in dietary fiber (cereals, fruits and vegetables, wholemeal bread, and others) will contribute to a laxative effect. Foods that cause constipation in a newborn can be a manifestation of food allergies, in which case they should be excluded from the diet of a nursing mother. The introduction of prebiotics and probiotics into the diet has a beneficial effect on the elimination of the problem. Newborns who are bottle-fed are injected into the diet with special mixtures containing lactulose, carob gluten, which provide normalization of the chair. With the introduction of complementary foods, babies are given juices from carrots, prunes, and beets, which contribute to increased peristalsis.
A few words about the use of enemas.
Trying to cure constipation in a newborn whileusing an enema, you can cause the problem even more. Regular enemas inhibit the natural urge to defecate, and the baby can no longer cope with the problem on its own. When stool is delayed due to low intestinal contractile activity, medical treatments will be required.
