Constipation in a child in 1 month

Most often, constipation in a month-old child occurs as a result of malnutrition or immaturity of the digestive tract, when intestinal motility is insufficient to push feces. But coprostasis can be provoked by organic pathology, which requires surgical treatment, so if the symptom frequently appears, it is necessary to examine the child.

What can be considered a constipation of

If the infant is breastfed, the frequency of bowel movements, color, consistency of stool will depend on the nutrition of the nursing mother and the state of the digestive system of the baby. With natural feeding in a newborn, defecation occurs almost after each feeding, about 6 times a day.

Pediatricians are considered normal if the frequency of stools in a month-old child varies from once every 2 days to 10-12 times a day. With age, the frequency of the stool is reduced and by the time of introduction of complementary foods( 12-20 months) is no more than two times a day.

If the infant feeds on the artificial mixture, then the defecation will be irregular, as the feces of the newborn become denser and it moves longer in the intestines, and also because the mixture is digested much longer than the female milk. In children with artificial feeding, the frequency of the stool is usually 1 time per day.

If the infants at the age of 2 to 20 weeks are on mixed feeding( 1: 1), then the frequency of bowel movements from 1 to 7 times a day is normal. Criterion for the violation of the functional state of the digestive system of the child is not the frequency of defecation, but his well-being. If the crumb feels well, he quietly sleeps, does not press his legs to the tummy and eats with appetite, then rare emptying of the intestine is not cause for concern.

If the kid is cranky, tights at the same time reddens and cries, and his tummy is hard, then we can talk about a symptom such as constipation. With constipation in children, the consistency of the fecal masses changes( the feces become hard or first the dense feces come out, and after it already comes mushy).

The appearance of fragmented or dense feces is a sign of constipation of

When atopic coprostasia is broken the rhythm of defecation, a large cylinder is dislodged, the baby refuses food, skin rashes and plaque in the tongue may appear. The child is troubled by paroxysmal pains in the abdomen. Spastic constipation is manifested by a fragmented stool( "sheep feces"), intestinal colic, flatulence. Symptoms of spastic coprostasis subsided after defecation, and the cleansing enema does not give relief.

Causes of constipation in the infant

The most common causes of constipation in a month-old child are:

• failure to follow the dietary recommendations of the mother;
• insufficient milk from the mother;
• dehydration of stool or excess intake of calcium salts;
• introduction to the ration( or change) of the milk formula;
• long-term use of medications;
• organic or functional disorders of the digestive system.

If a nursing mother does not follow a diet, then along with breast milk, substances that are too complex for cleavage enter the digestive tract of the newborn. As a result, the digestion process in a child is delayed or disrupted. To eliminate constipation and increased gas formation in the baby, the mother should refuse to eat fried, fatty foods, muffins, and also to remove from her diet nuts, strong tea and coffee.

A baby with natural feeding can lose breast milk because of hypogalactia, anatomy of the oral cavity( the child can not fully suck), sluggish sucking, frequent regurgitation. Temporary constipation in a month-old baby who is on artificial feeding can appear due to a lack of fluid in the body, as the stools are dehydrated and hard to push.

To make up for the lack of liquid, the crumb should be given to drink water. With a large intake of calcium in the body, compounds are formed that condense the feces. An excess of calcium can occur if there is too much cottage cheese in the mother's diet, or vitamin D hypervitaminosis develops.

Iatrogenic constipation occurs with prolonged use of medicines, for example, antacids, antispasmodics, antibiotics, diuretics. Medications affect the nervous apparatus of the intestine or on electrolyte metabolism. It also happens that the constipation is a consequence of damage to the intramural ganglia resulting from intestinal infection or intestinal dysbiosis.

Organic constipation occurs against the background of abnormal development of the colon and rectum, for example, with Hirschsprung's disease, fistulous atresia of the anus, stricture of the anus and rectum, anorectal stenosis, loss of reflex to defecation.

In case of Hirschpung's disease( one case for 2-5 thousand newborns) the symptoms appear already during the infancy, although the clinic is worn out with natural feeding, which is associated with easy passage of stool along the aganglionic site of the colon. Constipation usually occurs when introducing complementary foods or switching to a mixture, as the stool becomes thicker.

Acute constipation occurs suddenly( with no stool for several days), its cause is most often a violation of intestinal permeability due to neoplasm, inflammation in the abdominal cavity, intestinal or anorectal area, craniocerebral trauma or side effects of drugs.

If the clinic includes not only constipation but also gas retention, then the probability of intestinal obstruction is high and urgent medical attention is required.

Chronic constipation in infants develops due to functional disorders of the large intestine, which is caused by uncoordinated tonic and propulsive muscle contractions of the intestinal walls. To constipations also lead hypoxic and traumatic lesions of the central nervous system. Functional constipation is formed as a result of the morphofunctional immaturity of the newborn.

Chronic constipation is considered if a violation of the act of bowel movement is observed continuously for three months, so parents should closely monitor the frequency of bowel movement of the child who has constipation, rather than consider it an individual feature of the body. It is not always at the time of the examination that it is established why the child has coprostasis, however, it allows to exclude more serious pathologies that could provoke a violation of defecation.

Elimination of the

symptom In children, constipation( in 95% of cases) is of a functional nature. If there is a suspicion of organic constipation, a survey should be performed as soon as possible in order to determine the tactics of treating the underlying disease, of which the symptom is coprostasis. Treatment can be both conservative and surgical.

Treatment of constipation in a child 1 month of age should be prescribed by a pediatrician. At a clinical examination, the doctor pays attention to the color of the baby's breast, the presence of a plaque on the tongue, the shape and size of the abdomen. After examining and collecting the anamnesis, the doctor will select the most suitable medication and determine the necessary dosage, and if necessary, assign additional studies.

Treatment of coprostasis depends on the etiology of the disease, concomitant diseases, the nature of impaired motor activity of the large intestine. To accelerate peristalsis, a lactulose or candle with glycerin can be given to a baby.

The aim of therapy is to restore the consistency of stool and normalize the rate of movement of intestinal contents through the large intestine.

Lactulose is not absorbed and digested in the small intestine, but enters the large intestine, where it becomes food for intestinal bacteria that break down carbohydrates. Disaccharide increases the number of lacto- and bifidobacteria. Lactulose refers to osmotic laxatives, that is, it promotes water retention in the intestines, which leads to a volume of fecal matter and activates the intestinal peristalsis.

The drug can be used for a long time even from the first days of life, as it is not addictive and is safe for crumbs. The therapeutic effect is manifested within 1-2 days, after the beginning of taking the remedy. As the bacteria in the intestine begin to multiply actively, the baby may have increased gas production, so some pediatricians recommend starting with small doses and gradually increasing them.

Lactulose is an active ingredient in the following preparations:

• Bioflorax;
• Goodluck;
• Dufalac;
• Lactuvite;
• Lactulux;
• Lizalac;
• Norma;
• Normolact;
• Floulak 100, etc.

Candles with glycerol are also able to speed up the defecation process. In addition to glycerin, they include sodium carbonate and stearic acid. Glycerin envelops the walls of the intestine, which facilitates easier passage of feces, in addition, the substance softens the feces, activates the bowel motility.

The drug is not absorbed into the bloodstream, is not addictive and is safe for the infant. The effect of a candle with glycerin occurs within half an hour. As a rule, candles are used from the age of three months, however, if necessary, the pediatrician can recommend a remedy for a month-old baby, but it will need to be divided into two or three parts.

For spastic constipation, children may be treated with spasmolytics( course of 3-5 days), contact heat, warm relaxing baths, candles with bellies, novocaine, papaverine, which give an analgesic, antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory effect. With atonic constipation, B vitamins, prokinetics, nootropics can be recommended.

Recommendations

Improve the motor activity of the bowel massage. The child is put on his back and stroked his tummy clockwise. As prevention of constipation may be applied gymnastics( exercise "bike", classes on fitball, laying on the tummy).

Massage should be done twice a day for several minutes.

To constipation in early childhood should be taken seriously, because it is at this age that the congenital anomalies of the intestine or disorders in metabolism are detected. It is important to understand that the term "constipation" means slow, difficult or systematically insufficient emptying of the intestine.

If a month-old baby who is naturally breastfed does not have defecation and is still calm, this does not mean coprostasis, but that mother's milk is fully absorbed. The absence of a regular stool becomes a symptom only if the child is restless and it is difficult for him to defecate.

If the baby has constipation, then, first of all, it is necessary to pay attention to the baby's diet( it may be necessary to replace the mixture) or the nursing mother, and the spark plug with glycerin or preparations with lactulose will help to empty the intestine.

With the systematic difficulty of defecation, it is necessary to undergo examination and exclude congenital organic pathology of the intestine. How to help a child with constipation tells the pediatrician after examining the crumbs. To apply folk methods of treatment or to do an enema is prohibited, since there is a possibility of mechanical damage to the rectal mucosa.