Constipation is the infrequent and forced defecation of solid stool. It is generally considered normal for children to defecate twice a day or every two days. Especially in breastfed babies, the number of daily defecations may be higher.
The most common cause of constipation begins during the adaptation phase to the foods started when breast milk is stopped or during toilet training. Rarely, it may occur when new foods are introduced to the baby in addition to breast milk. Individual factors play a role here as well as the quality of the food chosen. In addition, constipation may be caused by the medications used (iron drugs, diuretics, some psychiatric drugs, etc.), and this may also be the first sign of some important diseases:
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Congenital stenosis and anomalies. (crack in the anus, stenosis, abscess, hemorrhoids, tumor,..)
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Diseases characterized by the congenital absence of nerve cells in a part of the intestines (Hirschprung disease and similar)
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Some hormone disorders (thyroid and parathyroid hormone deficiency, cystic fibrosis, sugar-free diabetes, etc.)
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Neurological disorders (some muscle diseases, stroke etc)
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Psychological problems (domestic unrest, sibling arrival, toilet training, etc.)
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Eating disorders (caused by various reasons) loss of appetite, excessive cow's milk intake, nutrition deprived of breast milk, prolonged vomiting, etc.)
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Other causes
Suspected In such cases, the presence of these diseases should also be investigated.
The first symptom is that the baby or child has difficulty and pain while defecating. In fact, defecation can be painful enough to make the patient cry. Defecation intervals become longer and longer. When changing the baby's diaper, it may be noticed that the stool becomes rare and the stool becomes solid. However, this situation may be overlooked in children who have received toilet training. The most common mistake is that the poop is not well solidified. Significant increases in consistency should be considered as constipation, even if the child's stool is not very hard. When there is no defecation, severe abdominal pain and even vomiting may occur. In older children, especially the first part of the stool It is hard and large. Blood may be visible in the form of streaks on it or it may consist of small hard pieces. It should not be forgotten that if the amount of blood is high, there may be another important reason. In patients who are delayed or have not received appropriate treatment, poop incontinence or even inability to hold the poop at all may occur due to the unsolidified poop in the upper parts of the intestine leaking around the solidified poop in the hind intestine. For this reason, considering the good results obtained at the beginning of the treatment, the treatment should not be interrupted, but should be continued patiently and carefully to prevent recurrence.
As a result of long-lasting or incompletely treated constipation, cracks and purple-colored vascular dilations occur around the anus. If adequate precautions are not taken, these vascular dilations turn into hemorrhoids (piles) in the following years.
In the treatment, foods that we know well to cause constipation (banana, apple, cola, tea, cow's milk if consumed excessively) should be removed from the diet until the constipation disappears. . Therefore, excessive consumption of these foods should be avoided before constipation occurs. Depending on the degree of constipation, the use of emollient medications under the supervision of a doctor will be beneficial. If there is a crack, it should be treated and the treatment should be continued until the child can defecate without feeling pain.
The child should have good toilet habits. No matter where and when the desire to defecate is felt, it should not be postponed; every postponement is a step towards constipation. It is known that children who are accustomed to pooping every day, especially after a meal, are comfortable throughout their lives. Although the ability to learn to hold poop varies greatly from child to child, it generally occurs between the ages of 1-3. The child should not be pressured during this training. It should never be a subject of punishment and it should be explained in appropriate language that this is a normal body event.
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