When babies have stool retention, many mothers start to panic. After all, constipation in a newborn is accompanied by pain in the tummy, sleep disturbance, regurgitation and other unpleasant phenomena. In other words, the baby is experiencing severe discomfort and in every way makes it clear to the parents. Often, mothers do not understand why a baby who eats only milk has problems with stool. Are there effective measures against the disease?

The digestive system in children in the first months of life is rather imperfect. Babies are prone to flatulence and stool retention. It happens that artificial feeding (IV) can serve as the reason, because it is very difficult to choose a formula that fully replaces breast milk.

Before you begin to treat constipation, you need to find out the cause of its occurrence:

  • improper nutrition of the mother while breastfeeding;
  • insufficient water intake;
  • mixed feeding;
  • abrupt transition to IoT;
  • a sharp change in the mixture to IV.

If a mother does not have fiber-rich foods in her diet, she and her baby become constipated. When breastfeeding, doctors recommend eating more vegetables and fruits, and less flour and confectionery.

Constipation in a newborn can cause inadequate drinking water intake. After all, the body seeks to retain fluid during its shortage, and the baby's feces hardens and lingers in the intestines.

When transferring a child to IW, parents should be careful. The baby's body must get used to the mixture gradually, otherwise a failure will occur in his digestive system. The same rule applies to the transfer of a baby from one mixture to another. Mixed feeding can also affect your baby's digestion. It is difficult for a child to adapt to both formula and breast milk at the same time.

Symptoms

The main symptom of constipation in a newborn is stool retention for 36 to 48 hours. Normally, babies on HB should have frequent stools (2 to 4 times a day), have a liquid consistency and a sour smell. With IV, the number of bowel movements in a child is 1-2 times a day, the consistency is thicker.

Constipation is also characterized by the following symptoms:

  • the child presses his legs and cries;
  • the baby's tummy is firm and tense;
  • moodiness and sleep disturbance are observed.

You can suspect constipation in a baby if:

  • previously, his chair was also hard;
  • during bowel movements, the baby cried (as he experienced painful sensations).

First aid

Every mother wants to know how to help a newborn with constipation. It is necessary to treat the child, namely to provide first aid in the case when there is no bowel movement for more than 48 hours. This is easier than it sounds.

1. With constipation in a newborn, special exercises help:

  • put the child on the back, massage the abdomen. Movements during the massage must be performed with the palm of your hand, stroking the tummy clockwise around the navel.
  • do the "bike" exercise with the baby: put it on the back, raise the baby's legs and twist the imaginary "pedals" with them.

2. Place the baby on his tummy to make it easier to empty the bowels under pressure.

3. For newborns from constipation, there are special laxatives. It is possible to treat a child with them if the methods listed above do not help.

  • "Duphalac" is a laxative that gently softens the child's stool and removes it from the intestines. Approved for use in children from birth. Newborns are prescribed in a dose of 3 - 5 ml. Helps get rid of the problem within 2 days.
  • "Plantex" is a herbal remedy based on fennel. It removes gases from the intestines, improves peristalsis, promotes softening of the stool. The drug is produced in the form of a tea brewing powder. Recommended for use in children from 2 weeks of age. To prepare tea, 1 sachet is dissolved in 100 ml of boiled water. The resulting liquid is divided into 3 doses and given to the baby to drink.

4. Glycerin suppositories are the fastest remedy for newborn constipation. Glycerin helps to soften the stool and also induces reflex bowel movements. For the introduction of a newborn, an ordinary glycerin suppository is cut across into 4 parts, after which a quarter is inserted into the anus of the child. Preliminarily, the baby is placed on the back or on the side and the legs are bent.

5. Enema. When all of the above methods do not help get rid of constipation, the newborn can be tried to give an enema. To do this, you need to purchase a special pear with a soft tip at the pharmacy. Warm (35–36) boiled water is taken into the pear, the tip is lubricated with glycerin. The baby must be laid on his back and tucked the legs up, carefully insert the tip and give an enema.

These methods are suitable for any child, regardless of age. They can be used if the child is newborn or just one month old.

There are also folk remedies that can be used to relieve a newborn from unpleasant symptoms:

  • boil the dill for 2-3 minutes, then strain the water and give the baby 1 teaspoon to drink before and after meals, three times a day;
  • if a child sucks a pacifier, you can dip it in honey (if there is no allergy to this product) and give it to the child (repeat the procedure no more than 1 time per day);
  • cook compote from dried fruits (figs and prunes), give the child to drink 1 teaspoon several times during the day;
  • before feeding, drop a few drops of vegetable oil on the baby's tongue, and then continue feeding.

Prevention

Stool retention is more difficult to treat. It is necessary to eliminate the recurrence of constipation in a baby thanks to the following rules:

1. Regardless of breastfeeding or artificial feeding, the child should be given boiled water several times a day.

2. The mother of a baby who is on HB should eat more vegetables and fruits. (We advise you to read: Constipation in a newborn while breastfeeding). You need to refuse the following products:

  • flour and confectionery products;
  • legumes;
  • White cabbage;
  • carbonated drinks.

3. It is necessary to switch to IV or a new mixture gradually, replacing one feeding a day.

4. It is advisable for the baby to do a belly massage and exercise a bicycle before feeding. After the massage, you can lay the baby on the tummy.

5. For IV it is better to choose a mixture containing bifido and lactobacilli. It is generally well tolerated by newborns and does not cause constipation.

6. In mixed feeding, breast milk should be preferred in quantity.

Will be useful: Diet for constipation in children

Summing up

Constipation in a newborn can develop for various reasons, because the gastrointestinal tract is gradually adapting to a new way of eating. It is necessary to adjust the diet of the nursing mother. At IW, great attention should be paid to the choice of the mixture and the smooth transition to it. Before fighting the disease, you need to eliminate the main cause, and then treat the child and follow preventive measures.

  1. It is not recommended to abuse the use of glycerin suppositories and enemas. Funds negatively affect intestinal motility.
  2. Folk remedies should be used with caution and only after consulting a specialist.
  3. A pediatrician is able to cure frequent constipation (10 - 15 times a month).
  4. Before using laxatives, carefully read the instructions, follow the dosage indicated in it.

In the first year of a child's life, almost every 5 or 4 children suffer from constipation, as many parents and doctors believe. When there is stagnation of feces in the rectum, their exit is difficult, the child grunts and pushes, but emptying does not occur - the parents are worried and sometimes do not know, if the baby is constipated, what to do?

In this article, we will talk about the possible causes of constipation in infants, about ways to solve the problem of a difficult, delayed, systematically insufficient act of defecation in babies.

The most common, easily eliminated causes of constipation in babies are - a lack of water entering the baby's body, a lack of milk in the mother, a sharp change in the baby's diet (switching from breastfeeding to artificial feeding, changing the mother's diet, introducing complementary foods) and more serious, such as allergic reactions, developmental defects or disorders of the digestive system and other diseases.

What is considered constipation in a newborn, a child under 1 year old?

In order to determine whether a child is constipated or just an individual feature, there are criteria by which you can classify changes in the stool in a baby:

  • Stool frequency - stool delay for 1-2 days can be considered constipation if it is systematic and the child is anxious, naughty, crying, pushing, grunting during bowel movements
  • Stool consistency - from the table below, only types 1 and 2 should be considered as constipation (the rest with 3-6 variants of the norm). If the stool is lumpy (sheep feces), too dense and hard, lumpy stool even in the form of a sausage - this should also be interpreted as constipation.
  • If a child shows anxiety, grunts, or has obvious difficulties in the act of defecation during a bowel movement, this is not always a sign of constipation.

Click on the picture to enlarge

To determine constipation in infants, a combination of several factors should be taken into account. If a child has a 1-2 type of stool consistency, he poops with a delay of 1-2 days, while crying and grunting is constipation.

If the baby is emptied every day, but 1 time, the consistency of feces is within normal limits, but the child groans, pushes, then this does not mean that he needs to put an enema, glycerin suppositories, to deal with constipation in other non-natural ways.

During the act of defecation, most babies grunt strongly, push, twist their legs, show other signs of difficulty when pushing feces out - this is normal for children of the first year of life. In infants, intestinal functions are just forming, and babies are still not able to properly control the work of the intestines, so strenuous attempts to defecate can be a variant of the norm. If the child has a normal appetite, he looks healthy, rarely defecates, but the consistency of the stool is normal and behaves restlessly only during the act of defecation - do not worry too much.

In all other cases, with anxiety during bowel movements and rare emptying, provoking factors should first be excluded, such as taking any medications, allergic reactions, changing the diet of a nursing mother or complementary foods for a child, which can contribute to constipation in the baby. What to do if your baby has problems with daily emptying? Parents should definitely consult a doctor for diagnostics of dysbiosis, allergies or other digestive disorders, in order to exclude more serious pathologies.

Possible Causes of Constipation in Babies

Children with episodic cases of constipation, not caused by any diseases, always look healthy, develop correctly, gain weight well, and a change in the nature of the intestines can be caused by reasons that are easy enough to eliminate:

  • If a child rarely poops, perhaps he is experiencing a lack of fluid, this is especially true for infants who are bottle-fed. To change the situation, be sure to give the baby water to drink. The well-known pediatrician Komarovsky, with constipation in infants, strongly recommends giving children water, even when breastfeeding, given the dry air in heated rooms and the heat in the summer.
  • Improper nutrition of a nursing mother, which consists in the abuse of flour bakery products, rice, rich thick broths, refined foods, semi-finished meat products and other products that provoke constipation in both adults and children. And also the use for feeding milk mixtures with iron.
  • The intake of certain medications by a mother or child is antibiotics, antispasmodics, NSAIDs, anticonvulsants, iron preparations, muscle relaxants, bismuth preparations, etc.
  • Lack of milk in the mother can also cause congestion in the baby.
  • The introduction of complementary foods usually normalizes the intestines, but this does not always happen, sometimes new foods, on the contrary, can contribute to the development of constipation. Each newly introduced product, the baby's reaction should be analyzed (see).

In rare cases, when the baby's stool remains soft, but the child is lethargic, apathetic, lagging behind in development, each time has difficulty in defecating, while there are certainly other signs of diseases, one of the symptoms of which may be constipation in a baby or a newborn:

  • Hereditary predisposition, congenital diseases (tumors, megacolon), intestinal developmental defects (intestinal diverticula, colon duplication, anal atresia), Hirschsprung's disease.
  • Disorders of the digestive system - pancreas (enzyme deficiency), biliary dyskinesia, kink of the gallbladder, liver disease.
  • Lactose deficiency, food allergic reactions - while constipation can alternate with diarrhea and profuse regurgitation.
  • Hyperparathyroidism, hypokalemia, hypercalcemia
  • Dolichokolon, dolichosigma

Management of an infant with constipation

  • Examination by a pediatrician
  • Frequent breastfeeding while breastfeeding
  • To add water to an artificial person in the amount of one feeding, divided per day (between feedings)
  • Give a child over half a year old with apples and vegetables (see)
  • After a year, the child must be fed with soup (see)

How to treat constipation in an infant?

To begin with, the most obvious and easily eliminated possible causes should be excluded - this is to adjust the mother's nutrition, observe the drinking regime, it is possible to use a humidifier during the heated period, replace the milk mixture with another one, or change the nature of complementary foods. If this does not lead to a result, a thorough diagnosis should be carried out by an endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, neurologist, and serious pathologies and diseases should be ruled out. If any violations are found, all the recommendations of doctors should be taken into account and the underlying disease causing constipation should be treated.

You should not rush to use enemas, especially (except for Lactulose, you can not use any laxatives for infants), they weaken the natural reflex of bowel emptying, reduce the absorption of nutrients, lead to the loss of potassium, trace elements, vitamins, protein, and also reduce the tone of the intestinal muscles. Before treating constipation in an infant, you first need to try to help the child in other harmless, natural ways, you need to give the child time for self-training:

If you love your baby, give him a little more time, do not buy store-bought juices and purees for your baby, make it yourself, the baby does not need much of it at all. Many independent experts have long exposed manufacturers who claim that these are healthy drinks and purees. There is no benefit in such juices, moreover, very often they are the strongest allergens for babies, especially the Agusha series of juices. It is better to take a fresh apple, pear, plum, peach, carrot and squeeze the juice out of them yourself (then dilute with water) or make mashed potatoes using a blender or a micro-mill.

Intestinal dysbiosis

Some experts believe that dysbiosis is a contrived diagnosis for a more profitable commercialization of drugs for its treatment or maintenance of laboratories by definition.

But, very often, against the background of taking some eubiotics, prebiotics, probiotics in children, stool and symptoms of dysbiosis normalize, constipation and go away. So, if the gastroenterologist sees the problem of constipation in a violation of the intestinal microflora, the use of such funds is advisable (see all).

Medicines and other methods of emergency elimination of constipation in children of the first year of life

The fight against constipation in babies should be aimed at eliminating the cause of its appearance, and not entering the system of mechanical assistance, some kind of fight against a symptom, the manifestation of any disease or indigestion. Stool retention for more than a day, with anxiety, crying of the baby, should be a reason to call a local doctor. With constipation in a baby, what should parents do, how to help a baby to facilitate emptying? Before examination and establishment, the following methods of stimulation of emptying are acceptable as emergency aid:

Anal irritation

This can be done by simply stroking the skin around the anus. You can also do this with the tip of the gas outlet tube, previously lubricated with petroleum jelly. Another way of such mechanical irritation is the following manipulation - gently insert a cotton swab smeared with glycerin into the anus and twist it a little. Among the methods used by our grandmothers and great-grandmothers, when there were no other means and methods, is the gentle introduction of a thin piece of soap into the baby's anus. However, recent studies and observations of doctors argue that neither soap nor soap solutions for microclysters, nor salt (hypertonic) microclysters for children, especially for babies, can be used.

Glycerin candles or Microlax

Although glycerin suppositories are considered the safest of all and are indicated for young children, most pediatricians do not recommend using them for babies. Their use is justified only in emergency cases when other means do not give an effect and only after consulting a doctor. Suppositories with glycerin or Glycelax can cause itching, burning of the skin, and allergic reactions in the baby.

It should be remembered that you cannot put more than 1 candle per day, if 1 hour after the candle with glycerin there is no effect, you should call a doctor. You need to purchase only glycerin candles for children or use 1/4 of an adult candle by cutting it lengthwise. After the glycerin suppository, the baby may have multiple, abundant stools.

Microlax for newborns is considered one of the modern laxatives of local action - it is a ready-made viscous solution for administration as a micro enema. The instructions for this drug indicate that it can be used for newborns and infants, while the solution should be injected only half the length, there is a mark on the tip.

Enemas and microclysters

It is also considered an unnatural way to induce emptying and should be avoided, especially the systematic administration of an enema. Before deciding on this method, you should also consult with your pediatrician. For babies, water at room temperature is used - for newborns 30 ml. and up to 120 ml. for children under one year old. To make such an enema, the tip of the pear is smeared with cream or petroleum jelly, the child is placed on the barrels and water is carefully injected into the intestines.

Lactulose

This popular prebiotic can be recommended by a physician if intestinal dysbiosis is present or as a prevention of constipation. Today it is the safest remedy that can be used for constipation in infants. Lactulose (Normase 200 rubles, Lactulose Stada, Prelax 150-200 rubles, Portalak syrup 300 rubles, Goodluck 220 rubles, Romfalak, 300-400 rubles, Lactulose Poly, Livolyuk-PB) is a mild laxative to which intestinal addiction does not occur and it, when taken for a long time, has the ability to restore the disturbed intestinal microflora.

Quite often, parents are faced with such a problem as constipation in a newborn, and not everyone knows what to do in this case. To solve the problem of an infant, it is necessary to have some mandatory knowledge, which includes not only getting rid of the baby from problems with emptying, but also preventing repeated constipation.

The most dangerous for newborns are cases of using traditional medicine methods without prior consultation with a pediatrician. The risk for babies is that many of these recipes are for adults only. In some way, you can justify the fussiness of the parents, who, suspecting constipation in the newborn, resort to setting an enema or special gas tubes.

If your baby is having trouble emptying, then you shouldn't panic anyway. It is better to calm down and analyze the circumstances, as well as the symptoms. An important enough point is a clear definition of constipation in infants, and only then proceed, following the prescription of the pediatrician, to treatment.

Constipation or infrequent bowel movements

In medicine, constipation is considered to be the absence of stool in newborns for more than two days. Dr. Komarovsky talks about this in his program. However, quite often a newborn may have difficulties with defecation, and there are weighty natural explanations for this. An indicator of the norm for an infant whose age does not exceed three months is stool from two to four times a day.

The closer the baby is to the age of one year, this frequency is reduced by almost half. However, given that the infant's intestines are not always ready to cope with such stresses as thorough digestion and the required rate of absorption of incoming food, irregular emptying may occur.

It should be noted that short-term constipation in newborns is observed by all parents, but with proper nutrition and an appropriate diet, the situation will quickly return to normal.

So, if your newborn has difficulty defecating, then it is more likely to assume that the stool is too dense. In such cases, even Dr. Komarovsky advises to change the baby's diet. However, now we will dwell in detail on the causes of constipation.

The true causes of constipation in a newborn can only be determined by a pediatrician. It is not recommended to independently, experimentally, find out and treat this phenomenon. The use of medicines is especially dangerous.

There are a number of factors that can trigger stool problems in an infant. Among them are distinguished:

  • the transition from breastfeeding to artificial feeding;
  • changing the manufacturer of artificial nutrition;
  • lack of breast milk or hungry constipation;
  • a diet containing foods prone to the formation of thick feces;
  • lack of intestinal muscle tone: colds, infectious diseases;
  • insufficient amount of water;
  • allergy to cow protein.

First aid for constipation

Despite the fact that it is impossible to treat constipation on your own without the presence of a medical prescription, it is necessary to do at least something to alleviate the condition of the newborn. In this case, you must have certain knowledge. Dr. Komarovsky agrees with this statement and recommends taking the following steps:

  • Massage.

    It is quite simple in execution and consists of a smooth movement of the palm of the right hand along the tummy of an infant, following the movement of the clockwise hand.

  • Exercise bike.
  • Warm baths taken together.
  • Laying the newborn on the tummy to activate bowel function.
  • Eating stool thinning foods.

Doctor Komarovsky shares useful information on this issue. He argues that in newborns, constipation occurs when the food is absorbed too quickly. What should be done in such cases? To feed the baby with "light" foods, or, conversely, those, after which there is still something left. After all, if you do nothing, then the problem will not be eliminated on its own.

Also, Dr. Komarovsky recommends eliminating constipation in newborns with fiber or a sufficient amount of vegetables and fruits, cereals, bread and bran. In his opinion, the best option would be to feed the baby with slightly undercooked cereals. Among his advice, Mr. Komarovsky notes that the food offered to the baby should not be too thermally processed and extremely soft.

An extremely important issue in terms of eliminating constipation is the impossibility of admitting a fluid deficiency in the body.

Adhering to such simple recommendations that Dr. Komarovsky provides, you can easily eliminate constipation in newborns. However, we must not forget that the delay in defecation depends on the volume of feces. If their accumulation in the rectum is sufficient, then there will be no problems with bowel movements in the baby.

If there is no relief, what should you do next?

There are often cases when constipation in a baby does not disappear, what to do next in this case? If all of the above does not lead to the expected results, then there is a plan "B" in stock. It consists of certain steps of mechanical action that answer the question of what to do next.

Of the methods of mechanical influence that relieve the baby from problems with defecation are:

  • pushing a small bar of soap into the anus;
  • exposure to a thermometer (but not mercury, but electronic), which is introduced into the anus;
  • lubricating the walls of the anus with a cotton swab smeared with baby cream;
  • the use of gas pipes.

Answering the question “ What to do if a child is suffering from constipation?", Always the safest and most optimal answer was to use glycerin suppositories.

Modern pharmacology does not distinguish between suppositories for children and adults. Therefore, babies, as a rule, need to insert only half of the candle into the anus. Nevertheless, to alleviate the condition, it is sometimes sufficient to introduce only the third part of such a candle. If the baby is suffering from constipation, it is not recommended to use such suppositories without consulting a pediatrician, even though they are quite safe for the health of newborns.

It is not uncommon when all of the above methods did not bring even a small positive result. What to do in this case? If all else fails, then the last resort remains - an enema. However, it should always be left as a last resort.

How to put an enema correctly?

Many parents are afraid to give their baby an enema, and if they agree to such a step, then only if all the work falls on the shoulders of grandparents. There is nothing terrible in this.

The syringe should fill with liquid. As a rule, a decoction of chamomile is used. The liquid will need from 20 to 30 ml. The anus is pre-lubricated in the baby with any baby cream, and then insert a syringe into it by 1.5 or 2 cm. Then, by gentle pressure, the liquid is injected.

Remember, a "cold" liquid is always used in a cleansing enema. Otherwise, it will all go into the bloodstream, penetrating through the walls of the intestinal mucosa.

At the end of this topic, I would like to ask one more equally terrible question for parents “ What to do if the newborn's constipation was not overcome, and the enema was powerless?". In this case, for both parents and their newborns, there is only one way out - to seek modern medical care. Since only a pediatrician will be able to establish the cause of its occurrence, only he can prescribe for a baby, if not one, then several courses of treatment.

The main thing is prevention

Given the above, it is already possible to clearly identify the reasons that provoke newborn constipation. The indisputable fact is that it is easier to prevent a disease than to try to get rid of it later. Therefore, prevention is an important point for a newborn. It includes the following steps:

  • regular laying of the infant on the tummy. The time the baby stays in this position should not exceed two minutes, but also not be less than one minute;
  • paying due attention to the amount of fluid necessary for the proper functioning of all systems of the newborn's body;
  • for a breastfed baby, it is very important for his mother to eat foods rich in potassium (raisins or prunes);
  • preventing overheating of the body of a newborn child.

The undeniable fact remains that no one is immune from such a nuisance as constipation in a baby, what to do in this case, you already know.

Then every parent will not think about what to do with constipation in an infant.

Is a painful condition characterized by slow and difficult bowel movements.

The body of a newborn is so different from that of an adult that sometimes mothers face an insoluble problem: is this or that condition of her baby the norm or should the alarm be sounded.

In the understanding of adult medicine, the diagnosis of constipation can be made when:

    absence of a chair for more than a day;

    a feeling of incomplete emptying of the intestines after a bowel movement;

    solid feces;

    application of effort (straining) in the process of emptying the intestines.

Inexperienced parents, when applying these criteria to their newborn children, often completely in vain begin to suspect that they have intestinal disorders. It's good if after that mom goes to the pediatrician and asks his advice. It is much worse when the diagnosis is made independently and treatment begins based on the advice of friends, grandmothers and Internet forums.

In order to understand what condition in an infant is actually constipation, it is necessary to consider the normal functioning of the baby's digestive system.

The first days of life. A newborn's first stool is called meconium. It is the remnants of intestinal cells and the digestion products of amniotic fluid that the baby accidentally swallowed. Normally, meconium begins to drain immediately after the first feeding. The color of the first stool is dark, in some cases almost black, odorless, and resembles toothpaste in consistency.

In the first 1-2 days of life, the baby empties the intestines infrequently - 1-3 times a day. After the meconium has completely passed, the stool character begins to change depending on the type of food that the newborn receives.

When breastfeeding, the stool is thin, reminiscent of mustard or pea soup. Color - yellow, yellow-brown, greenish tint is acceptable. Has a pronounced smell of sour milk. May contain undigested curdled milk lumps and small amounts of foam.

In bottle-fed babies, stools are darker in color, have a fecal odor and a thick consistency.

The first 2 months of life. When breastfeeding, the options for the norm are quite wide: from bowel movements after each feeding up to 2 times a day.

Stricter requirements are imposed on children who are feeding on milk formulas. The norm is considered to be a daily bowel movement at least 1 time.

From 2 months to 6 months. With the age of the child, the frequency of stools per day decreases: from 5 times a day in 2-month-old infants to 1-2 times a day in half-year-old children. In some babies, breast milk is so well absorbed that they can empty their bowels once every 2-3 days. This is considered normal if the child is cheerful, eats with appetite, gains weight well, bowel movements are effortless, and the stool is soft and does not have a putrid odor.

Children over 6 months old. After the introduction of complementary foods, the norm is to empty the intestines 1-2 times a day. At the same time, the characteristics of the stool change markedly. When switching to solid food, feces begin to form. They acquire a dark color, an unpleasant fecal odor and a denser texture.

Thus, summing up everything written above, we can draw the following conclusions.

For breastfed babies:

    the number of bowel movements per day in infants before the introduction of complementary foods is strictly individual;

    when assessing the condition of the baby, one should focus not on the number of bowel movements, but on the general condition and monthly weight gain;

For bottle-fed babies:

    the chair should be at least 1 time per day.

When can a delayed bowel movement be considered constipation?

A diagnosis of constipation can be suspected in the absence of stool in the newborn, accompanied by the following symptoms:

    anxiety of the child and loss of appetite;

    strong straining while trying to defecate;

    redness of the face, crying, squeezing the legs while feeding;

    discharge of intestinal gases with a putrid odor, unpleasant stool odor;

    poor weight gain.

It does not matter how much time has passed since the last bowel movement.



Constipation in breastfed newborns is associated with:

    Bowel disease

    These include congenital anomalies of the digestive system: megacolon - Hirschsprung's disease, absence or narrowing of the anus, lengthening of the sigmoid loop.

    Diseases of other organs and systems

    Insufficient production of thyroid hormones - rickets, lesions of the nervous system - all these diseases negatively affect intestinal motility and cause constipation.

    Immaturity of the nervous system

    Often babies are born with immature nerve endings in the intestinal wall. As a result, it cannot contract properly, pushing the food gruel towards the anus. This is a physiological condition that passes by the 2nd month of life without special treatment.

    Mother's diet

    Everything that mom eats affects the quality of breast milk. There are foods that have a firming effect in a newborn.

Foods that cause constipation in babies:

    fatty cheeses;

    whole cow's milk;

    fatty meats;

    White bread;

    nuts (peanuts, cashews);

    pastry products;

    strong tea, coffee;

    medications (no-spa, remedies for and treatment, diuretics, iron preparations).

Increased gas production


Various processes occurring in the intestines of a newborn can lead to increased gas production during the digestion of food. Gas bubbles, accumulating in the lumen of the intestine, impede the normal movement of intestinal contents.

This can be caused by:

    the mother's use of foods that cause increased gas formation (radishes, cucumbers, hot spices, chocolate, carbonated drinks, cakes, fresh onions and, black bread, cabbage, grapes, legumes, bananas);

    violation of intestinal microflora.

The reasons for the development of constipation in infants on artificial feeding

To the above, you can add the following factors:

    Unsuitable formula

    The most common reason for the development of constipation in formula-fed babies is an incorrectly selected milk formula. The best for the baby is breast milk, but if breastfeeding is not possible, then an adapted milk formula according to age should be chosen as a replacement.

    Abrupt transfer to another mixture

    Lack of water

    If, during breastfeeding, supplementation of newborns is not recommended up to 6 months and is used only in extreme cases (, heat), then when feeding with milk formula, the additional introduction of clean drinking water is mandatory.

What to do with constipation in a newborn?

If a mother is sure that her baby is constipated, then the first thing she should do is go to the pediatrician. The reasons for the development of difficulty in bowel movement can be serious diseases, which can only be identified by a specialist. The doctor may prescribe a blood test for hormones and vitamin content, recommend doing an ultrasound of the internal organs, X-rays, or donating feces for dysbiosis. Then, depending on the results, prescribe professional treatment.

If during the examination no abnormalities were found, then there is a high probability that constipation is associated either with the immaturity of the baby's nervous system, or with the quality of breast milk or formula.

All methods of relieving constipation can be divided into the following groups:

  • changing the mother's diet or replacing formula milk;

    medicines (duphalac, espumisan, plantex);

    mechanical methods (gas tube, irritation of the anus, glycerin suppositories).

When treating constipation, it is better to start using these methods in order from first to last, but not vice versa.

Massage for constipation in newborns


Since the nervous apparatus of the intestine and the synthesis of digestive enzymes in the newborn are still underdeveloped, the best way to stimulate motor skills and improve the waste of accumulated gases is massage techniques. They are safe and easy to use.

Reception 1. The baby lies on the back. Stroking movements are made around the navel in a clockwise direction. Make 5-10 circular movements.

Reception 2. The child lies on the back. Alternate flexion-extension of the legs in the knee joints, while the front surface of the thigh is pressed against the tummy. The legs are best held by the ankle joints. Do 5 reps.

Reception 3. The baby lies on the back. Pulling the legs bent at the knee joints to the tummy and alternately straightening them. Do 5 reps.

Reception 4. Laying the baby on the tummy before each feeding for 2-15 minutes, depending on age and physical condition.

Reception 5. The baby is put on the tummy on the bed or on the knees of the parent. Make circular stroking movements with your palm from the area between the shoulder blades smoothly down to the sacrum. Repeat 5 times.

Mother's diet and mixture selection

For babies who are breastfed, you can solve the problem of constipation by changing the mother's diet. It is necessary to exclude foods that have a fixing effect, which are described above, and add foods that give laxative properties to breast milk to the daily menu.

Foods that improve the digestion of a newborn:

    fresh vegetable salads containing In cases where massage and diet do not have a sufficient effect on bowel function, medicines come to the rescue. Before using any of them, you should definitely consult your doctor.

    These include:

    • Espumisan (other brand names are Bobotic, Sub-Simplex);

      Plantex.

      Glycelax suppositories (prescribed for lactose deficiency)

    If the above methods do not show their effectiveness, then mechanical methods of stimulating bowel movements can be tried.

    One such remedy is glycerin suppositories. Their effect is based on irritation of the rectal mucosa, which increases its motility. In addition, melting under the action of body temperature, they play the role of a lubricant, facilitating the passage of feces.

    Enema is an extreme way to combat constipation. Their frequent use can lead to the development of intestinal dysbiosis, a lack of vitamins and minerals. For infants, the smallest syringe no. 1 with a soft tip is used. Boiled water at a temperature of about 30 ° C or a mixture of water and a few drops of oil is most often used as an enema solution.

    Soap for constipation in newborns is an unacceptable method!

    Very often, mothers follow the lead of their grandmothers or neighbors, trying to use a piece of laundry soap to combat constipation in their baby. This is an unacceptable method of bowel stimulation! Substances in the soap cause severe irritation of the rectal mucosa, which can lead to ulceration, bleeding and chronic inflammation.


    Education: Diploma in the specialty "General Medicine" received at the Volgograd State Medical University. A specialist certificate was immediately received in 2014.


The problems of proper digestion concern all, without exception, parents of newborns. Loving mom and dad carefully monitor how the baby eats and poops, and unexpected failures - loose stools or constipation - literally lead the parents into a panic state!

When is delayed bowel movement constipation?

The concept of constipation in an adult and in a baby is significantly different, so the mother should know what signs signal this problem and why it occurs in order to deal with it in a timely manner.

If a small child has no stool during the day or has certain difficulties with bowel movement, then we can talk about constipation.

The total number of daily bowel movements directly depends on the age of the baby and his nutrition. At first, it can reach 10 times a day, but as you grow older, this amount decreases significantly.

Very often, in newborn babies, the number of bowel movements is equal to the number of meals. Moreover, this option is considered the most ideal. In practice, most of the breastfed babies poop no more than 2 times a day by the age of 1 month, and the artificial and mixed-fed babies walk "big" only once a day. Moreover, in infants, the stool is more liquid, and feeding with a mixture leads to the formation of thicker and even hard feces.

The "correct" consistency of normal newborns' stool is mushy. In all other sealed variants, it is believed that the child has a tendency to constipation.

Lack of bowel movements during the day or bowel movements that do not occur daily may be an individual feature of the body for a particular child, and not a signal of constipation.

In infants, during the first 6 weeks after birth, bowel movements occur in small portions repeatedly throughout the day. Normal stool during this period of life is quite liquid, without an unpleasant odor, with white curdled lumps of mother's undigested milk.

A 4-month-old baby has excessively dense feces, severe difficulty with stool or a complete absence of it is considered constipation.

Usually, in a 6-month-old baby, these problems are normalized in a natural way, and the baby walks "big" only once a day. This is due to the fact that the baby's gastrointestinal tract has become more mature, digestive enzymes are produced by the baby's body in much larger quantities than immediately after birth. However, if the baby seems to poop regularly, but each bowel movement is accompanied by certain discomfort or even painful sensations for the baby, he is capricious and cries loudly, then there is a high probability that he is constipated.

Signs of constipation:

  1. stool less than once a day
  2. lack of appetite
  3. bloating
  4. sleep disturbance, general anxiety, moodiness
  5. gaziki with the smell of rot
  6. dense feces streaked with blood

What causes constipation in babies?

The causes of all types of constipation in infants can be very diverse, among them:

  1. inactivity of the baby
  2. improper diet, certain irregularities in the diet of a nursing mother, products from the "forbidden" list: flour and confectionery products, thick fatty broths from homemade meat, high-fat cheeses, nuts
  3. "Hungry constipation", which occurs due to a lack of milk in the mother, when the baby's body completely absorbs all the food that comes in
  4. abrupt end of breastfeeding and transition to adapted formulas
  5. changing the usual brand of infant formula to another with artificial feeding
  6. Feeding newborns with iron-fortified milk formulas
  7. physiological problems of the intestines - lack of muscle tone (this problem is diagnosed by a neurologist)
  8. high fever, colds, or infectious diseases
  9. treating the mother or baby with antibiotics, antispasmodics, anticonvulsants, and other medications that cause constipation
  10. early introduction of complementary foods, intestinal immaturity
  11. lack of fluid in bottle-fed newborns
  12. intestinal dysbiosis
  13. an allergic reaction to animal protein, if the child is fed with cow's milk porridge, and not with special adapted mixtures

Symptoms of constipation in a nursing baby

  1. Absence of stool accompanied by an obvious desire to empty the bowels.
  2. An excessively hard consistency of feces, often in the form of dense balls, giving pain to the little one.
  3. Lack of gas, "stone" tummy. If the baby is active, does not worry, eats well, and he has gas drinks regularly and without problems, this is normal. If his tummy is hard, gas does not go away, he is naughty and crying, then this is a symptom of intestinal problems.

When should you worry?

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The causes of constipation in each case should be determined by the children's doctor, who will also give clear recommendations for their elimination. The task of the mother is to fulfill them unconditionally and consistently.

If the baby eats mother's milk, and does not walk "in a big way" for several days, but the general state of health is normal, then it is too early to sound the alarm. Perhaps the baby's body "wants" to track whether its intestines can accumulate a certain amount of feces, sufficient for bowel movement.

Usually, problems with bowel movements are normalized already in 3-month-old babies.

Particular attention should be paid to constipation in very tiny newborns, since they may have so-called organic constipation, which requires immediate surgical intervention to eliminate.

Algorithm of actions of parents

If you see that the baby cannot poop, is pushing, crying restlessly, his face turns red, then you can use the following techniques to alleviate his condition:

  1. Massage your tummy: stroke it clockwise with a warm palm.
  2. Lay the baby on the back and, taking it by the legs, do the exercise "bicycle" - it perfectly stimulates the intestines.
  3. Turn the baby over on its tummy - this exercise stimulates the intestines well.
  4. Fill a large bath with pleasant warm water and organize a joint reception of water procedures, try to relax and calm your baby, breastfeed him.
  5. If the baby continues to push hard and to no avail, try lubricating his anus with baby oil or petroleum jelly - this will help him poop.

If these techniques did not help the baby to empty the intestines, you can try to stimulate him mechanically:

  1. Liberally lubricate a cotton swab with baby cream, gently insert its tip into the anus and slowly turn it clockwise several times. Put a diaper on your baby and lay it on your tummy.
  2. If the first method does not bring results, then use a special glycerin candle, which you need to buy at the pharmacy. To empty the baby's intestines, insert 1/3 of the suppository into the baby's anus.
  3. A good result is obtained by using an enema with water or chamomile broth. A cleansing enema is given only with cold or chilled liquid - this stimulates bowel movement. Warm water will not cause a bowel movement, but will be absorbed through the rectum into the general bloodstream.

If the actions of the parents did not lead to success, then you need to urgently seek help from the children's hospital, since in this case the child may have severe intestinal obstruction or atonic constipation, which only doctors can cope with.

If the problem of bowel movement for your baby has become regular, then you cannot do without a medical examination and consistent treatment in this situation. Talk to your pediatrician for advice on a mild laxative that is approved for use in infants.

Therapy for persistent delayed bowel movements with pharmaceuticals in newborns is the same for breastfeeding, formula feeding and mixed feeding.

How to avoid constipation?

To do this, you need to carry out simple preventive measures:

  1. regularly do gymnastics to the baby, pay special attention to exercises for the tummy
  2. try to notice which exercises are helping your baby
  3. lay the crumbs on your stomach for a few minutes every day
  4. if the toddler is artificially or mixed feeding, do not forget to give him baby drinking water
  5. a nursing mother of a baby should eat fresh and dried fruits every day - dried apricots, prunes, figs and other foods rich in calcium
  6. for a 6-month-old baby, puree and prune juice should be in the diet every day
  7. avoid overheating and dehydration of the child
  8. if the baby has a tendency to constipation, then you can drink it with a decoction of raisins, which is easy to prepare: pour a spoonful of raisins into a thermos and pour a glass of boiling water

Diet of a nursing mother

If the problem of constipation in the baby has become obvious to you, then you should carefully review your own diet. Be sure to eat foods containing coarse fiber. Beets, green apples, dried apricots, pumpkin, prunes should be regularly in the diet of a nursing mother.

Try to solve the problem of constipation in the toddler with affordable means - do gymnastics, give him water, prepare fresh vegetable and fruit food for a 6-8 month old baby with your own hands. All these simple tools can make your baby's health stronger, and your life much happier.

From the video presented, you will learn how to properly massage a baby with colic or constipation.