Symptoms of Constipation in Babies

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Nguyen Thi My Linh - Neonatologist - Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital

Constipation is a common symptom in children with obvious signs with a decrease in the number of normal bowel movements, difficulty and pain when defecating caused by solid or too large stools. Symptoms of constipation make children feel uncomfortable, fussy, tired, and lose weight.

Symptoms of constipation in young children have a cause that is often unrelated to a physical illness. About a third of children aged 4-7 years old have experienced constipation, 5% of primary school students have constipation lasting more than 6 months. Signs of constipation in chronic children are most common in children 2-4 years old, in the stage of potty training. About 25% of cases of constipation begin within the first year of life.
Symptoms of constipation in young children:
The number of bowel movements is less than usual. The reason is that the stool in the rectum is difficult to pass out, the time the stool stays in the rectum longer than usual, so the number of bowel movements will also be less than usual. Therefore, this is one of the most accurate signs of constipation in children to recognize constipation in children. You need to know in the neonatal period the number of bowel movements of the baby at least 4 times a day, because during this time the baby is mainly breastfed, so of course he will have more bowel movements than the older children. However, if the baby has less bowel movements, sometimes it takes 1-2 days to go, even once every few days, it is a manifestation of constipation in the child. Hard and lumpy stools look like goat poop: Monitoring the condition of stools is a method of identifying symptoms of constipation in young children used by many parents today. Normally, the stool of an infant who is constipated will have the following characteristics: -Clumped stools.
-Hard, dark.
- Shaped in small, coarse pellets like rabbit or goat dung.

The main cause of this condition is that feces stay in the rectum for too long, too much water is reabsorbed by the large intestine, leading to rough, hard and lumpy.
This is the most typical manifestation of constipation in babies that mothers can recognize. When a child is constipated, the stools are usually very hard, solid to the touch, dark in color, and look like marbles or goat droppings. So, just seeing 1-2 days of baby pooping like that is definitely a symptom of constipation in young children.
Baby has to push hard when having a bowel movement: When a child is constipated, he or she will feel uncomfortable when having a bowel movement, even crying and having pain when having a bowel movement. Besides, the baby has to use force to push hard stools, so the face will be red, the baby will strain and squeeze the buttocks when going to the toilet. Symptoms of constipation in young children are stools that will become rough, hard and very difficult to pass. Therefore, when the mother catches the child pushing hard, straining or having a hard time defecating, it is likely that the child is constipated. Children suffering from bloating and indigestion: This is also one of the symptoms of constipation in children that mothers need to pay close attention to. Because when being constipated, the child's abdomen may become distended and full due to gas or food not fully digested. You can use your hand to touch or gently press on the baby's belly to find that the baby's belly is harder than usual, especially the baby also has a stronger gas than usual. Symptoms of constipation in children that last for a long time in young children may be accompanied by other symptoms such as bloating, indigestion or flatulence... The stomach works less effectively, causing food to stagnate, causing a feeling of mystery. cypress. This not only makes it difficult to defecate, but also greatly affects the child's ability to eat and digest food. Children are lazy to eat and grow slowly: prolonged constipation, the baby can't go out, so it's secret in the stomach, making the child feel uncomfortable and tired, having a feeling of loss of appetite and not wanting to suckle, often crying constantly customary. When the digested food inside the child's body cannot be converted, it will gradually accumulate into constipation. Therefore, a symptom of constipation in children may be stunted, sick, so be aware of the signs of constipation in babies to have the best remedy.
It can be seen that the signs of constipation in children are often very clear and easy to recognize, so when you suspect that your child has the above signs, you need to promptly handle it, avoiding long-term consequences. importance to the health and development of children.

Parents should take their children to the doctor in case:
Symptoms of constipation in young children persist for many days in a row. Constipation in children often recurs without any obvious cause. Tried all the methods but still no improvement. Or accompanied by the following signs that cannot be controlled:
Fever Vomiting Blood in stool Abdominal pain Constipation after birth accompanied by abdominal distension Children anorexia, weight loss, malnutrition Anal leakage - hemorrhoids Parents should pay more attention to new signs appearing in children to have the right treatment, avoid severe constipation, have to take the child to the hospital. Constipation is not difficult to cure, as long as parents know the right way and solve it in time.
In order to limit the child's constipation as well as the use of antibiotics, parents should pay attention to the nutrition that improves the child's resistance. At the same time, supplementing with supporting foods containing lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, B vitamins, etc., helps support the immune system, strengthens resistance so that children are less sick and less likely to have digestive problems.
Parents can learn more:
Why do you need to supplement Lysine for your baby?
The role of zinc - Guidelines for reasonable zinc supplementation
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