Habitual constipation in children is a common ailment. For weeks, even months, a child can avoid going to the toilet, which results in serious he alth problems. And the long-established habit of holding faeces often becomes chronic. Therefore, it is very important to get the right treatment. What are the most common causes and symptoms of habitual constipation in children? How is habitual constipation treated in children?

Habitual constipation in childrenis a typical example of psychogenic constipation. The child consciously avoids defecation, which causes the relaxation of the muscle tension in the large intestine, which makes it able to accommodate larger amounts of residual feces. The effect is a reduction in the feeling of filling the intestine. In addition, the intestine absorbs water, therefore the remaining stool thickens and forms an increasingly harder mass over time. The longer this happens, the more painful it becomes for your child to defecate.

Habitual constipation in children - causes

Constipation in children is the most common mental illness. Children intentionally fail to pass stool for various reasons:

  • fear of the pain that accompanies bowel movements
  • shame or disgust
  • reluctance to do errands outside the home (e.g. in school toilets)

However, in children, habitual constipation is most often caused by an increased state of nervous tension as a result of an excess of stress and stimuli. Therefore, constipation in a child may appear before important events, e.g. before starting education in a new school, where he will use the toilet himself, and in younger children, e.g. before learning to use the potty.

Emotional problems (e.g. family conflicts) can also be the cause. Then, in addition to treating constipation, it may be necessary to constantly look after a psychologist or even a child psychiatrist.

Habitual constipation in children - symptoms

The characteristic symptom is dry, dense, usually very foul-smelling stools with an admixture of mucus, usually in the appearance of bay feces, dark brown or black.

Children suffering from habitual constipation may complain about:

  • heaviness,
  • sleepiness,
  • headaches
  • feeling of diffuse pressure and fullness in the abdomen.

Habitual constipation in children - treatment

How to treat habitual constipation in children? You should see your pediatrician who will usually prescribe a stool softener and a bowel movement aid. The most popular drugs of this type are those based on the active substance lactulose - which is not absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, but is broken down by intestinal bacteria only in the colon. It is also worth using suppositories to facilitate defecation that do not pass through the digestive tract. The problem of constipation is solved in the lower digestive tract, in the rectum, and therefore it occurs physiologically.

It is also worth consulting a psychologist who will help determine the cause of constipation and suggest appropriate psychotherapy.

You can also consider consulting a dietitian who will develop an appropriate (accelerating metabolism) diet for your child.

In extreme cases, hospitalization may be necessary in order to cleanse the colon of residual feces and implement diet and pharmacological treatment (lasting up to 6 months).

This will be useful to you

Talk to the baby!

An important part of treatment is talking to your baby and making them aware that it is completely normal to defecate. It is worth explaining (preferably in the pictures) what poop is and how the defecation process works. You can also make the child aware of and tame the toilet through play, e.g. in the house where the dolls use the toilet. You can also play changing the baby (there are dolls on the market that not only pee). Remember to have such conversations with your child over time so that they do not feel "overwhelmed" by the topic.

Habitual constipation in children - prevention

1. The child should avoid the stresses and tensions that trigger excessive contractility of the intestinal muscles.

2. You can use treatments that strengthen the nervous system in a natural way (e.g. summer baths, massages of the abdominal cavity).

3. Make sure that your child takes meals at strictly defined (constantly the same) times of the day. In this way, conditioned reflexes for the regular work of the digestive tract will develop, and thus - regular bowel movements will appear.

4. Gently persuade the child to sit on the toilet or potty in the morning (then the intestines work best), even when he does not feel any pressure or need to defecate.

5. Include large amounts of irritating gut in your baby's dietfiber (e.g. vegetables, fruit, wholemeal bread, buckwheat, green beans).

7. Never draw your child's attention or comment that he hasn't pooped again. In return, you can praise your baby after each successful trip to the toilet. You can also introduce an incentive system, e.g. for each poop the child will get a sticker with their favorite fairy tale character or another reward.

8. You can also take care of your needs together with the child (mother is sitting on the toilet, and the child is sitting next to it on the potty). Then a visit to the bathroom is not bad for the child.

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Category:

Gastrology