Vicious circle of pooping
Constipation is one of the most common reasons why parents come to the practice with their children. The good thing is that the problem is usually easy to solve and is rarely a symptom of an illness.
If an infant is breastfed, almost anything is allowed when it comes to faeces: from ten times a day to every 10th day. Liquid, mushy, chopped up, sometimes a little more foamy, sometimes less, greenish, yellowish, orange, brown - it doesn't matter, especially if the baby is doing well, is agile and active and is drinking well. Important: the stool should not be discoloured - this could be an indication of congenital biliary disease and you should consult your paediatrician quickly. If the baby is not breastfed, the stool frequency is normally daily, but can also be every second or third day if the baby is doing well.
When complementary foods are introduced between the 4th and 6th month of life, many babies have a phase of mild constipation. This can often be easily resolved by massaging the tummy a lot (clockwise around the navel), remaining patient and giving small amounts of apple or pear puree early on. Both types of fruit are often excellent stool looseners.
The real problem with constipation is typically experienced by toddlers between the ages of two and four. If the children have had a good and regular bowel movement up to this point, there is no need to worry that there is an organic cause behind it, in almost all cases it is just a head problem - but often a very stubborn one.
If a small child experiences that it hurts to go to the toilet, then unfortunately it often happens that the child simply no longer dares to go. The logical consequence: more and more faeces accumulates in the bowel, becomes more and more solid and is all the more difficult to push out. The shit hits the fan and the vicious circle begins.
It is then important to act quickly: on the one hand, a child-friendly laxative should be given in the form of a suppository or an enema in the bum (both are available from the pharmacy). Secondly, the child should be given a powder which ensures that the stool remains loose and less clumpy and is therefore easier to pass. There are various preparations with different flavours. The active ingredient is lactulose or usually better, because it is more effective, macrogol. Very important: when the measures take effect, do not stop the stool softener too quickly! Over a longer period of time, usually at least three months, the child must learn that bowel movements do not hurt and are not unpleasant. Then at some point it will flow again on its own.
There is no need to be afraid of habituation or side effects. The medication is nothing more than artificially produced psyllium or linseed, i.e. swelling agents that ensure that the stool remains fluffier and softer. Of course, you can also use natural remedies. However, experience has shown that psyllium seeds are not very popular with a two-year-old child.
And when to see a doctor?
If an infant's stool colour is very light, almost white.
When a baby has problems with bowel movements from an early age.
If constipation is so persistent that it does not improve even after weeks of taking the above-mentioned medication.
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