I carefully prepared complementary food for my baby, but I was constipated after eating happily. What part went wrong?
Many parents have encountered similar situations, especially babies who have just been introduced to complementary food, and are too scared to let their babies eat complementary food.
This is how it happened?
Today we will talk about the constipation after the baby eats solid food.
Distinguish between bowel difficulties and constipation
First, we need to find out whether the baby is constipated or has difficulty defecation.
What is the difference between the two?
Difficulty defecation
If the baby's face is red and flushed, twisted and twisted, etc. when he defecates, but the stool is soft and soft, this situation is not constipation, it can only be said that defecation is difficult.
This is because when the human body defecates, it uses the anal sphincter, diaphragm, abdominal muscles, etc. on the body, and it takes a series of processes to excrete the feces. The development of the baby's various systems is not mature, the ability to mobilize the muscles of all parties is not coordinated, and after adding complementary food, there are more food residues, and it is easy to have difficulty in defecation.
Defecation difficulties can be relieved on their own with the continuous growth of the baby, mainly to test the parents' psychology and relax themselves.
Constipate
If the baby has difficulty in defecation, and the stool is dry and hard, or in the form of small particles, or even has blood in the stool, the baby may refuse to defecate because of pain during defecation, which indicates that the baby may be constipated.
According to the Rome IV criteria for functional constipation in children
For children <4 years of age, at least 2 of the following symptoms persist for at least 1 month:
- Defecation ≤ 2 times per week;
- have a history of fecal retention;
- A history of defecation pain or difficulty;
- There is a history of expelling large pieces of feces;
- There is a large fecal mass in the rectum;
In children ≥4 years old, under the premise of not meeting the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome, the following symptoms include at least 2 of the following symptoms, which occur at least once a week and last for at least 1 month:
- Developing children over 4 years old defecate in the toilet ≤2 times a week;
- Has a fecal retention posture or excessive voluntary constipation;
- History of pain or difficulty in defecation;
- There is a large fecal mass in the rectum;
- Discharge large pieces of feces that may block the toilet.
Constipation is easy to occur after supplementary food is added, mostly because after supplementary food is added, the baby's intake of fiber (promoting intestinal peristalsis) and the amount of liquid (softening stool) are insufficient.
What are the effects of constipation?
Cause or aggravate bowel disease
In addition to the most obvious defecation effort, constipation can also cause or even aggravate rectal diseases, such as anal fissures and hemorrhoids. Babies generally show fissures in the perianal skin, bulging of the perianal skin, perianal itching, and stool Bloodshot etc.
Lead to malnutrition, delayed growth and development
For small month-old children, the prolonged interval between bowel movements may cause problems such as poor feeding, abdominal distension, and vomiting, resulting in malnutrition and delayed growth and development.
The following situations require immediate medical attention
- Small-month-old babies with repeated constipation without obvious incentives may have underlying disease causes, such as congenital megacolon and anorectal malformations;
- Oral medication and other methods are ineffective, and Kaisailu needs to be used multiple times;
- Blood on stool or underwear, diapers;
- Constipation accompanied by abdominal distension, abdominal pain (severe pain), nausea, and vomiting;
Baby constipation how to do?
Increase fluid intake
In addition to the amount of milk, the baby after adding complementary food can increase the intake of plain water.
The recommended amounts of fluids (including milk) per day are as follows:
Less than 1 year old, the daily water requirement is 120~160ml/kg;
1~3 years old, the daily water requirement is 100~140ml/kg;
4~9 years old, the daily water requirement is 70~110ml/kg.
Increase dietary fiber intake
When arranging complementary foods for your baby, pay attention to adding dietary fiber.
Cereals (rice, wheat, corn, millet, barley, oats, etc.), potatoes (potato, sweet potato, yam, taro, etc.), vegetables (rape, broccoli, white radish, cabbage, fungi, etc. Among fungi Enoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms are relatively high in crude fiber), fruits (apples, pears, peaches, dates, grapes, strawberries, oranges, oranges, watermelons, bananas, pineapples, etc.).
The daily requirement of fruit (the edible part) is equivalent to the size of his two fists; the daily requirement of vegetables is about the size of two fists (after cooking), and the thickness and diameter of the vegetables are equivalent to the fist.
Is your baby eating enough?
Regular bowel movements
Help your child establish a regular bowel movement time and don't hold it back. Older children may choose to sit on the potty for about 10 minutes after meals. For young babies who have already developed constipation, Kaisailu can be used for a short period of time to help him have regular bowel movements.
Encourage your baby to be more active
A moderate amount of exercise every day can increase intestinal peristalsis and help relieve constipation.
If the baby's constipation is not relieved after adjusting the diet structure, it is recommended that the hospital see a doctor, and after excluding organic diseases, use lactulose to soften the stool to relieve constipation.
Parents of babies with constipation must first stabilize themselves, find the cause, distinguish constipation from difficulty in defecation, and deal with it correctly!
