In the first months of life, liquid stool is normal for babies. But sometimes there are disturbances in the functioning of the intestines, externally manifested in the form of diarrhea. Malfunctions in the gastrointestinal tract in an infant can lead to dire consequences. Therefore, it is necessary to be attentive to all unusual manifestations in the bowel movements of infants. What to do if a 3-month-old child has diarrhea?
What is constipation?
Experts diagnose constipation if the baby does “big” things:
- regularly and without problems, but at the same time dry and hard feces are released;
- with difficulty - the child has to push, feces do not come out on the first try;
- less than 5 times a day.
In the first six months of life, constipation is a rather rare occurrence; rather, on the contrary, in the period from 0 to 6 months, 6–10 bowel movements per day is considered the norm. In breastfed children, defecation occurs more often, in bottle-fed children - less often.
What should oral hygiene be like when teething?
Oral hygiene and caries prevention are important to reduce the likelihood of secondary infection. Brush your baby's teeth using a special napkin impregnated with xylitol and anti-inflammatory components (sold in pharmacies without a prescription). Do not give your child sweet food or drink, especially at night; Do not dip the pacifier in honey or sugar. When the first tooth emerges, visit your pediatric dentist to schedule periodic checkups [6]. Maintain a calm atmosphere in the house and carefully follow the pediatrician's instructions, this will help the child cope with teething easier.
Constipation is rare before 6 months
Usually, parents of babies in the first months of life are concerned about the opposite of constipation - too frequent bowel movements. But in a baby, regardless of whether he is fed breast milk or formula, the intestines should work exactly like this - in a mode that is considered diarrhea for older children and adults.
There should be no other option, at least until complementary feeding is introduced at 4–6 months. After all, the baby receives mostly liquid food, the waste of which has the same consistency and leaves the intestines without encountering any obstacles on the way - the baby has not yet learned to control the sphincter, which restrains the release of feces.
The baby’s intestines have just begun to “get acquainted” with microorganisms that come from the mother’s milk, from her skin (the baby licks the nipple), and from the environment. Not all new “partners” are accepted: there are some who are rejected, who don’t take root, and so on. Inspection and rejection are accompanied by loose, unstable stools.
Too frequent bowel cleansing does not need correction or treatment if the child is gaining weight and developing correctly. Normal appetite and sleep, gas, absence of fever and other signs of illness indicate that parents have nothing to worry about. If the baby’s mother, tired of changing diapers 10 times in one day, wants to change the situation and asks the doctor to prescribe strengthening medications for the baby, then, without wanting to, she will doom her baby to chronic constipation.
Survey
In order for a doctor to diagnose food poisoning, as a rule, it is enough to carefully interview the parents and examine the child. Sometimes the doctor may additionally prescribe:
- a blood test to see if symptoms are caused by a bacterial or viral infection;
- stool analysis to rule out infection caused by abnormal bacteria;
- If an examination by a surgeon is required, he may also prescribe an additional examination.
Online consultation with pediatrician Olga Nikolaevna Tekutyeva
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During the consultation, you will be able to voice your problem, the doctor will clarify the situation, interpret the tests, answer your questions and give the necessary recommendations.
Not according to the rules
And yet, in the first 6 months, constipation in infants is not excluded. They can call him:
- microflora transmitted from mother;
- insufficient fluid volume;
- stress.
Let's say a woman has too many bacteria in her stomach and intestines that produce methane, which causes constipation. They grow rather slowly, ferment, releasing carbon dioxide, which promotes flatulence and bloating. The woman lives with this deviation, has adapted and learned to solve the problem with the intestines in one way or another. Noticing the same thing in the child, she decides that the baby has inherited her characteristics and “saves” him using the same means, making a mistake. Babies should not be given laxatives, especially those containing senna. The baby’s body gets used to such drugs too quickly and can no longer cleanse the intestines without them.
Constipation in a baby under 6 months is also caused by a lack of fluid and hormonal changes. At 6 months, the baby should receive a lot of moisture - approximately 140 ml per kilogram of weight per day. A breastfed baby gains this amount from mother's milk and does not need additional sources of fluid (but only if there is no predisposition to constipation). Little artificial babies are given extra food from the moment they switch to formula.
If a woman is tense or nervous, her level of the stress hormone cortisol increases. The substance enters the baby's body through breast milk, saliva or sweat and also causes constipation.
Even if the mother does not breastfeed, microorganisms that cause constipation sooner or later reach the baby’s gastrointestinal system and produce negative changes in it.
Symptoms of spasms in children
As mentioned above, the most common cause of spasms in children is pathology of the gastrointestinal tract.
Below we consider the main symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases accompanied by spasms in children:
- Intestinal colic. This pathology is characterized by sudden and severe bouts of crying in the baby. Colic appears during the neonatal period. Intestinal colic is associated with immaturity of the nervous regulation of intestinal activity and increased gas formation against the background of intestinal dysbiosis.
- Functional diarrhea and constipation. Spasms in these pathologies are not the main symptom. They can only appear periodically. The diseases are functional disorders of young children, which are accompanied by diarrhea or constipation, respectively. At the same time, an in-depth examination does not reveal any other pathology.
- Acetonemic syndrome. Often occurs in children, especially during early childhood. As a rule, the cause of its development is an error in diet. Other reasons include ARVI, harmless excitement (birthdays, etc.), stress. In this case, the pain is no longer caused by spasm, but by irritation of the mucous membrane with ketone bodies (those substances that cause acetone syndrome). Characteristic symptoms of this disease are the smell of acetone in the exhaled air, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, and drowsiness.
- Biliary dyskinesia, inflammation of the gallbladder . Dyskinesia is a functional disorder of the gallbladder and bile ducts, which may be accompanied by spasms in these organs. As a result, children experience pain, often in the right hypochondrium. In addition, children feel heaviness in the right hypochondrium, bitterness in the mouth, and yellowness of the skin and eyes appears.
- Gastritis and peptic ulcer. The causes are often Helicobacter pylori. Children experience: nausea, often vomiting, abdominal pain, heartburn, tendency to constipation, bad breath.
With gastritis, children often experience nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
- Malabsorption syndrome . Among the pathologies in this group, it is worth highlighting celiac disease and lactase deficiency. Celiac disease is a gluten intolerance that is accompanied by a variety of symptoms, including abdominal pain. Lactase deficiency is an intolerance to dairy products, after consuming which occurs bloating, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
- Inflammatory bowel diseases. These include Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. It is most often characterized by the appearance of blood in the stool and abdominal pain. Subsequently, symptoms intensify and other signs appear.
- Intestinal infections. Acute intestinal infections are manifested by fever, often vomiting and diarrhea, which is characterized by persistent progression. As a rule, it can develop after eating bad foods or after contact with a sick person.
In addition to pathology of the gastrointestinal tract, other diseases can lead to the development of spasms and pain. Urinary tract infections are quite common, especially in girls. This is due to the short and wide urethra, through which pathogenic bacteria can quickly penetrate. The development of cystitis is accompanied by the appearance of symptoms such as pain when urinating, pain, frequent urination, burning and pain in the urethra and bladder. Teenage girls often develop dysmenorrhea, which is characterized by pain and heaviness in the lower abdomen.
Constipation after introducing complementary foods
The baby is growing, improving his skills, and it’s time to introduce him to new foods. These circumstances, on the one hand, help to establish peristalsis, and on the other, increase the risk of constipation.
By six months, the baby is already trying to control bowel movements, because he has realized that unpleasant sensations appear after it - itching, burning and other discomfort in the areas where feces fall. In order not to experience discomfort, the child tries to restrain the urge. At first he fails to do this, because the rectum has already learned to work - to reflexively contract and push out waste. And after a couple of months everything works out, the baby wins and starts on the path leading to chronic constipation. To take the child beyond this vicious circle, the mother must minimize the duration of contact of the baby’s skin with feces and expand his diet by introducing complementary foods.
Proteins, fats and carbohydrates included in foods are absorbed in the small intestine, but do not reach the large intestine, where feces are formed. The same cannot be said about fiber. While the baby drinks breast milk or formula, this component of the dish is unfamiliar to him. Even if a nursing woman herself eats a lot of plant foods, the baby gets nothing. Fiber, as already noted, is not absorbed in the intestines, does not enter the blood, which means it is not in breast milk. For the first time, the baby receives fiber with complementary foods, trying his first 25 grams of pureed zucchini, carrots and other vegetables. Plant fibers literally attract all waste, resulting in the formation of feces, which help the intestines master proper peristalsis. In this section of the gastrointestinal tract, in the intestines, there are many muscles, they must learn to consistently contract - tense and relax - in order to squeeze waste out.
The next new product should be introduced a month after the previous one. The new product will likely cause more frequent and loose stools at first. If it is not green and does not foam, there is no need to run to the doctor and ask to prescribe fixatives. Be patient, after a while the innovation will be mastered and bear fruit. Instead of liquid and shapeless yellow-white feces, you will see formed brown feces.
Release forms and price category
No-spa is available in the form of tablets, as well as in ampoules for intramuscular and intravenous administration. The dosage of one tablet is 40 mg of drotaverine hydrochloride. The tablets have a yellowish-greenish color and are bitter to taste. On one side there is a marking with the inscription “spa”. There are blisters of 6 and 24 pieces. For larger quantities, bottles with stoppers are used, which have 60, 64, 100 pieces. Ampoules are available in two milliliters. The amount of drotaverine per 1 ml of solution is 20 mg; only 2 ml of solution contains 40 mg of drotaverine hydrochloride. The ampoules are made of dark glass and have a marked break point for ease of opening.
No-spa is available in the form of tablets and ampoules.
The drug is affordable. It all depends on the manufacturer, but in any case, no-silo can be classified as a budget drug.
