|
My baby has constipation what should I do?.
A
Firstly it is important to
define what is meant by constipation as it can mean different things to different
people. Some may define constipation as your child not passing stools as often
as usual. Others may define constipation as passing very hard solid stools that
look like rabbit droppings or raisins. This is usually accompanied with some physical
difficulty in going to the toilet such as straining.
Depending on their age, a baby’s toilet looks very different
as it depends on what stage they are in their development and whether they are
breast or bottle fed or on solid food. Ask your health visitor what your baby’s
pooh should look like.
True constipation requiring medical management will look like
a hard rabbit like dropping. If your baby has poohs like this see your GP or
health visitor for advice.
The current guidelines for the management of constipation as
set out by the national institute of clinical excellent are as follows:
For babies who are under 6 months of age (and have not been
weaned onto solid):
- For bottle-fed babies
try to give extra water in between feeds
- Gently bicycling your
baby’s legs or a gentle abdominal massage may help.
- For breastfed infants
constipation is unusual - so do continue breastfeeding but go and see your
GP for advice.
- If necessary your GP
may prescribe a laxative such as lactulose, but it is important to keep in
contact with your GP to monitor the effects of this medication in case it
has not been helpful.
For babies who have begun
weaning or who are now taking solid foods:
- You can offer extra water
or diluted fruit juice to your child.
- Encourage fruits like
apples, apricots, grapes, peaches, pears, plums, prunes, raspberries, and
strawberries as they have fibre in them.
- Consider a high-fibre
cereal. Encourage exercise
- See your GP or health
visitor if these tips do not help.
health visitor
back to faq's - Medical |
