Newborn infants generally do not have constipation problems. In the first few days of life, your baby's stool will consist of a substance called meconium, which is a sticky and greenish-black. This is the stuff that fills the intestines of a baby while still in the womb. The color should change after a few days to yellowish-orange as the baby gets rid of it, and the nature of the composition will be seed-like.
Infant constipation more causes risk factors
The big problem with severe constipation is hemorrhoids and fissures. Those are painful for you but won't hurt the baby. I am dealing with that issue with this pregnancy despite eating a high fiber diet and loading up on water. I was told by my doctor I could take colace which is a stool softener and it does help a bit. Perhaps this or some Milk of Magnesia when you feel that severe constipation will help you go a little more easily.
It's important to explain to your child why you're changing their diet or giving them a constipation remedy, and to tell them when the remedy might start to work. Most children won't talk about their bowel habits or their constipation, even to close friends. And many parents also keep the subject to themselves. But its crucial children don't feel constipation is their fault.
You’re GP, health visitor; nurse or pharmacist can offer support and will try to reassure you that the problem is very common and that there are practical solutions.
Whether in infants or elderly, primary causes of infant constipation are diet low fiber, high fat, insufficient liquid intake and lack of physical exercise. Constipation could be also a symptom of medical complications (eg. insufficient production of thyroid hormone), side effect of some medicines (eg. calcium channel blockers), large intake of alcohol, and anxiety.
Bottlefed babies are far more likely to suffer from infant constipation than breast fed babies simply due to the formula milk that they are feeding on becomes much harder for the babies to break down in the stomach than the breast milk. The bottlefed babies bowel have less frequent bowel movements than that of a breast fed baby and the stools will be more solid and thicker causing packing up of foeces and increasing the pains of infant constipation.
Normally a newborn infant does it quite frequently, eight to ten times a day for about four weeks until the frequency drops to about one to two times per day by the eighth week. But there is a very firm school of thought amongst many physicians that even up to four days without a bowel movement, for breast-fed babies, is no cause for alarm. Breast milk is well constituted, so that the whole of it is absorbed by the baby’s digestive system, and what passes as stool is some curdled protein and stomach juices and mucus.
Constipation is most often caused by a low-fiber diet, lack of physical activity, not drinking enough water, or delay in going to the bathroom when you have the urge to defecate. Stress and travel can also contribute to constipation or other changes in bowel habits.
Young children often try to ignore the urge to have a bowel movement so that they do not have to interrupt play or go and ask the teacher or use the public restroom. Hence, stool builds up in the lower bowel and becomes harder and larger, resulting in painful passage. The pain and hurt may terrify the child and him or she may want to avoid having a bowel movement again.
