Constipation in Children - Part One

Like any mom, I’m a little obsessed with my children’s bowel movements. Am I crazy if I say I know when they go and the consistency?

Before children I would say, “Yes Ma’am you are.”

But now? Now I know I’m just like every other mom that comes in my office.

Constipation in kids is one of the most common complaints I see in my office! Constipation is defined as a decrease in the frequency of bowel movements or passing painful hard bowel movements. A lot of parents want their children to go everyday. I have to admit, I’m one of those people! But there is no ideal schedule per se. What you really want to know is what the stool looks like. I’ve had parents say their child goes everyday but its tiny hard balls and they cry. That’s constipation. Some will say they go after a week and it clogs the toilet. That’s constipation. Some will say they go every three days but it’s soft. That’s not constipation.

It’s normal for kids to get constipated when the have had an illness, been traveling, or have started school or camp. Once they get behind in their fluids then constipation often ensues. The treatment tends to be multi factorial. If the child has a lot of stool and is having fecal soiling called ”encopresis” then they may need an initial clearing out with an enema or suppository. But most kids only need a little tweaking with their diet. You can increase their water, fiber and avoid dairy and make sure they visit the bathroom after eating.

By working with your pediatrician you can devise a plan for your child. If they have chronic constipation or encopresis then you may need to be seen by a pediatric gastroenterologist. This is a specialist that takes care of children with chronic constipation, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and other medical disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. My husband teases me that I spend too much time looking at my kids’ poop but I recently was happy to see he was really like me and other moms when I saw him leaning over the toilet analyzing our kids green stool. It turns out that grape juice turns the stool green! Who knew?

Sheila Cason, MD

Sources: The North American Society for Pediatric for Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

http://www.naspghan.org/

Read Part Two - Constipation in Children