Constipation Is a Common Digestive System Disorder in Children
It throws parents for a loop and many a worrying mom or dad has found that having a little one complain of tummy troubles can indeed be a troubling experience for all. While some may be quick to simply dismiss the problems as something that comes and goes and is part and parcel of the childhood experience, others take these tummy troubles seriously and realize that constipation is a common digestive system disorder in children. An interesting dichotomy of this problem’s presentation may be found in that children are frequently highly supervised with respect to their dietary intake, yet at the same time they appear to be more susceptible than other segments of the population when it comes to digestive system disorder symptoms and doctor visits.
Although not a life threatening digestive system disorder, it is painful to the child and at times might even mimic the symptoms of more serious illnesses and conditions, thus necessitating a visit to the emergency room. At issue are usually the changes in dietary intake that are wreaking havoc with the child’s innards. Especially young children find the increased reliance on solid food over breast milk or formula to be somewhat gastrointestinally upsetting, while older children attending school may find that the exposure to different dishes, food combination and even cooking methods at the school cafeteria is an experience that leads to constipation.
Yet sometimes it is not the food that is at issue and although constipation is a common digestive system disorder in children it is sometimes brought on by the child who may not feel comfortable to use a restroom other than the one at home and who will try to hold in a bowel movement until it is time to return to the home. If this behavior goes unchecked, the child will manage to unwittingly train her or his intestines to automatically hold on to feces and thus compact them in the intestines.
To ascertain whether or not your child is suffering from this digestive system disorder, ask yourself if your child has had a bowel movement in the last two days. If not, the odds are good that she or he is holding in the feces rather than allowing the body to expel them. Additionally, when you are gently palpating the child’s abdomen, does it feel like there may be a hard mass in the lower intestinal area? Is your child scared of using the bathroom and claims that going there is painful?
While this may also be a complaint with other problems, it is a very commonly heard protest when a child is asked to sit on the potty and give their body a chance to let go of some of the waste. Last but not least, constipation is an almost certain diagnosis when the bowel movement contains hard chunks of feces that might be somewhat reminiscent of pebbles. Do not minimize the child’s discomfort or even fear of pain and instead consult with your pediatrician for some possible treatments that will take away the fear of using the restroom or counteract the gastrointestinal difficulties that are being experienced because of a changing diet.
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