How do you tell whether your child is having constipation? When it comes to bowel movement, there is no normal number of times or schedule that your child passes a stool – just what is normal for your child. He may have bowel movement after a meal , every day or every two days. It is also very much depends on his diet. Drinking more water and diet rich in fiber will make bowel movement easier. Each individual has its own pattern. High level of physical activities and the rate he digests his food will also effect the bowel movement.

Signs of constipation.

If you think that your child is constipated, look out for the following signs:
1. Less frequent bowel movement. If he has not had one for four or more days and feels uncomfortable when he does have one.
2.  Dry and hard stools that are difficult to pass.
3. Loose or very liquid stools in your child’s diaper or underwear. Liquid stools can slip pass the blockage in the lower intestine. When you see this, don’t assume that he has diarrhea. It may be evidence of constipation.

The reason for constipation.

The common reasons for constipation are:
1. Lack of or eating too little fiber food such as fruits, vegetable and whole grains. Too much of diary products such as milk, cheese, yogurt or peanut butter can lead to constipation.
2. Stress of toilet training. A child may deliberately hold back his stools if he feels pressured about toilet training.
3. If he didn’t spend enough time to completely remove his bowel and feces buildup may cause the colon to stretch and cramp.
4. Dehydration cause by lack of liquid intake. His system will absorb liquid from what he eats and drinks and from the waste in his bowels as well. This will result in hard and dry stools.
5. Lack of activity. Being active helps the blood flow to your toddler’s digestive system.

Treatment for constipation

1. Try to include more fiber in his diet.
2. Increase his fluid intake. Water is the best choice. A little fruit juices or prune juice may help but do try to limit it to 4 ounces a day in order not to ruin his appetite and prevent tooth decay.
3. Encourage him to be more active to get blood flow to his digestive system.
4. Don’t pressure him to toilet train before he is ready to avoid toilet training anxiety.
5. Talk to your doctor about treatment options such as using laxatives, lubricants, or suppository.

My little prince has gone for an ultrasound test to rule out any urinary tract blockage which may cause urinary tract infection. This was done on the advice of his doctor. It was a long wait at the hospital on the morning that we went but the wait is worth it. The results was comforting as the kidneys, bladder and ureter are all normal. No abnormalities were observed.

He is fine now and eating well. Having a good appetite and as cheeky as usual. What a joy to see him in good health. Hopefully that he will put on more weight as he is quite a bit under weight. Way to go my little one.

This article is a follow up to my article entitled urinary tract infection. My 20 months old son has recovered from urinary tract infection after a week on antibiotic. The fever subsided and he is now back to his normal self. Following the advise of his doctor, we sent his urine for culture 3 days after he completed his course of antibiotic to ensure that all the bacteria was destroyed. We do not want any remnants to create another round of infection.

4 days later, we got the results. It actually gave us a shock. The culture showed a new strain of bacteria call Klebsiella infecting his urine. This strain of bacteria is not common and ussually acquired from an admission to the hospital. And this is one nasty bacteria which can also cause pneumonia. On the night of getting the results, my son came down with slight fever and runny nose. The first thought that came to my mind is that the new strain of bacteria is acting up. Fearing the worse, we sent another urine sample to the same lab to confirm the earlier results and another one to a different lab just to double confirm.

We got the results of the second sample from the first lab which tested positive for Klebsiella earlier. This time the results is negative. There is no bacteria growth in the urine. That means to say that the first results is not accurate. The sample may have been contaminated in the lab. This shouldn’t have happened and caused us unnecessary worries. Meanwhile we are waiting for the report from the other lab. If it is negative, then it proves that the first Klebsiella results is wrong and not accurate.