Symptoms of constipation in children are usually shown by their gestures and stools. Infants like adults show signs of discomfort and weariness when they experience this disorder in bowel activity. Here are the following symptoms you should look out for:
- Fewer than 3 bowel movements per week
- Postures that indicate that the child is withholding stool, such as standing on tiptoes and then rocking back on the heels of the feet, clenching buttocks muscles, and other unusual dance like behaviors.
- Vague abdominal pain around the naval accompanied by cramping
- Painful or difficult bowel movements
- Hard, dry or large stools
- Stool in the child’s underwear
- Decreased appetite, nausea and vomiting
- frequent urination or bedwetting
- reoccurrence of urinary tract infections
If the child doesn’t respond well to regular at-home treatment the parents should contact a doctor. A general exam will be performed to check for signs or symptoms of constipation in children. The abdominal area as well as the anal area will be given special attention. This is done to check for any signs of hard stools that might be congested. The physician may also check blood and fecal samples to see if the constipation was acquired hereditarily. He or she may prescribe a laxative that would suit your child’s age. Be careful of administering or buying over the counter drugs because some induce constipation themselves.
Call a doctor immediately if in addition to constipation the child suffers from acute fever, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and bloody diarrhea. These may be just some simple customs which may by covering an underlying serious medical condition. Symptoms of constipation in children can lead to anal fissures and even cracks in the skin. The anal fissures could cause bleeding and therefore worsen the situation. The worst case scenario would be if the condition complicates into fecal impaction resulting into an operation performing disimpaction to remove the stool.