Soy Formula And Constipation

Constipation refers to infrequent or hard stools, or difficulty in bowel movements. Constipation can cause pain when passing a bowel movement, inability to pass a bowel movement after straining or pushing more than 10 minutes, or no bowel movement after more than three days. Infants who are still exclusively breastfed may go 7 days without a stool. Infants and children with constipation are treated differently than adults because the saddle models change when they are born until they reach the age of 3 or 4 years. The majority of children with constipation is not a disease or medical condition causing constipation. Rarely, a disorder causes infants and children have major problems moving their bowels.

Causes
The direct cause of constipation is not enough water in the stool. This occurs because the system does not have enough evidence to retain water (fiber optics) or because the stool is kept too long in the rectum, allowing the colon to reabsorb more water than usual.

Constipation may also begin when you change your baby breast milk or formula to whole cow's milk, and when you transition from baby food to solid food. Sometimes constipation occurs after your child was ill or taking certain medications. You should not be concerned if your child becomes constipated. Constipation is common in children and usually resolves itself.

Constipation can occur if your child does not eat enough foods rich in fiber, drink enough fluids or getting enough exercise. In many children, no cause of constipation can be found. The seat may have been so painful that the child has begun to resist the urge to go to the bathroom. No to the saddle when the need occurs may cause constipation. Your child may be afraid of being alone in the bathroom or fear of the toilet. Some children do not want to stop playing to go to the bathroom.

Symptoms
Some medications can make children more likely to be constipated. Contributors are most common nonprescription medications against colds and antacids. Antidepressants, anticonvulsants, chemotherapy or narcotic medications (such as codeine) can also cause constipation.

Children with constipation are usually either very large hard stools or hard pellet like stool. The stools are infrequent and painful. In addition to pain when passing a bowel movement, children with constipation may have abdominal cramps.

Treatment
younger children and infants suffering from constipation should be carefully evaluated by their pediatrician. Poor diet can cause dehydration and constipation, and an assessment of your child's eating habits and make sure he is gaining weight normally is important.

It is important to remember that infants who are exclusively breastfed are rarely constipated. Infrequent bowel movements do not mean constipation if your baby's stools are soft when he finally passes one. Initial treatments usually include giving extra water or fruit juice once or twice a day. A common treatment used by parents is adding Karo syrup or light or dark corn syrups to their baby bottles of formula. While this is often discouraged because of the theoretical risk of botulism, the AAP reports that it is safe to do so. If giving formula, changing to a soy formula can also be useful.