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I’m
not sure why, but every time I ask any kid how many times a day he or
she goes “poopie”, there is always about 5 seconds of dead silence.
Then, a big smile will cross their faces, followed by subdued giggling,
then uncontrolled laughter.
Poopies
is a difficult topic to discuss without laughing. In fact, I’m
smirking right now (the word “poopies” just sounds funny). The truth
is, it really is a very simple concept. Whatever you eat and your body
doesn’t use, you poop out. Depending on what it is you eat will
determine how fast it goes through your system, and how often you go “poopie”.
Children
and adults “normally” have to go poopie every day to every other
day. The longer you go without a bowel movement, the harder (literally),
it will be.
Your
stomach and small bowel break down and crush food. Your large bowel’s
job is to reabsorb water from your stool, so as to recycle it.
As
stool sits in your bowel longer and longer, more and more water is taken
out of it. Anyone who has ever been severely constipated knows that when
you are finally able to go, it feels like you’re pooping out a rock.
Extreme constipation can even require medical attention, to actually
“pick out” the hardest part of the stool, so that the rest of it can
come out.
Foods
full of fiber make your bowels work well and fast. The recommended fiber
intake a day is 25-30 grams per day. As an example, an apple has 4 grams
of fiber, a baked potato has 8, and a ½ cup of bran cereal has 10 grams
Is
blood in my 3 year old’s stool a normal problem to encounter?
Sort
of. It’s not uncommon for children to get constipated, then
“force” themselves to poop. The force and hardness of their stool
can cause a crack or “fissure” in the skin lining around the rectum,
and cause bleeding. If this happens once or twice, then it’s not a big
deal, but if this is an ongoing problem, your child should be seen by a
physician to determine its severity, and what can be done to help.
My
10 year old won’t have a bowel movement for 4 days. He gets real
grumpy. Why?
Just
think about the physical reasons that put us in bad moods. They are
basically the same as those things that make little babies cry. When we
don’t eat, we get irritated. When we lack sleep, we get grumpy. And,
when we get constipated, we can be just plain miserable. It’s not
natural to walk around with 5 days of poop in us. It distends our
bellies and makes us walk funny…wouldn’t you be grumpy?
That’s
why “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”.
This article was reviewed 04/23/2010 07:24 AM
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