My 4 1/2 year old son had blood in his stool yesterday. He normally has a hard time pooping as it is, they are ALWAYS hard poops so I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not but has anyone had this happen with their children? Should I be alarmed?
Thank you all for your advice! And to answer questions, it was only a little bit of blood like mixed in with his poop. This is the first time I've seen that & that was only because he noticed it otherwise I probably wouldn't have. I will have to start looking for more foods that have more fiber in them because it seems as though he doesn't get enough fiber, but then again my younger son never has any constipation problems. We will see how it goes :)
I think it can happen every so often to every one. Make sure there is not a lot of blood in the water after he poops and check his rectum for blood also. made sure he is getting enough fiber so his stools are not as hard and that he is drinking enough water. cheerios are good,red peppers,apples,bananas,yogurt. watch also and make sure he is not eating too much cheese or red meat as they can bind them up.
Try adding Benefiber to some of his drinks. That should help within a day's time. He won't be able to taste it. Start with about a teaspoon/day, then increase if needed.
Was it just a little bit? Was it all in the poop or just kind of in spots. It could just be an anal lesion where it tears his little bum while he poops. Those are normal. I would call your doctor and describe what it looked like and go from there.
It may be that he has an anal fissure, and his bottom is bleeding a bit from pushing so hard. Are you seeing the blood in the toilet, or on the toilet paper?
Blood from the stomach will look like coffee grounds and be blackish. Unless there's something going on in his intestines, check his bottom. My son has a little bleeding from time to time. We use Derma E ( a tea tree oil based cream with vitamin E) to keep the area clean and ensure against irritation.
You can also try changing his diet to encourage a softer stool. Think blueberries, apples, pears...anything with good fiber. If you decide to try dried fruits, be sure to stew them first, otherwise they'll just be absorbing more water out of the colon resulting in even harder stools. Steel-cut oats, beans, and other foods with roughage will help. Limiting processed carbs and replacing them with whole grains really helps, too. And cut out any caffiene, which is a diuretic. (This means cocoa/chocolate milk.) Limiting dairy will also help.
Yup, make a call. The dr might want to see him or get him to a pediatric gastro dr.
If its bright red, probably not a problem. If its dark red or like coffee grinds, go to the doctor. But hard poops means he's constipated. If you are giving him a lot of fiber, make sure he drinks water and give him a prune a day to get him more regular, or have him drink apple prune juice.
