Caring for children is a blessing for parents, and it can also be challenging too. It’s very challenging when parents learn their child needs an ostomy, especially at an early age. There are many questions there, and you may worry or feel anxious. This is normal, and you can get past these anxieties and worries with greater understanding. By the time you’re finished reading this, you’ll better understand how to help your child who has an ostomy even more.
What to expect
There are a few things to know when your child goes through pediatric ostomies. First, they won’t’ be able to control their stoma output. This can be constant during the day, regardless of the procedure. Sometimes, the stoma may not work well right away, and your doctor will want for the child to be in the hospital until they see the correct outputs. In instances where there is still delayed output, you might need to talk to your doctor.
Then there is the stoma skin. It will be swollen and red for a bit. But as this heals, it’ll grow smaller, and it can grow as the child gets older, which means that they may need different products for the changing body as well. The skin around this is what is called peristomal skin, and your child usually won’t feel anything unless there is irritation or infection. You may need a skin barrier for pediatric patients, and you can make sure to use mild soap and water to properly clean this. Unless the doctor says so, don’t use baby wipes, powders, oils, or ointments there for best results.
Nutrition and diet
For most children, they usually can eat some of the same things that they did before. However, the biggest thing to make sure that they do is stay hydrated. You need minimally 64 ounces of water, and children who have ostomies tend to feel dehydrated faster. If you notice their urine is dark, tat means they’re not getting enough water. You may want to refrain from cranberry juice, yogurt, parsley or buttermilk since these can cause gas. Nuts and seeds should also be avoided since they can block the stoma in children. And finally if the stools are too loose, change their diet to ensure they’re eating less tomatoes, dairy, chocolate, fried foods, and baked beans as well.
Helping them
You will be helping them throughout life still, even with the ostomy. For bathing, your child can bathe with the ostomy pouch off or on. Water won’t get into there, but you do need to understand that if you do remove the stoma pouch, the stoma will still function, so it may cause output. You also may want to avoid using soaps and lotions in the bath, especially around the skin.
There is a misconception that children can’t sleep on their stomach or side after an ostomy. But that’s not true. They still can, you just have to empty the pouch itself before they go to bed. What about traveling? It can still be done, but there are proper safety measure to take in place. For children, they’re still in car seats, and it may cause some irritation or pain in the stoma. You can get them one that has the seat belt placed over the other parts of the body and not the stoma. It also may be helpful to start carrying a backpack and having your little one also carry the supplies that they need. Caring for a stoma for a child is challenging, but it is not the worst thing to do.
