My daughter has been having issues going poop. Sunday she would just start to cry when she had to go and nothing would come out (she hadn't pooped since Friday). I called the nurse and finally in the evening gave her a supository. Minutes after, she pooped and continued about 4 times after. However, each time she was crying that it hurt. Yesterday she went once and cried while it was happening. She has cried a few times today saying her butt hurts. I would like to call the nurse again but was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or ideas. She is fine when she does not have to go. She is peeing ok and drinking normally. Since Sunday, she has had prune juice and as many peaches and pears as I can give her. Any information would be helpful.
Thanks so much.
I have to second the suggestion of Miralax. It has really helped our daugther with her constipation.
Hi L.,
If nutrition and eating is okay, then sometimes a little help is needed. ALWAYS make sure she drinks more water than anything else. The prune juice will help her evacuate but isn't always a long term solution. I used slippery elm bark and it is safe for little ones. (you can google it and investigate more) It will balance the digestive tract from the esophagus to the anus and will not cause diarrhea. It is also good for diarrhea. Like I said, it balances and heals. I use it for my 91 year old dad that is bedridden and on a feeding tube to keep everything regular. Not to be crass but the nurses have actually told me that his "poop" doesn't stink!
Hope I helped!
M.
If her first poop was large/hard it could have hurt her when she went. Did you see any blood in her poop? Is she swollen or red around the opening? My daughter got constipated when I was transitioning her to milk. It was an overload of dairy. Is your daughter getting to much dairy, more than in the past before the constipation started? My daughter was miserable and couldn't get it out. I was horrified and afraid she was going to tear or something once it finally came out. I called the ped and was waiting for a call back. What I did was put Aquaphor on her so she would have a lubricant and then put her in a warm bath to hopefully relax and soften her bottom. Within about 10 minutes of her being in the tub it was out and she was happy with no pain. Yes I had to clean the tub, but I think both steps made it a lot easier and safer for her. That is the only time she has gone #2 in the tub. She hasn't had a problem since but I will handle it the same way if it does. Next time when you have to give her a supository also put Aquaphor down there.
There have been a few conversations on here recently about a condition called Encopresis. It's basically when they withhold their bowel movements (in our 22 month-old's case it started with constipation), and the liquid begins to leak out making it more difficult to pass the stools. Gross, I know.
We had to ask the pediatrician - they recommended for our daughter to have 1 capful of Miralax/day for 8 weeks to retrain her to poop.
I'd recommend asking the pediatrician if this could be an issue and what they would advise if it continues.
Good luck.
My daughter is 3 years old and has struggled with this, making potty training difficult. We have increased her fiber intake (look for high fiber cereals, bread, juice or other high fiber foods), as well as eating yogurt twice a day. We have limited her dairy intake (minus the yogurt because that is actually good for constipation). We also make sure she drinks plenty of water, and only juices that have a good amount of fiber in them. I started reading all labels to make sure my daughter is getting enough fiber otherwise constipation happens. I will use miralax as a last resort because that does not natural help fix the issue. I have never heard of Slippery Elm Bark but after a little reading about it I might be trying it for my daughter.
Mix a daily teaspoon of flaxseed oil into her yogurt, milk, or smoothie. It helps my 16-month-old out a great deal. Everything just slides on out smoothly and he even says "ahhh" afterward! :) The Omega-3's and other nutritional qualities of flaxseed are just a bonus. Get the filtered kind at Whole Foods for about $6 a bottle.
