My 21 month old baby girl started having some constipation issues around a year old. She would be "regular" and go every day, then boom, without any rhyme or reason get backed up for days and in constant pain each time she'd try to poop. Since she was a year old I've seen 3-4 different Pediatricians, all with the same answer: "She'll grow out of it...prune or pear juice....Miralax..." and so on.
We've tried it all, but being a 2nd time Mom and watching my baby literally shake and sweat and scream while trying to pass a small stool, I felt like enough was enough and I wanted to see a specialist, hoping for more answers. So about 6 weeks ago we went to see a Pediatric Gastero doctor at CHOC's. After 2 hours of discussion, reviewing a month journal of he diet, examining her rectum and so forth, their answer was to give her a small dose of Miralax every single morning and that we might have to do this well until she's potty trained. I was very pleased the first month, she went regularly every day, no pain, no screaming, I thought we were on the right track. But then about week 5, back to the same 3-4 days of no poop, shaking, crying, red faced little baby girl for days with nothing coming out. Finally poops, ok for about a week, then boom, right back to 3-4 days of what I feel is torture for such a sweet little girl. The cycle is back, and I have no answers from even the "specialist".
We've tried everything.....any one have any other ideas out there??????
Try putting her back on some baby food. I know it seems like a step back but the pureed food will soften her up, give her her needed nutrition, and will give her system a break from all that stress and pressure.
You don't have to put her on 100% baby food...just have her start off w/1 jar/container each meal.
cut back on cheese & beef and bulk up on veggies, water and lots of exercise. Teh more we move around the better things work. MY DD had some constipation issues around the same age - I'd insert a suppository and she'd poop within minutes. Sometimes it's a muscle thing - their muscles & nerve endings are maturing and they tighten up for no good reason (nervous, upset, etc.) and the suppository loosens up the muscles.
Good luck mama!
I hate to scare you- that is not what I'm trying to do.
My sister who is 8 had the same problems at the same age.
Still at 8 years old she depends on Miralax everyday to go.
It is very painful for her most days.
I wouldn't get in the habbit of using it daily.
That's just me.
Even with cutting out dairy, cheese and other foods she still has problems at 8 years old. I would try to get to the bottom of what is going on and not rely on a medication to help her poop.
Review her diet and the amounts of foods she's eating and cut down or eliminate starchy foods, meats and cheeses. Eliminate any junk food from her diet as well. Concentrate on whole grain breads and cereals, fruits (but not bananas as they are constipating) and veggies.
Serving sizes for a child her age are much less than for older children and adults so you may have to cut down portions for her. Too much food can overload her delicate intestinal system and cause constipation.
The following are serving sizes for a 1-2 year old:
Milk/Dairy: Servings: 16-20 ounces (2 - 2 1/2 cups total) of milk per day, so if she's eating cheese and yogurt you'd cut down on fluid milk amounts.)
1/2 -3/4 ounce of cheese = 4 ounces of milk, while 1/4 cup of yogurt = 2 ounces of milk.
Fruits and veggies: Servings: 5 or more per day. A serving size = 1-2 tablespoons - Pureed, mashed, or cubed.
(100% juices made with fruits and veggies that offer full servings of each can be substituted here, and the liquid will help unbind her.)
Whole Grains: Servings: 3-4 per day. Serving sizes = 1/2 slice of bread, 1/4 cup of cooked cereal, 1/4 cup of dry cereal. 1/4 cup of pasta, 2-3 saltine crackers, or 1/2 tortilla.
Non-dairy Proteins (meat, fish, beans, eggs): Servings: 2 per day. Serving sizes = 1/2 egg, 2-3 tablespoons beans (i.e. black, pinto, edamame, etc...), 1 tablespoon peanut butter, or 1 ounce of fish, lean beef, pork or chicken.
If she's not drinking water every day start giving it to her. It helps the fiber she takes in through her diet work better.
And, make sure she gets plenty of physical exercise, which also "keeps things moving." Running and jumping help a lot to avoid constipation.
I used all of the above suggestions with my now 26 month old, who no longer suffers from constipation, and he had bad episodes :-/
I hope she finds relief soon!
My grandson had this problem and he did out grow it. In the meantime try being especially careful about giving her enough fiber and staying away from foods that tend to constipate. Be sure she gets enough liquids. You probably know that list well.
I would also increase her dose of Miralax. Perhaps give it to her in the morning and in the evening.
Miralax is not a laxative or medication in any usual sense of the word. It is not habit forming. It is a substance that attracts water into the bowel.
My son also has issues with constipation. I make sure he does not eat anything on the BRAT (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) diet. I also give him Miralax with prune juice or apple juice each morning. I first started with 3/4 of a cap, then decreased it to half as he became more regular. I increase and decrease the Miralax as needed. Yes, I agree, it is very sad to see our kids in such pain. :o( Good Luck!!!
My oldest had constipation problems from the day she was born. And she was breastfed. It was horrible. Her stools would be the size of baseballs. I'm not even exaggerating. It was beyond horrible. I went to 3 different pediatricians before I found one that would even acknowledge it was a problem.
Definitely look at the foods she's eating. My daughter could only have very limited dairy. If she had cheese at lunch, no milk for dinner. If she had milk at breakfast, no cheese at lunch.
I whole heartedly agree with GrammaRocks breakdown of the diet. USE IT! It's SO hard to get kids to eat properly, but it's an absolute must with little ones that have constipation issues.
I would also ask about upping her dose of Miralax. My daughter was a very small 3 year old and she was on 1/2 cap per day. We mixed it with 100% juice. Our pediatrician also put her on 1/2 of the chocolate Ex-Lax chews once a day for 2 weeks. The first few days were MESSY! But, it worked.
She was on the Miralax every day for about a year. She still takes it occasionally. It seems like her diet is thrown off by a special occasion or a dinner out at a restaurant. She's old enough now that she'll tell me she needs her "poopy juice."
The Miralax isn't habit forming. Her body won't need it to poop for the rest of her life. Sometimes it just takes time for things to get back in tune.
