DD is so very constipated wdid?? HELP - she is hysterical

[DoubleK]

my dd has suffered from constipation since she was about 12 months old.

ive tried a few different things, i ended up taking her to a continence clinic, and she gave us some Movicol-half. which was supposed to be a very aggressive laxative.. i was prepared to have poo everywhere.. but nothing!!!
so back to natural methods.. she wouldnt touch prune juice, so i tried making muffins with prunes hidden... she ate a little, but still nothing really happened.

i might try pear juice! havent been told of that one before!

[jackrose]

*charmalea*, great to hear something is happening !! It sounds as if there is certainly more to come so definately keep at the tricks listed here. I would also have a nice warm bath together for a few days just to keep things moving as once you have a constipation issue, it can easily get bad again if you don't get on top of it. Just keep up with whatever is working until you notice your DD appears *regular * again and then start to wean her off the laxatives (foods or meds). Be ready to use them again when you need them though so you (both) don't have to go through this trauma again!

Eventually things should sort themselves out to the point where you don't have to resort to any laxative assistance. Generally the little one's bodies just need to get used to digestion.

so back to natural methods.. she wouldnt touch prune juice, so i tried making muffins with prunes hidden... she ate a little, but still nothing really happened.
i might try pear juice! havent been told of that one before!

Krystal Ball, You poor things! I really would recommend trying stewing some fruits that have laxative effect and trying to feed your DD that. If you just slice up some pear and/or apple, throw a few prunes in and a little water and set it on the stove on very low until the fruit is soft then blend it up. It is really yummy and *should* be appealing to your DD! As suggested by a few of the other posters, yoghurt can help but try to stick to yoghurts with less sugar added such as Jalna. You can mix the pureed fruit with the yoghurt.

I used to make some and freeze it in ice cube trays, giving some to DD every day to keep her regular.

With regards to the juices, be careful of the juices that have too much sugar added, it is much better to use the fruit itself. That said, if your DD doesn't go for the stewed fruit, you do want to get the Prune or Pear in anyway you can and juice may be the best way !

Good luck

[Visitor3]

How are you? Hopoe there has been some "movement" ?? Just wanted to add that I have had this problem and I find that the only thing that works and I've tried it all!, is prune JUICE, not prunes ( I once ate half a bag of prunes and nothing??) but prune juice is magic. Hope it all gets sorted quickly for both of you

[*charmalea*]

she is still only pooping nuggets but they are getting softer , they are still really small .. and I cant give her prunes anymore as she had an allergic reaction to them

[Marlene]

I remember when my oldest DD was a baby (a loooooong time ago) she had really bad constipation and I had to actually help the poop out.
A loooong warm bath to soften the area and then you can rub a little primrose, olive oil or lube around her anus. When you think she seems to be pushing and trying to poop, lay her down and bend her legs towards her chest (might be easier with someone helping you) and VERY gently press on each side of her anus, this should help her push the poop out. Just make sure you keep the area very soft so she doesn't tear.

good luck hun...I hope she manages to poop on her own soon.

[Amity]

My son was on laxatives for over a year - it was Parachoc. Helped within 12 hours. Tasted like chocolate sauce... nice.

HTH

[Papillon]

When my DD was your dd's age we had to use suppositories. They come in baby size, so small almost hard to hold but they worked perfectly... they were suggested to us by our chemist and GP!

good luck

[[M]umma[M]ia]

A couple more things u can try from the chemist are Infants Friend. Also Bruers (sp) Stomach Calm, its a natural medicine and worked wonders for Mia n her reflux, diahrea and constipation.

[Schmickers]

I second prune juice. It's one of the better laxatives out there, it's natural, and you can safely add it to their milk if they are bottle fed. Otherwise Movicol is growing in popularity, but I've never used it in someone as young as your little one and I'm not entirely sure what the age cut-off is.

Hope things continue to resolve for you.

[*charmalea*]

Snickers gabriella is allergic to prunes her lips and mouth area swelled up and came out in a rash.
Last night we gave her a micolax and she only popped out 2 nuggets , not the big poo we were hoping for. If she keeps doing nuggety poos , is that bad ?

[Papillon]

from what i was told it is.... (going by memory)..

is there a reason you don't want to use the baby suppositories on her???

They don't hurt her, if anything they will give her some relief as they will empty out whatever is built up in the lower bowl. Which is what is hard to clear....

poor darling - what a reaction to prunes.

[*charmalea*]

Pap , we gave her microlax, the lady at the chemsit advised it , when i was younger my mum had you use suppositries on me alot as i had bad problems with it, i guess she is taking after me..

What were the supposites you used ?? this one (microlax) certianly wasnt a baby one it was massive and DH and I had to gear ourselves up to give it to her , it worked with in minutes and there was only a small amount of poo ..

2 little firm (not rock hard like the others have been) nuggets..

now that she is on solids im not sure what her poo is meant to be like (or how big its meant to be ) but she strains and cries so much when she needs to poo

If it happens any longer i will take her to my pead .. i hate seeing her in pain

OH - schmickers . i did know how to spell you name , but i was on my iphone and it wouldnt spell it right , lol ... i will have a read up on movicol . thanks

[jamakin]

Hi, my ds has also been constipated since starting solids, i was told to stop all rice cereal and bananna. Then just like everyone has already said prune juice - but i know your dd is allergic so maybe try pear juice? what also worked for us was stone fruit! especially plums, worked like magic! so now i give him either stewed plums, peaches, apricots or necterines everyday for breakfast and have now been gradually introducing cereal again. Also heaps of water. The poos are definatley more solid once there on solids! lol! i think as long as they look moist not dry kinda like plastercine then thats ok.
its awful when there in pain, i hope you have some movement soon.
x

[*charmalea*]

She is still doing a little nuggets... last night when DH was going to bed he went in to change her nappy and said shes done the biggest poo!!! BUT when i went in there to help him clean it up , it was a small nugget the size of a 10c pc ..... it was just the smell !!! it was so bad ... and they are definatley still like plasticine

So at 8 i will ring my doc and beg for an appt ... its been going on nearly 3 weeks since ive noticed and ive tried everything ..

Fatguts ( thats a great UN) prunes are plums ... i wonder if she will react to them .. shes one of "those" babies who react to everything ! My mum gave me pear nectar , if i mix it with water, is that the same as pear juice .. and i havent given her cereal for about 2.5 wks .. .its just fruit and home made soups and pureed veges .. and it stups me how she can be consipated

Question - would being consiptaed have an affect on her weight gain or lack of it ??

[alioops]

Yes it can affect her weight hun. Most nutrients are absorbed in the bowel, and if the bowel is blocked then she will not be absorbing as well. Is she eating Banana at all? If she is try giving her pears then instead (Banana contains a lot of potassium which will bind her up). Good luck with the Dr hun

[Footsteps]

lea,
iv got probs with my bowel and take movicol...its great (iv had obstructions etc) and its the only thing that worked. and im not sure whether its sachets in aus but if it is and the tastes nasty for her put a bit of cordial in with it thats what i do.
good luck hun and the poor bubba...
hugs love
rach xxx

[Amie]

Something that might help a little is probiotics. Obviously her digestion is a little sluggish, so there's a strong possibility that the digestive bacteria in her stomach are struggling. It might not be a miracle cure, but it should help. You can get ones that are especially for babies. They're usually in powder form, so you can just dip your finger in it and let her suck. HTH xo

[*charmalea*]

Ali - I have never given her banana ( i dont know what it means to her reflux , good or bad etc) so i stay away from it , and i do giver her pears to munch on !

Her weight has hit a plateau over the last month or so and it hasnt been gaining, i just thought it could be something to do with constipation , thanks for clearing that up Ali !!!

I do have some probiotics in the the fridge (kids ones for when they are on AB) so i'll try it .. thanks Sarah ..

Rach , i have a babd enough time getting her to take her Losec !! and you go on saying that Movicol is nasty lol ... she'll never drink it I will see what the doc says .. i hope i can get it sorted .. she hardly eats anymore as its making her uncomfortalbe