Oh you poor things. Can I ask how old your DD is?

I went through a terrible time with constipation with my DD when she was about 18 months and traipsed back and forth to doctors looking for answers. I kept getting the same answer - sluggish bowels, up her fibre, water, laxatives etc but I was so sure it must be something else. Like you, DD's diet was great and no amount of pear, prune, fiber water, fresh fruit and veg made an ounce of difference. Like you I also found temporary relief from laxatives but we went back to the same problem when we stopped using them. Finally after 6 months of this I found a GP who admitted she wasn't a peadiatric gastrointestinal expert (and why would any GP be?) and referred me to a pead at the hospital. Like you, my DD was put on Parachoc for a long time (6 months) with the explaination that it was not diet but a 'psychological' trauma from the pain of constipation once off which has led her to want to avoid doing a poo. The theory was that by making the bowel movement easy for an extended time, she will get over the mental link of poo = pain and go on to have normal bowel movements.

The reason I am telling you this is that I understand your pain only too well. To be thinking that you play a part in your child's constipation due to diet. To watch them in pain... It is just heart breaking and my heart goes out to you and your daughter. I can't tell you the relief I felt when the paed explained what was going on with DD - more than garden variety constipation as we understand it in adults. I was so relieved it was not my doing. I hope you can find that relief to, because it is not your fault. There is such a lack of information out there about children's constipation and they are treated like miniature adults when they do not work that way in a 'bowel movement' sense I am so glad you have finally found good advice and let me tell you, it will improve. I am finally at the end of the 6 month parachoc administration and my DD is now passing poo without incident I am now weaning her off it slowly, we are at 5ml every 2 days now and I am so happy to have it working.

Well done on getting to the bottom of it for your DD, I am truely sorry for you both that it had to get to such a state before you found your answers. Just remember to be super vigilant about having the parachoc as forgetting for one day can harden the stools temporarily and cause a setback for your DD. It will work out in the end.