Constipation - Worried about how Mom is handling it....

DVFlyer wrote: Hi all,

Looking for some advice here. My wife and I have a 17 month old girl who is having a problem with constipation. It definitely seems related to her diet, but we haven't pinned down exactly what is causing it. Some days are fine, and some are rough. On to my question/ problem.....

We see our daughter start to go and she tightens up her butt and straightens her legs. I'm assuming it's because it's hurt once or twice so she's afraid. When my wife sees this, she takes our daughter and sits her on her lap and tries to make her go. If that doesn't work, she sits her in the tub. I know she's only trying to help, but it may have only been a day or two between BM's, so I wonder if she'd go on her own given enough time.

When she does go in these cases, BTW, it's VERY big, so it obviously needed to come out, I just question her "technique". Our poor little girl just cries and cries while she struggles not only with her pooping, but with mom holding her.

Any and all input is welcome.

atlantamomof2 replied: Maggie did the same thing. Orange juice in the morning with her breakfast seemed to help quite a bit (to keep it soft). It took her a while to get over the fear of it hurting, though. (We had quite a few experiences like you described) Hope things get easier.

Kolesmom replied: My son had the same problem. When I would notice this I would live him 1ML of prune juice in his bottle before his feeding. The Childrens Hospital did the same thing for him the first 3 months he was there when he was born. Hope this helps.

Jamison'smama replied: THis sounds just like my daughter--I don't hold her though. Her routine is to just start running--I KNOW it hurts, she cries and runs --it is pitiful to watch. I have tried everything I can but my daughter is PICKY PICKY when it comes to eating so there isn't much I can do as far as her diet goes, I just have to let it run its course--I never try to force the issue. Is she afraid she just won't go??? I think I would try to decrease the trauma or she might try to hold it in even longer.

Jamison'smama replied: WHoops, I double posted so I will just add---oatmeal seems to help on occasion.

DVFlyer replied: Thank you all for the reassurance. I try very hard to accept it as mother's intuition, but it seems like such a drastic measure. I didn't carry her for 9 months so I know her "gut" reaction is probably better than mine. Except for my gut reaction that she will not date until she's 35 .

I've asked her why she does it and she tells me that she "has to go". While I understand that, I wouldn't think it would hurt to let her go a day or so and see if she goes on her own.

FYI- Something I hadn't heard of, but bananas can cause constipation. We've only had two doctors tell us that (turned out they were husband and wife and we didn't know... just thought they had the same last name), but after we stopped giving her bananas, it seemed to get a bit better.

We're actually not sure why it's started up the last couple of days. We're thinking it's from meat. We given her meatballs twice in the last few days. Her normal diet consists of cereal, pancakes or oatmeal or eggs for breakfast along with a bottle of milk. Not sure about lunch since I'm at work. Dinner can be anything from soup to chicken and rice, to corndogs or anything else she'll eat.

Oh well, back to the drawing board. Thanks again.

PS- Has anyone else noticed that it seems like the way issues like this get solved is to keep trying things until it finally goes away on it's own?

atlantamomof2 replied:
That is so true!

mandij1227 replied: I have also had some experience with this problem. Some of the dietary culprits include too much iron, too many dairy products (you might try some soy milk because soy protiens are more easily broken down by the body) and too much meat. It can also be caused by not enough friuts and vegatables - so you might re-evaluate her diet (keeping a daily journal of what she consumes will also help the dr. figure things out if you decide you need to go that route) Another thing you might try that I've always had success with is the GLYCERIN suppositories. They are available over the counter and work within 10 min. they contain no chemical stimulants and are basically harmless to the child. The way I did it was to give one suppository every evening at the same time to establish a routine (and so she has all day to go on her own) Put it in, wait a minute, then walk her to the bathroom: by the time you get her there and sit her on the potty, she should be ready to go!
After a few painless-poopoos, she might also be more willing to go on her own, which will prevent "backups".
Good Luck!
(Prune juice and actual prunes are always the best natural cure, but most kids won't consume either... I know mine wouldn't)

atlantamomof2 replied: sorry-double posted

Parentoftwo replied: Our doctor recommended pear juice, because it is a little more mild than prune juice but still has good fiber. Seemed to help our son, who had the same problem for a while. It made his stool softer and helped get him over the "fear of pooping".

ammommy replied: Pear juice and apple juice do the trick for us, too.

MommyToAshley replied: I haven't read the other replies so I hope I am not repeating anything. But, I have to watch what my daughter eats or she will get constipated very easily. Two of the biggest culprits are cheese and bananas. She loves both, but I have to limit them. I also make sure she eats lots of vegetables (especially the green veggies) and fruit. Things that can help when they are constipated are the "p" fruits -- pears, peaches, prunes, pineapples, etc. I find that the fruit itself helps better than the juice but the juice format also helps.

I didn't hold my daughter when she tried to go, in fact, I did the opposite and left her alone. My daughter is the type that likes her privacy and would go sit in a corner when she had to go. SHe still will not go when others are around. The warm bath is a good idea, I have heard that it helps to get things moving.

I hope this helps.

crazylips replied: We found that bananas made our son a constipated, too. One thing that will contribute to constipation is not drinking enough. If your daughter has a high fibre diet but isn't getting enough to drink (water, especially) then the stools become hard. Our son doesn't like plain water much (unless it's bath water) so we add a little bit of cordial or fruit juice. When he drinks enough he doesn't get constipated.

Hope this helps!

Cheryl

DVFlyer replied: I'm starting to think it's a fluid intake thing too, but since I'm at work all day, I have to leave the trial and error up to my wife. I just suggest to her to try and get her to drink more water.

Chloe (our daughter) seems to be doing better. We've started giving a SMALL amount of Citrucell with a bottle. You have to be careful with this stuff. It hardens and lumps up. Kinda scary. They have to drink it quickly.

The only other thing I try is to give her pieces of pears.

[cute story mode]
We do the cutest thing on the weekends (since I'm home, we can play more ). She LOVES pears, but she insists on eating one together. So, I hold it and take a bite. Then she pulls my hand and takes a bite and then shoves the pear back in my mouth. Even if I fake taking a bite, she knows and will wait until I take another bite. Then it's back to her.

I have to say that I never thought I'd have kids so I was very worried when we found out Chloe was coming. But my love for her is at a level I never thought possible. I guess you'd never understand if you don't have kids... at least I never did.
[/cute story mode]