My little girl has been struggling with constipation on and off for about a year now. When it first started I took her to her Dr and was instructed to give her an enema whenever she would go 2 or 3 days without a bm. She got to a point to where she would go everyday, but they were usually pretty hard and small like a golf ball.

Within the past few weeks it has gotten worse. It was so bad one day that she was screaming with pain. I called the ped and talked to a nurse. High fiber diet, grape juice, and enema... yadda yadda... She had gone a while without going again and I gave her another enema and started putting a little fibersure in her juice. She already eats loads of veggies, broccoli and peas are her favourite. She eats a bowl of cheerios in the morning as well.

We were going on day 4 without her going even with the fiber in her juice, so yesterday I gave her another enema and she had a huge BM. I thought that I would wait and see if she will go on her own within the next few days. I called and talked to a nurse and she told me to do all this and then make an appointment to see the Dr who she said would just tell me the same things. Why I am going to take her in if he is not going to do anything? The nurse said that he will tell you exactly what I have told you, but you need to bring her in.

I don't want to give her any more enemas, it is not good for her. Besides this she is a happy, healthy and very active little girl. Should I take her to see her Dr again, or go to a specialist, or just write it off as a common toddler problem? She is always telling me that her hinney hurts and now she has had a decreased appetite, specifically in the mornings. I just don't know what to do. I feel so helpless. Could this be a sign of something more serious or is this just part of being a toddler? Could this be a tolerance to dairy? She doesn't have an overload of it, but she does have a little everyday.

Anything you have to say is welcome, I am just over this. Thanks for your help in advance.

hi there! i have to say that i have been in your exact same shoes! my dd is 7 and has fought constipation since she started eating regular food. we actually just had an endoscopy last week to see if there was anything underlying but it turned out to be gastritis and we are working with a new medication.

what i wanted to tell you is that there is a medication that is now over the counter called MIRALAX. when my dd was 2, it was a prescription but she was on it for one capful, even at the age of two. she is actually back on it again right now. maybe you could call your doctor and see about giving it to her for a while.

believe me, i understand your frustration. we have tried the high fiber diets, nutritionists, medications and it has gotten better but still exists. you really have to try anything and everything you can because otherwise potty training will be a nightmare. it was horrible for us and i hope you succeed.

good luck and please feel free to ask any questions. good luck. : )

helene

Thank you so much for your response. I just don't know what to do anymore. It is good to hear from someone who has been there before. I am sick of people acting like it is because I don't feed her enough veggies. Last night before bed she had 2 bowls of corn. She LOVES veggies and eats them with lunch and dinner. She still hasn't gone, today will be day 2, but she hasn't gone on her own in 2 weeks. If she doesn't go today I am making an appointment to take her to her Dr.

I have a question actually. I read on the internet that sometimes they will do an abdominal x-ray if constipation is a chronic problem. Has your daughter ever had this done. Also if a take her to the Dr, what should I expect from the appointment? Should I be content with, just give her lots of fiber and an enema, or should I want more?

Thanks again!

Hi, my daughter is 5 and has also been suffering from constipation since around two years old. I agree with the other poster, try the miralax. It is safe to use and works really well. She also had an endoscopy, which was normal. When I took her to the ER once, they offered to do an x-ray but the dr. did not really feel it was necessary. I think they do the x-ray to check for obstruction but he said you would know if there was obstruction because she would have been in terrible pain. The dr.could feel by pushing on her abdomen how backed up she was. He explained to me that enemas and suppositories don't normally work because it has to be held in for 15 minutes, and children just can't do that. Even then it only gets out what is in the bottom part, not way up in the intestines so she would still be constipated.

Another thought, your dd may be scared to go because it hurts. She may be holding it in and that makes it worse.

Do try the Miralax. I don't think you should be doing enemas so much. You should check with her dr. on that.

Thanks, a lot of people have mentioned Miralax, but I haven't been able to find it. My daughters pediatrician is the one who is telling me to do the enemas. I would never be giving her enemas like this unless I was told too. I too think that it is odd, but every time I call or talk to them, that is what they say. The Dr said he would rather me do the enemas then the laxatives. I am not comfortable doing too much of either. I am afraid that if I keep pushing the issue they will run unnecessary tests. She is always telling me that her hinney hurts and sometimes points to her tummy. She also tells me that she has to sinky, she will try, but is usually unsuccessful. She has some raisin size bms sometimes, so it appears that she is trying. She pees on the potty regularly, but not stinkies. She tries sometimes, but we aren't pushing the issue and we tell her it doesn't matter where she goes right now, as long as she goes.

Thanks again for your response, she still hasn't gone today, so it looks like I may be calling the Dr tomorrow. She has has a lot of nasty smelling gas though and I have seen her try to go. She will get on all fours or curl up in a ball on her tummy when she is trying to go.

I hope you didn't think I was being harsh about the enemas, it wasn't meant to be at all!

Regarding the Miralax, have her doctor write a prescription for it. I still get my dd's through prescription even though it's over the counter now.

She may be telling you her butt hurts because it hurts to get it out. My daughter had fissures and it was very painful for her.

Does she eat fruits also? Does she drink enough water?

No, I didn't think you were being harsh, I am sorry, I am just emotional about this whole thing, I also have a 5 month old, so I think my hormones are still getting balanced.

She drinks a lot. She has been drinking more and more water lately. She does eat raisins, applesauce and bananas. Well, she still hasn't gone, lots of gas, but nothing. I think I may be calling the Dr tomorrow.

I have also dealt with this problem...it can be very frustrating. I have 3 daughters and they all eat the same things at mealtimes. One of the three has NEVER had a problem and has always gone regularly. The oldest struggles still. She is now 5 but this started when solid foods were introduced. It makes me think that there's some genetics to all of this.
In terms of diet I find the summer mos to be easier. Blueberrys, rasberrys, kiwis currants etc all seem to help. FRESH FRUITS (aside from bananas) work wonders. Also she drinks a lot of WATER (She often needs reminders on this one). Since I have become strict about drinking things have improved. I write down on the calendar when she does a bm...once she gets to the 3rd day I give her a supplement. This hasn't happened in mos.
In the winter mos soup made with potatoes and LEEKS works very well also. Overtime you will learn what works best for your child. It took me time and tears but it will get easier. Good luck.

pediatric glycerin supositories are sold over the counter, are very safe, need only be inserted slightly into rectum, it helps if they are refrigerated prior to use, it draws bm down,works with in 1-3 hours at least it did for my child w similar problem. i only used on occasions when const. seemed worse than usual.

You may also want to consider getting a new doc, this one doesn't seem to be taking you seriously (esp since he has never mentioned Miralax which is pretty standard for consitpation). Good luck.

Thanks for all the support. I just hate that my little girl is having this problem. I actually made an appointment for today @ 2pm. Her regular Dr is out until next week so I am seeing another Dr. I really do think that it is for the best. I really like the Dr that she is going to see this afternoon, we have seen her for another issue. I will let you guys know how it goes when we get back. Is there anything that I should mention to the Dr while I am there?

Back from the Drs! Once we got there I discovered a tick on Gracie's head. So they took care of that while we were there. The Dr said that Gracie has a few golf ball size poops up her butt. (OK, that looks funny typed out) Yes, they did a rectal exam to figure that out. I need to do 1 enema a day for 3 days to clear out the hard stuff. I need to give her Miralax (2 tsp) once a day for up to 6 months. The Miralax will soften her stools and help her become regular. The Dr said we may need to adjust it a little depending on how her bms are. The Dr said we need to come back every 2 weeks for check ups to monitor Gracie's progress. She said to back off on the potty training until Grace become regular. She really wants to stinky on the potty so I really think that this is going to help with all that. I was very pleased with the appointment and the Dr promised me that we will cure my little girl.

hi again and i'm glad the doctor went well. personally, i think the enemas are a little much for her age and i know we did suppositories with my dd at that age and she is 7 now and still remembers it. it caused quite a vicious cycle of her being afraid to eat/holding the bowels/bm's would be huge and hurt/she would hold again.

i wish i could tell you how to make it better but i really do believe that the miralax is a good starting place. my dd has had the abdominal x-rays like you mentioned but it did not show a blockage. we actually just had an endoscopy and i am hoping things get better.

also, try as hard as you can to sneak things into her diet to help. i would make milkshakes and sneak prune juice in there, fig newtons (which they think they're getting a treat) and tried to stay away from all of the binding foods like bananas, mac & cheese, dairy, etc. i know it is hard but you have to do whatever you can while she is still young to try to break the cycle. good luck and please write if you have more questions. also, congrats on the new baby! : )

helene

hi there. sounds like you're having a rough time of it (well you and your poor little girl!). two red flags as i was reading your posts... (this is based on foods i cannot give my own two girls because they get constipated...)... my youngest cannot eat cheerios or bananas without getting constipated. i've been told that because cheerios and bananas have such a high fiber content, they couldn't possibly be constipating, but every single time she eats them, she gets constipated. you might try eliminating those two things from her diet.

also, when we were vacationing with my in-laws, my oldest got really constipated, and we realized my mom-in-law was giving her straight juice instead of watering it down. i only give my kids about 1/8 - 1/4 part juice, and the rest is water. if you're giving her juice, especially if you are putting a fiber mix in it, make sure you add a lot of water to it, and push her to drink extra water throughout the day, or it will just cause a lot of gas and discomfort (personal experience on that one!!! :) ).

things that worked with my two (thankfully, i have never had to resort to medicine, enemas or suppositories!!!).... to get things moving, prunes work wonderfully. i boil a cup of apple juice and add prunes with some cinnamon and sugar, cook until the prunes are nice and soft, then throw the mix into the blender and puree' it... it's great to mix in with oatmeal in the mornings, or with applesauce for a snack. or don't puree the prunes, and serve them warm over icecream for a yummy (?) treat (my kids like anything with icecream!).

we also did oatmeal for breakfast every morning, homemade popsicles with a prune juice/apple juice/water mix, lots of raisins, oatmeal cookies with ground flax seed, stuff like that.

one question... are you sure the decreased appetite is because of the constipation? is she at the age where she could actually be cutting molars or anything? i went nuts worrying about my youngest when she quit eating for a few days, and i really thought she was having serious tummy troubles... turns out she was cutting two big teeth! just something to watch out for...

generally, constipation in toddlers is based on fear of it hurting... they remember it hurting before, they tense up, naturally, it's going to hurt again... it really IS a vicious cycle! the trick is to get her to relax when she is going. for my oldest, i used to sit in the bathroom with her and let her hold onto my finger. i told her while she is going potty, if it hurts even a little, to just squeeze my finger really really tight... this will focus her attention on her upper body muscles and relax her lower body muscles... it also gave my daughter something to focus on besides her bottom hurting.

anyway, i hope things get better for you! i know it's hard to see your little one suffering!!!

PS....
when i said, "thankfully, i have never had to resort to medicine, enemas or suppositories!!!" i didn't mean to make it sound like i think i'm so great because of it. i just mean that i've been extremely blessed so far that natural remedies have worked. if we ever get to the point where natural remedies don't work, i'll be all over the medicine, enemas and suppositories! anyway, i hope you didn't take it the wrong way... i know how those "i have a five month old baby" hormones can be!!! :)

Thank you again for your help. You all have been very helpful. My little girl has just had a lot going on the past for months. Back in May she got aspiration pneumonia from choking on a cashew nut. That lead to x-rays and a hospital stay that involved a bronchial scope. During the bronchial scope the Dr removed a 7mm piece of cashew that was lodged in her lung. A week later on the morning of her check up she started running a 103 degree fever. At the appointment they discovered that she had a cold and a double ear infection. All the antibiotics from these two things caused a yeast infection, of course. So with all that being said and the new brother added into the mix I am sure all of this hasn't helped her.

Gracie already gets diluted juice and drinks a lot. We have tried a lot of natural remedies and they worked for a very little while, so hopefully this will do the trick. I will definitely have to consider taking the cheerios out of her diet.

About the decreased appetite, she is teething, but I really don't think that that is causing her appetite to go down. She complains about her tummy and hinney hurting a lot so I really think that the constipation is causing it, but I will keep that in mind.

The Dr thinks that her problem is based on fear. She said that it gets to such a point that they actually can't go anymore and that is the point she believes my DD is at now. We working with her and telling her that it is not a bad thing to go stinky. Hopefully she will become regular with the help of this medicine.

mcr - I am glad that natural remedies have helped you and I didn't take what you said the wrong way.

mnlyn - she loves fig newtons! I will have to get some of those for her. I think the enemas are a little harsh too, but I really want to follow the Drs orders. Hopefully I won't have to do any more after this. She really doesn't take them to bad and they give her immediate relief. The Dr said that she had a lot of large hard stools that needed to be taken care of first, so that was the reason for the enemas.

To everyone else I hope that your little ones get better soon. I can't believe how long some of you have been dealing with this. I thought a year was a long time. I hope that your little ones find something to help them. At least we know that we can be here to support each other if we need it. :) Hopefully I won't have this problem with my little boy.

Gel,

My one year old suffered from severe constipation since the day we began solids. I was desperate for a solution for the poor kiddo. In my research I happened to come upon Dr. Sear's website, and he recommended to give them a little bit of flax oil in their food. I bought some and gave it to my son everyday and it worked wonders! I just added a couple of teaspoons to some of his food. It really seemed to soften his stools and make him much more regular.

I am unfortunately very familiar with this problem. For as long as I can remember my son has had bowel issues. He has had bad constipation beginning when he was small and I remember using infant suppositories and oil and water based inemas that had real tiny tubes for small children. The worst was as he got older and we had to use the larger inemas with saline to try to flush him out after using oil to help get out the large and packed stool. You could see the stool there but it wouldn't come till it was completely greased up. He would cry when he saw the enema stuff but we knew no other way. It was us or the doctor so we would try to be as gentle as possible and talk him through it. I didn't want to traumatize him and was worried because my mom who was sexually abused as a child felt it was wrong but nothing else would work. We tried diet changes and prune juice and all kinds of things. After a while into the problem we were finally given miralax which he still takes(he is now 8 years old!). I was just sure for a while that it would be related to his birth. I haven't said that he was born with a ruptured intestine(meconium perionitis), but he only lost about 5 cm of the small intestine and the iliocecal valve or ilium.

We just returned to the gastroenterologist yesterday and discussed what if anything was left to look at. My problem with this whole thing is they tell us to air on the thin side and has him dosed at two capfuls a day of miralax but then he seems to lose any control and is runny which makes it impossible to try to make him responsible for getting on the potty. He isn't potty trained though he can pee in the potty with no trouble but with this problem half of the time he gets lazy and just goes in his pull up. I have had him in underwear and it helps a little but he still gets packed up and what does come out is hard and crusty and he of course cleans himself but we still deal with the same issues. There is still messes in the underwear and I got sick of that so reverted to pull ups again so we could have a little less mess and trouble. With this last appt. we ordered an mri to look for a tethered spinal chord where the little hairs or whatever it is that causes the paristalsis that moves the poop down and out could be pinned down somehow and causing problems. Because of the lack of awareness or sensation he seems to have and because this has been a problem so long we talked about something called nitro paste. Did some blood work to check for food allergies and to check Vitamin B12 which I guess can affect things in some way. I forget how. We agreed to go a child psychiatrist to get help on anything that could be abating this whole problem like anxiety or ocd(which his dad and grandfather have). We will see.

As far as the runny poop I know that the loose stuff does and is going around the packed stool. It took me a long time to figure this out because I would think he was all cleaned out because some stool would break off and come with the liquidy stuff but then a little later all of a sudden he was cramping from gas and stiffening up because the stool was so large that he was afraid to let it out and it hurt to do so. It was always amazing to me to see how much could be up inside of such a little child.

I could go on but I won't. If any of you have similar problems or just need someone to talk to about this. It can be a very lonely and difficult thing to deal with especially as your child gets older.

By the way I have used flax oil and mineral as well as caster oil descised in my sons food at times. It has helped but it doesn't fix the problem. It might help more if you have a small child that hasn't had a history of constipation to be able to build up the fear of going to the bathroom.

Miralax! My daughter has been on it for 4 years. It has helped a little, but sometimes counseling (so they say), is the answer for children who have a fear of going, because it hurts. Hope it works out

Foods that have special recognition as laxatives include almonds, apricots, avocados, chicory, coconut, dandelion, dates, endive, figs, flaxseed, grapes, mango's, olive, papayas, parsley, persimmons, pineapple, prunes, rhubarb, soybeans, turnips, walnuts, watercress.

Include a combination of these in her diet as fresh salads, soups or snacks. Increase the intake of the above and if still constipated, increase again and lessen the intake of meat, dairy and high processed food.

Constipation is a sign that there is a problem, modifying her diet and making sure she drinks enough water is important. Processed foods do not help. I would stay away from laxatives and emimas as they contain chemicals. I have a daughter about the same age and have gone through the same thing. I researched natural ways to cure constipation and all it takes is a diet modification.