My 23 month old daughter has recently started having trouble pooping. For the past few days it's been a nightmare! At around the same time every night she starts saying that her "vagina hurts" or "poopy ow". Then it seems that the pain gets worse and worse. She tenses and cannot relax, therefore being unable to let the poop run its course.
In the past she has been very regular, with no problems going #2. So this is very new to all of us. My partner and I have had success with putting her in a warm bath (although then she poops in the tub), but we feel like there has got to be something more we can do without having to put her on medication.
It is so hard to see your child in pain and being unable to give relief! Please, any ideas?
Thanks to everyone for their advice and support! My daughter still has an occasional bout of pooping difficulty, but pears have done wonders and she loves them! I have also noticed that she may just be one of the many toddlers who just gets anxious or scared about their pooping. I think this may just be because she is finally starting to understand the feeling of having to poop and what that means. Again--THANK YOU!
My grandson had a spell of this, and a liquid glycerin suppository when having a difficult movement gave tremendous, immediate relief. His parents have also stressed keeping him hydrated and keeping his digestive process well plumped with high-fiber fruits and vegetables.
Sorry to hear about this. It can be pretty agonizing for all involved.
Make sure that she's drinking sufficient amounts during the day. Then increase her fiber intake, applesauce, metamucil in her juice, prune juice. What dietary changes has she had in the past two weeks? What about her physical activity? Has she had a fever over a long period of time?
If this persists for another week after doing the above things, see your pediatrician about stool softeners if her bowel movements are hard in consistency. I must admit she has a very impressive vocabulary if she's using the word vagina and complains about it hurting rather than her anus. Again, see your pediatrician.
We're going through the same thing with our 21 month old. She got constipated and now clinches so she doesn't poop. We've had to resort to physically forcing her if we can tell she's tensing. We either hold her back to our stomach and pull her knees into her tummy (like she's squatting - or giving birth) or lay her on the ground and pull her knees into her tummy.
We've been giving her SO much fiber, but it's not helping.
I had severe constipation during chemo which gave me awful hemorrhoids (I used to be embarrassed to talk about this, but not now after 2 kids and cancer).....I still take Senna every day (natural vegetable laxative and stool softener).
I'd recommend calling your pediatrician. Most are going to recommend Miralax. It is expensive, but it's a great previous Rx now over the counter product. A pharmacist also suggested a laxative (Pedialax) which did help.
Giving her more fruits and veggis will help as fiber will make the consistency easier to pass and make her go better. You can also try any FiberOne product as they have TONS of fiber, but I'd ask your pediatrician to make sure there aren't limits on how much they should have in one day.
Good luck. We're right here with you.
My ped recommended miralax for my 4 yr old.. but call the nurse and check and check on the amount too.
Lenc
T.,
I'm not sure if this is the norm but in my house we've got to be careful how much apple juice any of my family drinks. Anything more than about 2 glasses (8-10 oz each) and my kids start getting super soft stools. Only on occasion has my husband drunk a pint or more of apple juice, then has to stay near a toilet until things run their course.
I saw you didn't want to resort to medication and many of the moms suggested Miralax, which I see as an over the counter med.
Hope this helps,
Melissa
MIRALAX
1/2 cap in chocolate milk or a drink. Not a laxative... but a stool softener.
If you don't get it under control pretty fast she will start holding it all the time afraid that it will hurt. I know... mine did that.
MIRALAX works wonders and was recommended to me by her pediatrician.
This happened with my son, and it turned out to be a hernia that needed surgical repair. The type of hernia he had is not possible for girls, but I wonder if there are other types. You should take her to the doctor, if you haven't already. If it's just constipation, I'd increase fluids and pear and see if that helps.
My two year old complains of having a hard time pooping, or sometimes that her bottom hurts while pooping. We feed her prunes when this happens to try and keep the movement soft and easier for her.
It helps, and she loves prunes, so it isn't a hard thing to do. It also doesn't have the risk of many side-effects, although i'd start with a small amount and work your way up until you know how they react.
(It may also help to look at her entire diet to see if dietary changes may help.)
All that said, if this seems acute (not a low-level on-going thing) its probably worth double checking with your pediatrician just so you don't miss something.
It seems to be a transitional thing, when their bodies are starting to get ready for potty training and reducing the frequency of their BMs.
For us any kind of dry fruit helps (my daughter loves dried apricots, but berries or prunes help too) and make sure she is taking enough liquid, preferably water or diluted juice - milk can be constipating.
Good luck!
You should try giving her probiotics. I give it to my 24 month old and my 4 year old. My older child had some trouble and it was much improved with the addition of probiotics to her diet. I also make sure she gets plenty of fruit and fiber in her diet.
Not all probiotics are created equal..we went with a recommendation from our pediatrician.
My daughter used to do this. I found it was easier for her to relax enough to poop when she was sitting on the toilet. I am not sure if you are potty training or not, its just a thought.
I agree with Megan. Prunes are great for this. If you boil them up in some water so they get soft you can eat them that way or add them to yogurt, which has a small amount of good probiotic (good intestinal cooties) in it. Applejuice works well too. There is somthing about F's but I can only remember two of them - Fruit and Fiber. Both help with pooing. More water works too - keeping her well hydrated. We also give our baby Probiotics every night (we like the brand Udo's choice) and this really helps not only with good bowel movements but with the immune system - because 75% of the immune system comes from the intestinal tract.
Prunes are a wonderful, natural treatment that works for my daughter when she is constipated.
I know that pain of seeing your child in pain all to well. My daughter had the same problem that started earlier but got worse around 2 and then again around 4. We have had her on juices with a P (Pear, Papaya, Peach, Plum - my daughter will only drink papaya- knudsens 100% papaya necter) since she was 1. We give her a whole glass in the a.m. and add a teaspoon of benefiber to help soften things up. Then we cut her drinks with half water for the rest of the day and that seems to help. If we dont do this regularly-daily- she gets blocked up again. The doctors tell me she willgrowout of this. I cant wait. In the meantime, it takes a lot of work and support and love to keep her on track and pooping regularly.
Just remember, this too shall pass. Talk to your doctor. See if she/he recommends anything different. Also, check back in the history. I have answered this question just last week and a few times in the past. Please feel free to email me if you need more info or more support. Good luck!
