Constipated to the Point of Bleeding with Bms.

Updated on April 21, 2010
B.C. asks from Arlington, TX
23 answers

My 2 1/2 year old is having some major constipation issues and it is so sad! She'll just be sitting there, and then start screaming that she's pooping. It's very traumatic for her. Her BMs are HUGE! I can't believe that something that size could come out of a 32 lb. little girl!
She eats a fairly balanced diet but is very picky. Alot of her diet includes milk, cheese and bananas, which I am trying to regulate, and she will only drink diluted cherry juice. I tried giving her the Little Tummy's natural lataxative drops, but they gave her diarrea.
I do give her cereal and raisins. Any help? I feel so bad for her! A note: She does poop nearly every day. It's ALWAYS big and painful though.

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So What Happened?

Thank you so much ladies! I will try these things and see if they help. I've never seen pear juice. I'll have to check it out.

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B.E.

answers from Tulsa on

My grandson who is 8; has a similar problem. Dr told my daughter give him one Colace 2 times a day. I don't know if they have liquid or not. Too much sugar and not enough fiber in diet. Colace is a stool softener, it will help make things go smoother. Please ask medical Dr about this first, it should not harm her but ask Dr what he suggest.

Updated

My grandson who is 8; has a similar problem. Dr told my daughter give him one Colace 2 times a day. I don't know if they have liquid or not. Too much sugar and not enough fiber in diet. Colace is a stool softener, it will help make things go smoother. Please ask medical Dr about this first, it should not harm her but ask Dr what he suggest.

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C.B.

answers from Detroit on

My son is having some similar problems and I was just told to try adding a little bit of flax seed to his food like 1/2-1 tsp per day.

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J.D.

answers from Dallas on

Do you know why she is holding it so long? Are you potty training? Is she scared to poop?

Pedialax Fiber Gummies... You can find them at Target. Cut back on the milk, cheese, and bananas. All of these constipate. Maybe she would like Activa or YoPlus yogurt. If she likes grilled cheese, make it with whole grain bread. Mrs. Bairds makes a whole grain white that has good fiber. If she likes cherry juice, add a little prune juice to it or pear juice. Both help with softening stools. Always make sure she is drinking enough clear fluids. If all she is getting is fiber and not enough fluid, it will back her up more.

If none of these things work, then you need to call your pediatrician or go to the pharmacist for stool softener suppositories.

After you get it to soften and start to move, you may want to give her a lovey to hug when she needs to poop. Something to help her not be so stressed about it. That is how my daughter got over that hump.

Best of luck!

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S.T.

answers from Kansas City on

try meralax (sp) my 2 1/2 year old niece has to use this for her constipation and apple juice

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L.T.

answers from Lubbock on

My daughter had the same problem. She loved milk. I made her a special high fiber snack mix....any high fiber cereal your little one likes (shredded mini wheats, bran chex, etc), add raisens, marshmellows, and a few choc chips or m&m's. Put it in a baggie that she can munch on all day. Dried apricots, fig newtons, apricot nector (sold in a soda can), apple juice. Apricot baby food is good too, freeze to make a popsicle treat. If she likes banana's try making banana nut muffins and add fiber to the mix.

Also when she gets unblocked she can have diarhea. That can be the indicator that she is getting unclogged.

Hope you find the answer you are looking for.

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A.P.

answers from Dallas on

MiraLax!! My daughter had/has the same problem. We tried all of the normal remedies (apple juice, prune juice, high-fiber foods, etc.), but nothing seemed to work for her. When she was three years old we took her to a pediatric gastroenterologist to see if there was something that could be done about her horrible constipation. She was potty training at the time and was afraid to poop on the potty. She would hold it in for days which resulted in extreme constipation. The Specialist recommended daily doses of MiraLax (one capfull in the morning and one capfull in the evening).

She is almost five years old now (and fully potty trained), but we still have her on a daily regimine of MiraLax (same dosage) to keep her stools soft. She is on a schedule of pooping every day, but if she misses a dose, she tends to get off her "poop schedule" and gets constipated again, so it is very important that she has it daily. If she spends the night with her grandparents or aunt, I pack a small container of MiraLax for them to use at their home.

She still has bouts with constipation about once per month (which get so bad I have to pick her up from daycare because she will just sit in the bathroom and cry all day). We took her to the Specialist again this past week in preparation for kindergarten and to make sure we should still continue with our routine. The Dr. said to keep giving her MiraLax since it appears she still needs it. We don't know if this is something she will outgrow or if this will be something she has to deal with the rest of her life. She is still too young to know anything definite.

MiraLax has been a lifesaver for us and I know it will work for you. It is a white powder that can be mixed into any drink. It dissolves completely and has no taste. It is safe for all ages, it is not addictive and you cannot overdose on it (per the Specialist.) It is not a stimulant, so it will not cause tummy aches or cramping. It just causes the body to hold more water in the stool making it softer and easier to poop. Once you start giving it to her, it will take two to three days for results. Just be consistent with the doses and she will feel much better.

If you want to talk or have any question, please feel free to e-mail me. I know how frustrating this can be.

A.

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L.A.

answers from Chicago on

One word Miralax. This is not like a typical laxative. This will just create more water for the stool to pass easier. I have an 8yr old that has these issue. You mix this with any liquid. It works for us.

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D.A.

answers from Dallas on

When our babies were small we had to give them a tiny bit of DARK Karro syrup and as they went through the toddler years we'd give them a spoonful when they were going through what your little one is going through. While ours would take it by the spoonful, you could mix it with anything - ice cream in a blender, anything liquid or that it would mix well with.

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S.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

I have had this problem with my daughter since she was 2 and I found that not enough water to drink and not enough fruits and veggies cause this problem. Also any white sugar seems to make it far worse. The older they get the more varied their diet gets so it does get easier. But I feel your pain. I am very familiar with 20 minute bathroom stops at the mall which are utter torture.

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M.S.

answers from Des Moines on

My 2 1/2 year old has had the same problem - I am using Miralax and it works!! Give about half a dose once a day and see if that helps soften the stool, if not you can give two half doses in a day. Good luck! I'm sure people have said cut back on milk and cheese also.

C.M.

answers from Myrtle Beach on

My daughter had the SAME problem... her pediatrician put her on lacatloose, which she... As she got older I got her Fleet pedia-lax, which is also a stool softener. They both worked excellent!! I hope your little one feels better :-)

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V.T.

answers from Dallas on

Also Prune Juice. Worked wonders on my 1 year old daughter and my 6 year old niece.

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Pear or white grape juice is really good! And as always, prunes and prune juice or mix several together. More water, more fiber, less cheese & bananas!

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K.H.

answers from Washington DC on

You have many responses already but wanted to say to use Miralax , it's a softner not a laxative and you can add it to any drink and it is colorless and odorless. I have to use this with my son as he also suffers with constipation

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K.M.

answers from Boston on

I concur that cow's milk is very constipating and so is cheese, but yoghurt is fine. Also, lots of people suggested prune juice, but prunes themselves are really quite delicious and if she eats raisins she may like them cut up in raisin sizes.

Water, water, water....maybe if you get her a new sippy cup or two (or a camelback or something really novel) she may enjoy drinking out of it just for fun?

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M.U.

answers from Atlanta on

Prune Juice is an old safe and reliable cure for this, its not the nicest tasting item in the basket but perhaps you can mix it with something else to disguise it and try it a few times. If she takes it use it regularly to maintain a looser BM. The reason its so good is because its 100% natural so no additives etc. The problem with what your child has is that although its totally harmless normally it does make children anxious about passing a BM and eventually they might try to hold on rather than going through the discomfort. I dont think most cereals have enough fiber to solve this, bananas are not really helpful either, have you tried bits of apple and orange cut up in a bowl to nibble a couple of times every day, add the raisins here too because they are defo very good for this

N.G.

answers from Dallas on

Cheyenne used to have this problem, apple juice is the only thing that solved it.

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K.F.

answers from Dallas on

I feel your pain...my son went through this for a looong time. Finally we found what worked for him Miralax every other day and boost the daily fiber intake. Good luck!

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M.B.

answers from Dallas on

You might consider her diet - dairy and bananas can both be very constipating. Here's some articles on dairy on constipation:
http://www.drgreene.com/qa/milk-and-constipation
You might also want to consider getting her tested for dairy allergies and a reaction to gluten. You can do this on your own here:
www.enterolab.com

My younger son had that same problem and he didn't realize until after he'd been on the GF/CF diet for two months that it wasn't normal for it to hurt every time he pooped. He was 8 at the time and he said he had gone potty and had pooped and he didn't even know it until he saw it!

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T.R.

answers from Detroit on

poor baby!!!!!!
bananas are VERY binding!!! I would eliminate them from her diet for now!

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B.C.

answers from Wichita Falls on

I would agree that cheese and bananas can be consitpating. We had similar issues during potty training - he would wait too long for various reasons (control, too busy, stubborn, who knows!) and then be very constipated to the point of pain and bleeding. Scared us silly! Pediatrician suggested Miralax, but then I found their Pedialax chewables. He takes one chewable each morning with his other vitamin, and that has helped a lot. (He loves the watermelon flavor. He always wants to make sure that I give him his "poo" vitamin every day. My hubby said "gee, thanks for helping him come up with that name." :) 2-3 per day is the dosage if you're looking for a laxative effect; one per day seems to just soften and make things easier. She might have some diarhea while her system adjusts, but give it time, and I think you'll see good results.

We also cut down on juice and increased water intake. We added more yogurt and more fiber-rich fruits (apples, berries), cut down on bananas, etc.

And fyi, accorinding to our ped, this is a very common thing. For some reason, it always makes me feel better to know that my son is not the only one, whatever the issue is...

L.B.

answers from New York on

She might have a hemmrhoid (sp) from all that pushing and hard stool. diaper rash cream or vaseline might help ease the discomfort around her rectum. I would call the pedi and ask what kind of laxative he wants her to take. There are different types of laxatives, some add bulk, some soften etc...He may want her to have an enema. The foods that she is eating are very constipating. My son had the same problems, It is awful.

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M.B.

answers from Medford on

Orange juice is helpful. Homemade whole wheat bread is helpful. Activity is helpful. Liquids are helpful.

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