Could It Be Milk Intolerance?

Hi C.. I am sure you will get plenty of great advice. We had the same problem with one of my girls. She absolutely loved milk. But then she started getting constipated, which did not help with potty training. She would hide in a corner or somewhere to try to go. We tried so many things. Eventually, we cut down the milk to 2 cups a day and gave her Juicy Juice and it pretty much solved the problem. Then whenever she got a little constipated, we went back to Juicy Juice for a day or 2.

I don't know for sure, but my son goes to a urologist and has issues with constipation and one thing they asked me was if he drinks alot of milk...they said that it can be constipating. I don't know how much she is drinking but I would start with decreasing some of the milk and giving more water.

Some extra fruit and veggies in her diet (fiber) and whole grains might help too. When my son has a very hard BM that he is having a lot of trouble with, I give him a glycerin suppository. I know it sounds gross, but it's very simple and just helps to lubricate so it can come out. My son is on a small dose of Miralax but I wouldn't try something like that without trying decreasing the milk and changing her diet first...and make sure to talk to a dr. if you want to try that.

Possibly a milk intolerance, if you are concerned, switch to rice milk for a couple of weeks and get rid of all dairy products. I would definitely cut back on cheese, cottage cheese, etc. 16oz per day should be plenty, the blood in the stool is probably a sign of internal hemorrhoids, which can be eased with increasing her fiber in her diet, such as eating real fruits instead of fruit juice, the fiber in the fruits has to work hard to digest through the system and acts like a broom to clean out the system. Increase water as this will surely help move things along. Eating beans and lentils will also help as well as hummus. Try a lentil veggie low sodium soup, lentils have a diuretic effect for the digestive track, but much nutritional value. Less juice, a little less milk, more fiber and more water.

J. W. MPH
Wellness Educator/Lifestyle and Wellness Consultant

limit her milk intake to only 16 oz a day. You can water it half water and half milk so she still gets what she wants drink wise, but this will cut down on the constipation issue. I do not think that is a milk intolerance, I think it is a milk overload that is causing the issues.