AIBU to ask is he ever going to poop?!

[MaryShelley1818]

6mth old baby...currently weaning and doing really well but in the last week has become really constipated.

He was prescribed Movicol on Friday and has had (half sachet Fri, then 2 x half sachets Sat and Sun) but still only passing a few very small semi-hard stools despite straining a lot.

Should the Movicol not have worked by now? This is PFB and I hate seeing him crying in discomfort/pain. (GP gave him thorough check on Friday and said tummy was soft and wasn’t worried).

We’ve also tried prunes, apple juice and lots of water with his food.

Please can anyone help?
Has anyone used Movicol for their baby before?

I’ve rang the GP but no appointments today.

I think you need to trust your GP as none of us can diagnose your baby. I totally understand your worry but unless he seems in pain or develops other symptoms I would just wait for it to start working. If there is a change or you remain concerned trying calling NHS 24 x

Plums got things moving for my DD. Some people also find oranges/satsumas etc help. Bananas and eggs can cause constipation so avoid those for a bit.

Thank you, sorry I do trust the GP of course. I just didn’t ask how long it would take to work so wanted to know if this was normal or not?
Thank you for the replies, I appreciate it as I’m a worrier.

Only thing that worked for mine in this situation was glycerine suppositories - bought from the chemist. They just soften what’s there waiting to pass, which is often too solid and huge to get out at this point. Movicol didn’t help because the poo was moving through at this point, it just couldn’t get out which led to impaction followed by a backlog of soft poo. If he’s only passing solid little pieces chances are he’s got a similar issue. I would personally get some or go back to see the doctor and ask if you need something like that if you’re not confident using them without medical advice.

FWIW when I started weaning with mine she went from being a once a day/once every 2nd day baby to doing one enormous poo once a week.

Movicol took just over a week to kick in for my DD at 18 months, so I'd say give it more of a chance first if your little one isn't in too much discomfort. There's a group on Facebook called movicol mummies which may be helpful x

Orange juice with brown sugar?

Mine once didn't go for a week (breast fed). When she did in the pub (sitting in high chair) it spurted up her back and out of the neck of her baby grow.

My sons been on movicol since 6m and it does take a while to work. It's not a laxative that causes explosions, it just softens the stools so depending on how bad the blockage is will depend on how long it takes to work. Movicol is quite good as you can use a lot of sachets per day if it's necessary. We were on 5 a day at one point when he was really bad. Once it's cleared then you can use one or 1/2 per day to prevent blockage. Keep going with it and if possible introduce some foods that help too.

We were on holiday once and Dr got terribly constipated. Visited the pharmacy and was given something and told to come back if it didn't work. Returned to pharmacy and given something else with advice to try natural remedies ( as mentioned).
Worked ( spectacularly !) in the hire car !

I done the prunes, along with movical. I also found for us, bicycle legs helped a lot. Led ds2 on a towel with no nappy, a little vasaline around his anus and circled his legs like he was riding a bike. When he started to strain, I would put my hands under his feet and push them up so his knees bent, and it would be like an ice cream machine of poop coming out. So push up, poop came out. Relax. Push up, poop comes out. Relax. We did this until he stopped visably pushing/straining. Messy yes! But so much better than seeing him in pain. I think we done this a few times before his digestive system figured it all out.

My dd got very constipated when we started weaning.

I had to make sure I gave her a ripe nectarine almost every day. She’d demolish them and it made her much more regular.

I also avoided giving too many bananas and rice

Thank you so much for the responses!
It’s made me feel really reassured.
We’ll keep up the natural remedies alongside the Movicol for now and hope he clears out in the next couple of days.
We’re off to CenterParcs on Friday so hopefully he does it before then as will be nervous in the pool!

Hi how's it going ?