DESPERATE. PLEASE HELP- DD suffering with constipation, MISERABLE

[TheNewShmoo]

I've posted here in addition as not sure where to go. Poor DD has been suffering with constipation for 3 months since she was only 13 weeks old and has been dropping centiles in weight. We have tried lactulose but now administering it has become so distressful for her that she has gone from a very chatty baby to quiet and miserable, always having her lips tightly locked shut for fear of us force feeding her the lactulose. We've started weaning but are avoiding all binding foods. DD is exclusively breast fed. We can't get her to drink water as she won't take the bottle or beaker, and is generally scared of us trying to put anything into her mouth. I've cut out wheat, dairy, gluten in my diet, massage and cycling her legs. She's now 6 months old... can anyone please offer any advice? All our GP is offering is lactulose and movicol.

My DS has stopped pooing so much since we started weaning, but we have a big fishtank which he loves looking at so sometimes put him in the high chair in front of, and he always poos in it, so maybe try getting her to sit upright?

The old fashioned remedies are a teaspoon of brown sugar mixed with water or some orange juice, but if you're weaning perhaps some prunes or dried apricots, well soaked and puréed? The water is important, maybe try giving her the cup to play with (empty) so she can get used to it?

Are sure she is definitely constipated, sorry I know you know your child best. Just wanted to say, my three dc's were all ebf and all could go as much as two weeks without going! This is completely normal for a breastfed baby. Certainly can go a week in between. I think this kind of pattern started when they were around 2 months old. The way it was explained to me was that breastmilk really doesn't contain much waste product, therefore baby keeps all the goodness for themselves.

Yes I had thought that initially, but she had an anal fissure as the poos were becoming difficult to pass and she cries tears in pain when she does go- so definitely constipation- and sometimes the poos are dry and pasty.

We more or less add prunes to all her meals! Which luckily she likes, but she stops eating solids when she hasn't gone.

Will leave her to play with her doidy cup and FF beaker- good idea.

spannerpants DD started sitting up from 18 weeks, we found that she is more likely to go in her bumbo seat/baby snug (like a potty) as her pelvic floor is released, but she's cottoned on to this and now sits to one side - same principle as crossing her legs- so as not to release the poo so she definitely withholds it. So now we hold her up in a sitting position with her legs elevated when she's straining to make it easier.