Constipation Problem

[Otoolie]

I have a 15 month old who is suffering terribly with constipation. He poohs about once a week if I am lucky and it is an ordeal to put it mildly.

I took him to the doctor and they gave me movicol which I gave him for a month. It helped somewhat. He has finished the course now and is back to his old ways.

I have a appointment to see the doctor next week but wondered if you had any words of wisdom or could offer any ideas as to how to deal with this. It is breaking my heart to see him strain and cry every time he has a pooh. Plus he is becoming paranoid about the whole process.

And he is a dreadful eater which doesnt help. His favourite foods being yogurt, bananas, and toothpaste!

i have found with my ds that if he has weetabix for breakfast (hot milk on and eats them mushy)it helps a little. i know its only a little thing but i notice this difference when he has gone a few days without.

Will he eat dried fruit (raisins, sultanas etc) as these can be useful in getting things moving? Make sure he drinks a lot - I dilute fruit juice with water (50/50) to get more fluid into DD1 (who has an ongoing problem with constipation - she has been on and off Movicol for years).

It does get better.

Thanks countydurhamlass but he already has weetabix every morning! with full milk. I am thinking of trying shredded wheat now!

I have tried all the usual natural aids to constipation like prunes/prune juice, spinach, sweetcorn, etc but it is such a hit and miss affair with him as one day he will eat it, and the next day it hits the wall!

Thanks Poledra. Yes he likes raisins but again one day on, the next day off. So I do try and keep them handy and stuff them into him whenever I can!

I also give him apple juice and he will go through 4/5 single serving cartons a day - he used to like water but now only likes the juice so I am trying to ween him back to water again as I am concerned about the sugar levels now!

God it never ends! I will be bald by the time he's two!!

Hi, I have chronic constipation due to a neuromuscular problem and I know for me that bananas make my constipation worse...it's hard as bananas are good for other things but for the moment it might be good to cut back until you get things sorted! :)

Yes, eggs and bananas are 'binding', so try to avoid if possible.

Definitely work on incraesing the drinks, water f possible.

Weetabix can be a bit binding too if they are not accompanied with water to keep them lose, iyswim.

Will he sit regulalry on the loo. Once ds would do this, it was a huge step forward. He got rewards for sitting on the loo (usually with a book or Nintendo) about 20 mins after eating. It gives the chance for the bowel to get into a routine.

I would get the gp to check whether he is impacted or not, as this will need clearing. Does he soil at all?

My DD has suffered from long term constipation since she was about your DS's age - she's now 5. We didn't realise how bad she was until her bowel began to prolapse - she was pushing so hard and was so full of hard poo that her bowel stretched and poked out - really not nice for her or us. Hospital consultant put her on movicol and she has been on it ever since and it has been a godsend.

So, I would say that if the movicol works find a dose that suits your DS and stick to it for a while, at least long enough to know if there is anything that makes his constipation worse. Whatever you do, don't leave it as it can so easily turn into a long term problem.

Constipation is horrid and once a child has developed it, their bowel can stretch, meaning that its very hard for them to get back to normal, which is what happened to DD. The movicol just softens it and makes it easier to poo. DD now poos every day, sometimes twice. What she eats still makes a big difference and its milk that has the biggest effect for her. I also find that high fibre things can clog her up (different to adults!), its the amount of fruit and vegs she eats that works best. However, for us the movicol is still needed and it means that I don't have to watch what she eats like a hawk which is a big relief.

Interesting post Chixinthestix. This is exactly what I am dreading - a prolapsed bowel. He turns purple/red and scares the hell out of me when he strains.

I guess I just need to keep him on the movicol permanently at least until his eating habits improve and we can get more fruit and veg into him to work naturally.

Thanks ladies for all your posts. It is a great help

Your child should be on Movicol or similar for longer, a month does not help. DD age 4 has been on medication since last November and will be on it for a while yet. He needs help to retrain his bowel movements which is a long term thing.

One other question ladies.

Those of you using Movicol, do you put it in water? I have been putting it in his morning bottle as it was difficult to get it into him in plain water. Not sure if that is the best thing!