Baby (10 months) has trouble with bowel movements.

[Solopower]

When she needs to open her bowel, she screws up her face, goes deep red and cries in pain. She won't be picked up or soothed, and it lasts for about 30 seconds. Then she's fine again.

She can do this four or five times during the day, but with no result, or only a small amount of quite hard stools.

She is still breast fed, mornings and evenings, and her parents say she eats well - lots of fruit and veg finger food. They try to give her plenty of water to drink, but she has just started nursery and after a week of more normal poos, the problem has surfaced again.

I have given all the advice I can think of (veg purees instead of finger food, as they contain more greens; avoiding eggs etc), and her mother is in contact with a group of other mums, who have suggested things like massage. I wonder if they should take her to the doctor, but they are trying to manage it themselves for the time being.

What is really worrying me is whether she has some kind of blockage. Do you think this is likely? I would be very grateful for any advice that I could pass on to them. If anyone answers this, I was thinking of printing it off and showing it to her parents.

If it was a blockage then would the poo making it out still be hard?
I would say she needs more water/watery foods in her diet possibly.
HTH

Thanks, Viagra. I think so too.

Good luck!

Maybe try introducing formula as this is also known to loosen things up!

normal poos or just constipated?

(formula does not loosen stools, common cause of constipation in young children. )

if normal stools, but in pain in passing , ? did this start when cows milk introduced?

if constipated , and giving more water /fruit and veg, you could try more exercise, /swimming, or a warm bath and rub tummy in a clockwise motion around tummy button. does baby roll around the floor , pull herself up or is she a placid baby that doenst move around much?

Eragon, her poos are sometimes quite hard, I think, and she normally goes once a day - which is why I think, as Viagra says, she should have more water.

Karlahine, I had heard that formula was more likely to cause constipation - but in any case, her mother wants to carry on breastfeeding.

The only cow's milk she has is plain yoghurt. Is this pain a sign of lactose intolerance, do you think (I never thought of that)?

She's very active, all day! She's the fastest crawler in the East - edges round furniture, climbs onto things, etc.

I'm going to look up the symptoms of lactose intolerance, because I can't remember when she started having yogurts (petit suisses).

Thank you.

It doesn't seem to be lactose intolerance, but it is a bit like IBS.

I think she should see a doctor ...

Try pear juice and pureed pear also syrup of figs thats what i used to give to my ds's they all suffered from constipation syrup of figs is brilliant these might help relieve her but see your gp tp rule anything dietry out

Thanks, Ruth.

agree with GP idea.
constipation not normally a symptom of milk intolerence. but if infant was to hold on to stool to prevent pain passing, then it can iyswim.

commonly the milk protein irritates the linning of the anus, causing very intense level of pain until stool passes. completely normal poo is passed, ie not from upper food intolerence, which is when gut and stomach valve is infammed.

if breastfeeding you could remove milk from her diet and from food to see if things settle down.

Good idea, Eragon. She only has yogurt, but I thought I would suggest removing milk. The other thing is that as she has just started nursery, maybe the nursery are giving her milk or cheese, etc.

I'm not sure she's actually constipated, btw. Her mother says her stools are quite hard sometimes but, presumably, normal at others.