Senakot for 8 week old?

[Tinybop]

My son who is 8 weeks has a herniated belly button (quite large...about 4 cm in diameter and it has grown by 1 cm in last 2 weeks). He also stopped pooing recently. He went over 48 hours without passing stool so my GP gave us senakot. He has now passed a very large stool... normal consistency etc, but a lot. My GP was concerned that the herniation, which she described as a 'defect in the abdominal wall' might be causing him to struggle to poo. He was straining a lot and it seemed to be causing his herniated belly button to get larger. He also appeared to be in pain/uncomfortable when the herniated belly button was pushed in and when he was straining to poo (crying and screaming loudly), but the herniation still goes in nicely (no worries about strangulation etc).

1. Does anyone have any experience of this? 2. Also, does anyone have any experience of giving a child this young a laxative? - I feel uncomfortable giving him the laxative, but also do not want his poo to get impacted... 3. Does anyone have any experience of weaning a baby off a laxative/will using the laxative affect his ability to poo later?

Many thanks!

Increasing intra-abdominal pressure will cause the hernia to enlarge and of course the risk of strangulation/incarceration of the bowel increases. If the hernia is soft and reduces (pushes in) easily then it's not incarcerated and shouldn't be what's causing him pain. Sounds like he might have been constipated, had a hard stool which tore the anal mucosa causing an anal fissure, which often causes kids not to want to poo as it's too painful, which results in harder poo and tearing the anal mucous membrane again; repeating the cycle. Senekot is unfortunately one of those laxatives which causes the bowel to become lazy. If used for many weeks but not every night for 1-2 weeks for example. So in other words not for chronic use. You can give him a stool softener like lactulose which stops the stool from tearing the anus. Linseed (=flaxseed) oil or seeds sprinkled on porridge/yoghurt will keep him regular. Along with the usual increase in fibre - fresh/raw fruit/veg whole wheat breads etc definitely increasing water intake. What helps with my DS is a spoonful of olive or coconut oil with each meal. And if he does require a laxative I use a glycerine suppository - much easy to insert that number might imagine and no side effects also part of treatment for anal fissure. And IMMEDIATE relief from the bloated tummy poor thing.

Hahah strike the 'increase fibre - fruit/veg whole wheat bread and water ' bits. Applies obviously to older child. There are infant suppositories but U need a prescription from your GP for this. I personally would not use Senekot for such a young baby. Milk of magnesia helps with infants too but you can't use for longer than 1-2 weeks. R u breast feeding?

And it's unlikely such a young baby has a fissure - it's prob just his poor immature gut that causes his discomfit.

I'm annoyed now that this response seems disjointed - I read 8 years instead of weeks. But most applies still.

Hi Mumyum-

Thanks for the response!

Yes, he is only breastfed and I understand that some breastfed babies can go quite a while without pooing. It's just very difficult to know what is normal and what is not. I have not given him the laxative today and no poo yet. He was much more cheery yesterday after pooing and is very cheery today. I'm going to wait on giving the laxative again as I don't want the gut to get lazy. Just not sure how often I should use it and the GP didn't seem to know either, although she has put on the prescription to use 2.1-5 ml once or twice a day which seems like an awful lot to me! I might use it as/when needed...

For an 8 week old breastfed baby to not poo for a couple of days is completely normal. Does your GP have much experience with Bfed babies? I understand the concern about the hernia, but I think I would want a second opinion before medicating perfectly normal newborn behaviour. Can you ask to see a paediatrician?

You could try posting on the breast and bottle feeding section. Someone with bfing expertise might have come across this before.

Yes some BF babies can go up to a few weeks without going but your LO has the complication of the hernia. TBH if your GP is unsure it's best to see someone with experience - noblegiraffe is right. I think its not very responsible of your GP. If I were you I would say that you think once the hernia hardens and seemed painful then the hardness resolved spontaneously - say u are extremely worried that it may have been temporary bowel imcarceration and you want to see a paediatric surgeon for an accurate assessment and expert opinion. This is your right. Go sooner Rather than later as u might only get appt in a few months time and ask the Paeds surgeon for a follow up visit if they send u home with reassurance.

By the way there is an infant probiotic called reuteri lactobacillus - google it. It is used very commonly in South Africa for infant constipation and cramps and it's not really medication like Senekot is, it's good bacteria that has been isolated from breast milk and they actually did a study on months old babies with good results re cramping and colic etc

Thanks all for your responses...
I don't think the bowel is incarcerated. We have an appointment with a Paediatric Surgeon, but it is not until August. I am keeping an eye on the hernia and pushing it back in frequently to make sure that it isn't incarcerated. DS has been very happy and cheery recently, so not too worried at the moment. He also pooed on his own without senokot, so I'm coming to the conclusion that his not pooing is probably just normal for a BF baby. I have thought about the pro-biotic as I usually take one and it does wonders! I think I will try not to worry too much unless the hernia changes/gets bigger/hardens. I think (fingers crossed) it might be resolving on its own as the abdominal wall behind the hernia seems to be extending. Many thanks for your responses!

My DD had an umbilical hernia which popped out when crying and straining.
It eventually went away (cant remember when may have been 9m to a yr or so.
Not sure if it affected pooping, she did go up to 5 times a day every day and still does a lot at 2.
If youre bf make sure you drink enough water