5 yo DD has always had hard poos - what can I do for her?

[ThereMustAndShallBeTea]

DD has had really hard poos for as long as I can remember, even when she was getting plenty of breastmilk. She still has lots of fruit and I think her diet is ok but they're hard and knobbly, like rabbit droppings.

She does tend to do a poo most days and it comes out quite fast, but it usually makes her eyes water.

Do I need to take her to the GP or can I just give her something like prune juice every day?

[lindaRa182]

Oh right, I did not know that! Thanks for that Surfsup1.

[Surfsup1]

linda, I think it's more that a sudden increase in fibre can cause the constipation, so people can inadvertently exacerbate the situation by increasing fruit intake to quickly.

[lindaRa182]

I've heard that too much fruit causes constipation...maybe upping her intake of pears and a little cranberry juice daily?

[ThereMustAndShallBeTea]

Thanks all. Felt horribly guilty about not addressing it earlier as I always just assumed it was normal for her. Saw GP yesterday who said pretty much that - if she's eating plenty of fruit and having fluids and no discomfort it probably is just her normal. She did prescribe Movicol just to try to see whether it makes a difference but basically said not to worry.

DS incidentally is the polar opposite, his poos have never firmed up and things pass through him at lightening speed #overshare #poochat

[Surfsup1]

It's important to address the cause of the issue, though, not just give her laxatives to address the symptoms.

[Tipsykisses]

My ds was also on movicol , we used it for about a year & he's been off it for 2 years now .
Go to see gp as if your giving plenty of fibre and you LO is still like this the sooner you get something to help the better .

[Poledra]

GP, and Movicol. DD1 had chronic constipation for a number of years, from babyhood to 5-6 yrs old. She was investigated by a pediatrician at 2yo, and they diagnosed an immature bowel (i.e. she'll grow out of it ). In the meantime, we had a repeat prescription for Movicol, and we titrated her dose, with the paediatrician's blessing.

One of the problems is that their bowel gets 'used' to the wrong feeling. They felt DD1's bowel had been stretched by her ongoing constipation, so it didn't send the 'you need to poo' signals to her brain until it was too late. Using Movicol helped reeducate her bowel so that it recognised the need to poo better.

Good news - she's now 10, and has no problems, and hasn't had since about 6yo.

[divingoffthebalcony]

GP, definitely. And Movicol is more effective than Lactulose in my experience.

Sounds like she's been chronically constipated for years. Having a bowel movement every day does not mean you are not constipated. If the stools are dry and hard then she absolutely is constipated and her gut is working too slowly.

[LegoClone]

I've given my DS lactulose when he's had constipation in the past. The longer it takes for faeces to move through the bowel the more water is removed from it. Lactulose keeps more water in the faeces so it's softer but it doesn't act in a laxative way and "make you go".

There are lots of reasons for constipation and I do think that you should take your DD to the GP.

In my son's case it was down to him not wanting to poo so holding on for as long as possible, leading to an uncomfortable/painful experience and creating a vicious circle. Lactulose helped break the cycle. Hope that things improve for your DD too.

[Surfsup1]

A good probiotic might help. Could she have a dairy intolerance? Dairy makes my niece horribly constipated.
Does she drink plenty of water during the day?