Is this constipation?

[NotBehindTheRadiatorPlease]

Hi all. This will be a bit TMI (obvs )

DD is 2 and we've been having issues with her poo for a couple of weeks now! Initially it was her not going for a few days, and when she did she would scream in pain and then pass a HUGE hard poo.

We started upping her fibre, giving lots of fruit and orange juice, reducing dairy, giving her prunes and Lactulose ect and, whilst she is no longer in pain or passing huge hard stools, now instead she is soiling or having loads of little poos throughout the day. They are soft, but instead of having one normal poo she's having loads of tiny ones. Because of this, she's needing to be changed very often which has also lead to quite bad nappy rash and hysterics during nappy changes (although Metanium does clear it up). I would say she hasn't had a 'normal' poo for close to a week. She strains quite a lot but produces only the tiniest bit of poo. She doesn't seem to be uncomfortable or in pain though.

Could she still be constipated? Is it worth making a trip to the GP? I'm worried she has a big blockage somewhere that needs clearing. Any experiences or advice would be appreciated.

Thank you

Try sitting her on a potty at poo time , and distract her with a book or phone.

Like rabbit poo’s? This is the only way I can describe it 😂 but if so then yes that’s constipation.
I would be getting in touch with gp if she’s had issues for afew weeks.

Lay off the fibre until she's cleared the back log (pardon the pun)

Yes that's still constipation.

When I'm constipated I still pass small stools every day but it's always small and hard.

@LindaEllen they're not hard, they're actually quite soft! Just lots of them!

I had the same with my dd, can only describe it as constant smudges, this went on for about a year. We found movicol didn't help and eventually was prescribed senakot which worked like a dream.

@GordonsAlive85 Yes that's exactly what I'd describe it as! Loads of skid marks/smudges with the occasional bigger bit, but not a normal sized poo.

However, not sure what age senokot is prescribed from. I would also try switching to gluten free to see if that makes a difference

I feel your pain OP it is draining, it got to the point we had to put panty liners in her knickers as it was constant, the only respite was when she was asleep. Hope you manage to find what works for your dd

It sounds like she does have a blockage. Less than 4 poos a week and more than 3 poos a day are signs of constipation. Also staining is a sign of constipation. Sounds like she has blockage and she cannot fully empty her bowels. All poo build up before the blockage and only small amount can pass which is causing small poo and leakage. Have a look at ERIC website for more information.

www.eric.org.uk/signs-of-constipation

I would see the GP and get medication prescribed. It is unlikely that you can get rid of the blockage without medication. Also if the bowel stretches too much it takes a very long time for it to get back to normal. Earlier intervention the better. Best of luck.

Yes, we had this exact problem! I took mine to the GP, and they said she might be holding it in because it had previously been so painful. So it was just coming out tiny bits at a time. She was given a course of movicol which gave her a good clear out.

Thank you all. It is so draining as we're constantly checking to see if she's got yet more poo in her nappy and most of the time she has. And obviously with the nappy rash she's now screaming blue murder at every nappy change. Feel so bad for her

I'll be ringing the GP tomorrow!