Constipation and holding BMs

RubyRed80

My DD is having this issue right now.  We have tried everything. I even got into it with her daycare provider about her diet because we changed her diet at home. (we are taking her out of that daycare anyway) I took her to the doctor last Friday and she actually had a BM at the office and the doctor suggested some things we could do.  The doctor did suggest Miralax but only 1-2 tsp in her juice or water.  I was reading about this stuff and it doesn't seem safe using it for along time.  Does anybody have any ideas or things you have used besides the prune juice, suppositories, etc.  We changed her whole diet to eating no starches to only fruit, veggies and meat.  Our doctor also recommended us to take her to a pediatric allergist and pediatric gastroenterologist if it comes to that. 

[Deleted User]

My DS gets constipated because he'll hold his BM if he's in a phase where he doesn't want to use the potty. I do use Miralax but usually only for a couple days in a row before it works. I haven't used it for any prolonged period of time. I try to get him loaded up on water (I let him have a cup of water in his bed at night because that's when he'll drink the most). He does get a fiber supplement daily (I use the Mickey Mouse gummy ones). Warm baths also help, particularly if you see her in discomfort. 

Too bad we can't give them coffee, as that usually does the trick for me.

shabiriya

We had this issue with our DD last year. We tried everything...mirlax, prebiotics, fiber, etc. Nothing helped. The problem was that she was holding her BM, which made her stools harder and painful to go (sorry for TMI). This resulted into a vicious cycle and made things worse. Finally, we tried castor oil. We gave her 4-6 drops of castor oil mixed in 1 tsp honey everyday for about 4-5 months. This helped a lot. I was also potty training her during this time. She is doing fine now without castor oil. I think it was just a matter of learning on her part that going to potty does not hurt.
If you decide to use castor oil, please start with a less amount and go up if you need.

kaydee77

I use Miralax daily for DD.  Her pedi said that Miralax is completely safe and that you can't ever give them "too much."  I know lots of other kiddos that are on a regular Miralax regimen as well.  For DD, it's the only thing that works.  Changing her diet didn't do anything.

aglenn

My DD is on daily Miralax as well and we were told by the pedi that it is safe and it just brings more water to the stool.  It is not a true laxative.  So far every time I attempt to slowly wean her off of it she starts having issues again.  The pedi says this should get better as she gets older.

junebug555

Pedi and pharmacist says Miralax is not true laxative and can be used longterm without any problems.  DD has been constipated since we started  PT.  We changed her diet, try to give as much liquids as possible, but she still holds it for 2-4 days.  I was giving 1 tsp miralax every day, but then she had explosive diarrhea.  Now, I only give every other day and her stool is alittle softer, but still holds it.

grlmom16

Miralax here too, it's been a miracle drug at our house. Before we started giving it to her there were a lot of tearful ( her & I ) bathroom episodes.

RubyRed80

Thanks everyone.   I think I will try the Miralax at least for a week and see what our results will be. She's running around and laughing like nothing is wrong with her.

SamuelsMomma2010

My Dr. told me the same thing about Miralax. Its not a laxative and doesn't have harsh stimulants in it. It basically pulls water into the intestines to make stool softer. I have been giving it to my son for a few weeks and it did its job lol. I stopped giving it to him, and we were right back where we started : ( So I put him back on it. His pedi reassured me it is safe to use long term. It's better than having them backed up and in pain. good luck!