Toddler poop problems

CiescaLove

I know y'all have had issues with AEs so I'm hesitant to come over and just randomly start chatting everyone up, but I would like input. I asked on toddlers 12 24 but so far have gotten nothing.

We have been having issues off and on since December with my 15 month old being able to poo. It has been so bad at times that my husband has had to help her get it out, even after giving an enema. We even ended up in the ER one day because of her screaming in so much pain, and they didn't do a darn thing we hadn't already done at home. We have gone to her pedi more than once about it and are basically told to just give her miralax. I'm not really ok with that plan because I don't want her to have to rely on miralax to poo. I'd rather know what the underlying issue is.

I'm calling tomorrow to make an appt with a different doc to see if they are willing to explore the issue because my pediatrician seems to think its perfectly ok for my toddlers anus to prolapse because "you can just push it back in". He also never takes illness seriously, always opting for telling us shes at the end of something. We are taking her to our new family doc because unfortunately most of the pediatricians in this town are all kind of worthless.

I guess my question is does anyone else have a kiddo who is having or was having issues not being able to pass stool? Is there perhaps a food concern I need to ask about or do I insist on going to a pediatric GI?

CiescaLove

Igoo0304:

I think you should try to figure out the cause, but in the meantime, miralax is safe to give frequently. It's not a stimulant, so she won't become dependent on it for bowel movements. Miralax works by pulling water into the colon to help soften the poop so she can push it out easier.nbsp;What's her diet like? nbsp;

She eats what we eat. Fruits, veggies, fiber, protein. We make sure she stays really hydrated too in an effort to help prevent the poo issues.

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CiescaLove

Brandi Bee:

What about what kind of fluids? nbsp;How much milk does she drink? nbsp;My Isla is constipated a lot this month too and I am wondering if it's dairy since I can't handle dairy. nbsp;I also have IBS and I'm wondering if she inherited that lovely problem from me.Miralax is fine to give, she won't be dependent on it. nbsp;Have you tried those single wrapped prunes? nbsp;I didn't think Isla would eat one, but they are individually wrapped like candy so she took it.nbsp;

I've kind of backed off on milk to see if that could be the issue because I was intolerant as a kid. She drinks water and juice. The juice was actually recommended to help her poo. But mostly water.

CiescaLove

ameyer8009:

Have you looked at food sensitivities/allergies? Sometimes these manifest in digestive issues. And I agree with pp to use mirilax in the meantime. Sorry that her doc is so dismissive.

That's the avenue I plan to pursue with her doctor. I know sometimes kids get constipated but it shouldn't be a reoccurring thing like it is with her. It is almost alarming if she doesn't poop every day because I worry she's getting constipated again.

ToastieSimons

I would start with the Miralax.  It's possible that the difficulty passing it has caused a small tear or hemmorhoid and is making it very painful to poop.  Which then causes her to try not to poop.  

DS1 was on Miralax for a few months until we found out he cannot handle corn syrup which was in all the formula we were giving him.  After figuring it all out he is Miralax free and an amazing pooper.

DS2 gets Miralax every few days as needed.  He just can't poop well and I dont' know why.  He drinks toddler formula because he can't keep milk down.

Just an FYI be prepared for most docs to not really worry about it.  We've seen 4 pedi GI dr's and multiple pedi's and we were in the children's hospital.  Noone really seemed too concerned about it.

If you are really that concerned about Miralax you could discuss using Milk of Magnesia or Lactulose.  But Miralax is a very safe alternative.  It is not a laxative and will not cause cramping or dependence.  What we do is offer 1/2 capful every day until he poops.  At this point I start backing off of it and usually we can get to 1/2 capful every few days or just a sprinkle in his drink every morning.  You can add it to food like applesauce or water, it has no taste or grittyness.

 

CiescaLove

ToastieSimons:

I would start with the Miralax. nbsp;It's possible that the difficulty passing it has caused a small tear or hemmorhoid and is making it very painful to poop. nbsp;Which then causes her to try not to poop. nbsp;DS1 was on Miralax for a few months until we found out he cannot handle corn syrup which was in all the formula we were giving him. nbsp;After figuring it all out he is Miralax free and an amazing pooper.DS2 gets Miralax every few days as needed. nbsp;He just can't poop well and I dont' know why. nbsp;He drinks toddler formula because he can't keep milk down.Just an FYI be prepared for most docs to not really worry about it. nbsp;We've seen 4 pedi GI dr's and multiple pedi's and we were in the children's hospital. nbsp;Noone really seemed too concerned about it.If you are really that concerned about Miralax you could discuss using Milk of Magnesia or Lactulose. nbsp;But Miralax is a very safe alternative. nbsp;It is not a laxative and will not cause cramping or dependence. nbsp;What we do is offer 1/2 capful every day until he poops. nbsp;At this point I start backing off of it and usually we can get to 1/2 capful every few days or just a sprinkle in his drink every morning. nbsp;You can add it to food like applesauce or water, it has no taste or grittyness.nbsp;

After she can pass the log that builds up she doesn't seem to have any issues pooing. I guess we will give the miralax another shot. I still plan to push the food allergy thing to see if anything comes from it because her tummy issues tend to keep us all up at night from her having gas issues.

Fortunately DD1 never had these issues and hopefully DD2 doesn't have them forever.

Thanks for the input!

Princess_Lily

It could be a couple of issues.

Constipation:  Constipation causes backup and/or extremley large painful stools to pass, so the child is reluctant to let them go from the pain.  Now, the longer it is held in, the worse poo will get - this is where Miralax will help.  Not only will it help with the constipation, but it will stop this cycle on going cycle.  It will soften it so much that the child doesn't have any choice but to pass the stool - this will prevent larger/painful stools from happening in the future.  Also its important for your child to drink water and high fiber foods during this time.  Children are often on this for 6mo to years.

Sensory Issues/Control :  Sometimes children don't like the sensation of something like this happening, and it can be scary to the young mind - remember something inside of of them is leaving your body.  This is why some children may be on it for years, b/c they don't understand (even as they age) poop is a normal part of life. 

 

 

CiescaLove

Thanks ladies. I really don't think she is trying to hold it because she has no issues getting into her little poop position and trying to push. I get that when its a solod mass she might have issue relaxing enough, but it just seems crazy that if she goes one day without pooping sometimes we are in this boat when she poops normally, and frequently for days leading up to being constipated. And on normal days she poops at least once.

I think I'm going to start a food diary today and see if anything clicks that may be an issue for her. The more I think about it the more I think it may be a dairy thing because we went a week or 2 hardly giving her any milk and last weekend she had 2 or 3 milk sippys over the weekend at her grandmas. 2 or 3 might not sound like much but she hasn't gotten that much in 2 days in a couple of weeks. I'm not sure what my reaction to dairy was when I was intolerant as a baby but I'm thinking she may be lactose intolerant like me. Though I grew out of it.

Thanks for the advice ladies!

stilts1

MollusksWrangler:

My daughter has poop issues. It's a vicious cycle because it was painful so she holds it 'til she can't anymore and then it hurts so she holds it etc. since using mirilax it hasn't been issue. The under lying issue was her holding it.

This is pretty much our experience too.  It's called "stool holding" and it's a control issue.  Our pedi recommended miralax to keep the poo soft until she got over her issue.  With that said, it's till a daily struggle for us.