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Getting very concerned
My DS is 2yrs old. Ever since he was born early he has needed to take medicine to help him stool. I am concerned because they he has super runny stools and the minute we lower dose at all he gets very hard stool. Any advice or thoughts. I am not sure what to do we have been dealing with a GI Specialist. Just concerned 2yrs of not being able to stool like he should seems very strange to me. Any advice or experience with this. Thanks so much!
Jenn
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Re: Getting very concerned
My MARRIED Bio
I don't have much advice either but I have the same situation with my DD. She's ALWAYS had trouble with her bowels. In the early days, in the NICU they gave her glycerin suppositories quite often because she would go a few days without a BM. We then found out that it is just her norm to have infrequent BMs. (she was on breastmilk fortified with neosure and the pedi said it was absorbed into her system well and there's less "waste") Well, fast forward to when we started solids and she is on Alimentum, she started having really hard stools. So, the GI told us to add Miralax to her bottles once a day. We did and then noticed really runny stools, so I started every other day. That seemed to work for a while but now we are up to every day again and they are somewhat runny but at least more frequent. (she STILL only has a BM every other day- occasionally every day. Never more than that.)
So, I too wonder if she will always have to be on something to help her. I wonder if the NICU messed her up by giving her suppositories so much...
Did your LO have delayed gastric emptying at all? Mine does and our GI said that since the GI track is slower at emptying, there are less stools and they have more time in the colon, therefore they get hard. He said the Miralax is an osmotic stool softener- meaning it brings water to the intestines to soften the stool. It's not a laxative or a stimulant and it's not supposed to lead to dependency on the product.
DS took awhile to stool. They never said anything other then that he needed assistance by medication to be able to stool without it being so hard. Just not being able to find a happy medium at all. He will cry and try so hard when gets hard stool. Runny stools give him rashes. Feels like a no win situation sometimes.
I could pretty much post the same thing as LWmooney
I actually took S back to the GI b/c the pedi kept telling me her hard stools were normal for her. I see no reason for S to be crying and clinging to me in pain when she is having a BM though. The GI said he didn't even want her having regular stools, he wanted her on enough Miralax each day that would keep them soft enough that they would break apart if you tried to pick them up.
So that's what we're doing. Any time we try to wean her off she immediately has hard little pellet stools that cause her pain. She's had these problems since the NICU too. I'm hoping that maybe coming off the Elecare will help it!
I would get a second opinion if you feel strongly about it. It can't hurt