Daughter Seems Different...

When my son was little, he would go 4 days between bowl movements. The doctor put him on Miralax (you can get it without a prescription for about $15.00) and we put that in his milk for a few days, and he was fine. Then we would stop, and he'd go another 4 days, so we'd have to do it all over again. The doctor suggested giving him a small dose in his milk daily, and it kept him regular, then we eventually stopped and he stayed regular.

good luck!

Hi Kim!

I am a mother of 4 kids ages 8 to 19 months. It sounds like she is a abit timid of pooping in the toilet which is normal. They usually are, however, it is important that she has a bowl movement. The toxins of the waste could be making her lethargic and not wanting to do anything. I would try any of the suppositories for kids. you can break them in half and insert them. Make her drink a lot of water to help flush things through. Good luck!

I hope the personality change is only due to the constipation and not from any illness. I think many of the ideas presented here are good - I would only add massage to the list.

Massage her abdomen in these directions - upward on her right side for the ascending colon, to her left across the top for the transverse colon, and down on her left side for the decending colon. Be ready for a big poop!

It's worked on my kids and even on a constipated cat! :)

I'm surprised not one person so far addressed the concern about the change in your daughter's personality since the vaccine.
Certainly there could be a multitude of reasons that she's acting different. It could be the constipation, a normal illness that just hasn't manifested outwardly yet, or just over-excitement/exhaustion from the holiday season. Any of those would be a first probability, so it's probably safe to assume it's something normal and simple unless you find out otherwise. I share the following with you only because IF (and it's a big if) the vaccines actually do have anything to do with anything, you won't hear that from your doctor, and the more you know (and the sooner you know) the sooner you can determine if it's just a simple case of the blahs, or something on which you need to act. Mothers of children who have had vaccine reactions say later they wish someone would have told them it was possible and what to do so they could have acted sooner. That is the only reason I'm sharing. I AM NOT SUGGESTING IT IS THE CASE. (In caps only because I can't emphasize in italics here...I'm not shouting. I just want you to know I'm not trying to panic an already concerned mother, just provide resources.)
Here is a source of information about what parents can do if their child is experiencing what might be a reaction to a vaccine:
http://www.nvic.org/
This is the same site, but relates to the government compensation program for children damaged by vaccines:
http://www.909shot.com/Issues/Injury_Compensation.htm
Again, I want to stress, she may just need more cuddles because you may be busier these days, or maybe she just discovered a new program she really, really likes and that is the reason she suddenly wants to watch TV more. Kids change up their routine a lot and it's nothing to worry about. You mentioned that you wondered if there was a connection, so I provided resources so you can check it out if you so choose, that's all.
I hope she's feeling better already, that you have a joyous holiday with your family, and that you never even have the occasion to visit the sites I shared.
Regards,
K. W

I completly agree with Kim W. Definitly look into the vaccinations!! I have heard of alot of reactions and affects caused by them. I am a mother of four and I do not vaccinate. Hopefully it is nothing serious. I would try a tea called smooth move, they make a chocolate flavor and it works very well... good luck!!

Hi Kim,
All the other advice is good. Give her lots of fiber. Raisins are a good source, pears, prunes, peaches. I think another mom warned against bananas and apples. Also stay away from jello. Good luck. Hopefully within a couple of days she'll be back to normal.
Chris

We had the same problem with our son & we found that ALOT of fruit worked wonders for him. I also would put a tablespoon of Benifiber in every glass of juice I served! In a few days he was back to himself!! Now we only use Benifiber when he has not gone in a few days! GOOD LUCK

Constipation is pretty common in children from what my daughters urologist told me. He prescribed a powder we could put in juice. This would help her go. I would consult your doc to find out what you could use first.

One of my children has this problem. I really don't like to use any medication unless I have to. The best thing is to get her moving. She doesn't want to get off the couch because that gets her pooper going also. Cut down on dairy products. Push fresh fruits and vegetables. Don't overdue the glutin products either. It may hurt when she goes. The more excercise you can get her the quicker this will all work out. In the future, make sure her diet has alot of fruits and veggies. Sometime juice will help also. You are going to want to keep her poop really soft for awhile so she doesn't have a repeat of the situation. There is over the counter sapositories(SP?) That will get her to poop, but she isn't going to like it.

I understand that medically there may be nothing to worry about, but that doesn't mean she has to suffer! My 6 year old has constipation problems and has all her life. Miralax works well. Before that we used Castoria for children.

I agree that she needs some help to get back to herself. Poor little one!!

We used the Glycolax (I guess now Miralax) with our son until he finally got better at listening to his body and going when he needed to go. Now our daughter is going through the same thing. Lots of water, some apple juice and fiber (you can use FiberSure to add fiber to almost anything).

Poor girl, I hope she feels better soon!

Have you tried fish oils? Nordic Naturals has strawberry flavored gel caps for kids. They are chewable and don't have that nasty fish smell/taste. These helped my son and he loves to eat them! You can use them as a daily supplement and they are wonderful. They can ease constipation, improve mood and help immensely with dry skin. Fish oils would be a big help even if the change is related to vaccinations. Good luck!

have you tried rubbing castor oil on her belly? When my daughter gets constipated thats what we do. Then I give her a warm bath, and usually that does the trick. I don't know if the vaccination may have something to do with it, but it's a valid concern, I, myself, would suspect a reaction to the vac (which is why we opt out)

Try the Fleet (or generic) child size suppositories, that usually does it for my kids. Also, quite often, kids are ready to pee in the potty before they are ready to poop.

i am not sure what the name of it is but it is a children lax it come in cho so you could add it to some milk or root bear both taste good and work or you could use a toddler enma ask the pharmacy at wal-mart they are great hope it works out

Try giving her a glycerine suppository. My 10 year old had the same problem when he was 3 and the suppository did the trick!

Good Luck

Psyllium seed (in powder form) is a completely natural laxative. It can be mixed with water or juice but needs to be taken immediately or the psyllium gets thick like gelatin. It is what is in Metamucil, but nothing added to it.

Drinking lots of water helps so much. A good rule is 5 to stay alive, 8 to feel great and 10 to rejuvinate. (each 8 oz. glass) I believe we don't always drink enough water and that decreases energy, affects mood and many other harmful affects to our bodies.

There may be something else going on, so take care of the constipation and talk with her and listen to her. Sometimes thats what our children need the most.

Both my children (5 and 1) LOVE dried prunes. They call them big raisins. I have make sure they only eat one a day. Also, as a massage therapist, I know that massaging the colon can be really helpful. You may want to look on the internet to make sure you do it the right way. One other thing, if your daughter will drink tea...make a cup of warm water, add juice from a lemon and then a pinch of salt. this activates the colon. Also, if these things don't work and you still feel something is wrong don't be afraid to insist you doctor take another look at her. Good luck!

My son Ethan was doing the whole constipated thing as well and my sister told me about Little tummys laxative drops. Ethan had a really bad poop that made his bottom bleed, ever since then he just holds the poop in his rectum until it gets so hard I had to give him an enema. SO every night before bed I would give him the recommended dose on the back on the bottle of little tummy's laxative. He would poop in the morning just fine, I kept doing this until he got used to pooping again and then I would give it to him every other day. Now I just give it to him if he needs it. The key is to not give the kids so much that they get diarrhea but enough to make it a little softer. There are also some suppositories called glycerin suppositories for children, they are $1.30 or so at Walmart and are a life saver if you know for sure that your child is constipated. The suppositories soften the poop and they usually poop in the next 10-15 minutes. Good Luck, potty training is very frustrating for both sides. But you can do it!

You can try a glycerin suppository, they sell pediatric ones.

You can also give her pear or prune juice both of those have a relatively high sugar content and will help loosen stools.

We use Miralax on our daughter, it is a little spendy, but it's worth it in my opinion. It is pretty gentle and works directly at the problem. Our daughter is almost 2 and our doctor said to measure it to the first line in the cap.
Hope this helps!
R.

My son used Miralax when he was five, and we also gave him pear juice. Avoid apples/bananas as they can make stools harder. Also, I've heard fish oil helps, though I've never used it myself.

My 4 year old daughter has "issues" in the bathroom department too. She won't go for 2-3 days and when she does, she makes up for it. So I started having her eat apples or oranges daily and other fresh fruits, it really makes a difference. Another idea if you have a juicer...have her help you make fresh juices. My daughter absolutely loves to help with that. We combine carrots, apples, oranges (whatever we have) and she drinks it right away. Nothing healthier...and she goes potty almost within 2 hours. The fruit, either juiced or fresh, helps in the batroom and gives a boost of energy.

We went throught his recently with our son. In his case, we had very tear-filled poops with us holding him to comfort him. It was caused by him holding it in all the time because he didn't want to go in his pants, but yet he didn't want to use the potty. He also peed just fine in the potty, but refused to poop. Our ped ended up prescribing Glycolax for him which is a very natural stool softener. It is now available OTC as Miralax. He said that this was much better for little ones than Milk of Magnesia or other laxatives because the others add too many metals and other minerals to their bodies. His advice to us was to start with half of the recommended dosage - if I remember the recommended is 17g of the powder and we started with like 8g. He then said we may need to make adjustments to the dosage, but to give it a couple days after making any adjustments for it to take effect. We added it to his juice or milk once a day in the morning and it helped him tremendously. He was on it once a day for several months. He now is completely potty trained with no more constipation. He does have an occasional large, hard stool, but it passes tear-free.

It also helps to add dietary fiber during this... Raisins, apples, granola, popcorn (said to be one of the very best sources of fiber) and make sure she drinks lots of fluids. Warm baths also helped our son relax. Good luck to you. Hope she feels better soon...

Raisins. Makes my son go everytime. And it is natural so there won't be any side effects! Hope it works for her too.

Milk of Magnesia is really good and the body doesn't become addicted. My pediatrician prescribed if for my daughter when she was two. You could have her eat the fiber wafers (next to metamucil/benefiber). You could always mix the metamucil powder in her juices as well. Also, lots of apple or prune juice helps. Lay low on bananas, peanut butter and dairy for a while. There are suppositories that you can use as well, I wouldn't recommend using them often because your body can start relying on those.
Hope this helps -
Tam

I mix Phillips milk of magnesia into my son's chocolate milk. He can't taste it and it works well. That is what our doctor recommended when he was really constipated. I tried suppositories and it made him cramp up really badly. He did go to the bathroom, but it hurt so badly that he was sweating, shaking, screaming and then he threw up. I will never do that again.

I hope your peanut feels better. :)

My daughter started holding her poop in when she was potty training. We now give her a daily dose of Miralax, which is an over the counter laxative medicine.(1/2 capful a day)

I would get a second opinion! I am really sorry and hope she is already better!!!!! I have learned not all doctors care like they should, and it never hurts to get another opinion. Listen to that mothers instinct!

Hello, my son has had many tear filled poops and he would scream when it came time to get it out. My son has been on MiraLax every day for the last 3 years, now it is over the counter and it work wonders. It work without the cramping and displeasure that other laxatives give.

Does she eat a sufficient amount of fiber.. if not try the fiber powder that you can put in food or drinks that is tasteless. its called Fiber sure.. we use it here and it really taste like nothing when you put it in food/drinks. do prunes , apple juice things like that and maybe ask the ped about a gentle laxative.. and maybe even a stool softener if her doctor says its ok .. other then that maybe she is a little worried about going on the potty and you may not want to do this but if need be put her in a pullup and see if she will go there just to be safe cause not going for even a few days isnt good. I hope she feels better and everything goes good

I would try a bit of prun juice. If it is yucky to her add a bit of water, that helps the taste of it... If that doesn't work, try decafe coffee.. just about 2 teaspoons.. good luck and Merry Christmas....

Kim,

how long has it been since she went poo? if it has been more then a few days try giving her some prune juice to see if that helps. if it does not go to the pharmacy and talk to the pharmacist and ask.

Also look at any other changes in her life- she could be using this as a way to tell you that something is not right in her world.

S.

I feel your pain! My son went through the same thing, only he was constipated for about a month. We tried the little tummies laxative, but it did nothing for him. Finally, we decided we needed help from the dr and he said to use Miralax. Start at half the dose (someone else recommended that too). A good way to measure is by using the cap. I filled it to the top thread. We don't give it to my son everyday, half a dose every other day now to keep him regular. One thing to note is that it takes two or three days to kick in! And don't stop using it the first time she goes either (we made that mistake the first time too).
Hope she feels better soon.

I would not wait any longer. Waiting until it get's to bad is only going to cause her to feel sicker and make her belly hurt really bad. If you can get her to drink milk of magnesia I suggest doing that. You can even give her one more than what it is suggesting until she starts going regular. Sometimes it may take a day before you see results. keep giving it to her until she is going on her own.... If you have to put it in something so she will drink it!!! you can also use some karyo syrup in her milk. I would push water and fiber as well...
L.

HI Kim
My son is 2 and had a problem with the pooping, he became constipated after his vacinations and since it hurt to poop he wouldn't go. My doctor has put him on half a cap of Miralax and wants him on it for about 6months so he can relearn how to poop.He would lay around just like your daughter and the day that he did go he would take all day to go and when he did go he would be his happy go lucky self again! He told me not to give him benifiber or metamucial because they will cause him to have blow outs. Also you can give your daughter and 1/4 of a cup then add more if you need too. Also you can put it in her milk or any food! Good luck!

I think it's not uncommon for kids to "hold it in" when they're potty training (even if they're willing to pee). I would definitely try prunes in lieu of medicine as a first option. I'd also bring her back to the doctor regarding the personality change - it's possible she's just cranky because her tummy hurts, but it never hurts to err on the side of caution.

Prunes! Or prune juice. I can only eat about three prunes before I need to go. If she won't eat the prunes, then you can buy those mixed baby food prunes and slip them into food that she eats, or mix some prune juice with some regular juice.

There may be something else going on. Try to get her involved in some things that she used to like doing. Sometimes when my daughter doesn't feel like doing anything, I'll take her to a play gym and just sit, it isn't long before she wants to go out and play. Find something she used to like doing and surround her with it, she may not be able to resist. Or maybe she just needs a break for a few days (with everything that's been going on with the holidays). Good luck, you know your daughter well and will be able to find something to get her going again.

PS, you can always say, "It's no TV day in our family, we have to do something else today," and see where that leads you.

Rather than giving her a laxative you may want to try some fiber. I use Fiberwise with my kids by Melaleuca, but you could use Metamucil (sp) or benefiber or something like that. Often times when people are lethargic it tends to be digestive issues/constipation and fiber can fix it. Believe it or not some raw vegetables can't be digested, so I would stay away from lettuce especially. Cooked veggies are good for fiber though. Good luck!

Have you tried fruit juices? A lot of liquids may help loosen hings up. Fruit juices always worked for my kids.

Go to wal-mart pharmacy or a near by pharmacy and get FLEET BABY LAX now don't go by the box instructions because the babys age just lay her on her side and administer the enema. just do it and keep her in a pull-up or no panties on near the potty k Our lil girl had the same problem and I took matters into my own hands and guess what she is just fine good luck and let me knoe how things come out LOL.....

My son was always constipated and we gave him fleet enemas. It didn't seem to hurt him and he was able to go. He didn't like them but he felt better afterwards. Also, we found a two ounce glass of prune juice works just as good as the enema, even better sometimes. I had to make him drink it like medicine but it worked. Give the prune juice every day in the morning. It really helps.

If you're worried about the vaccination, I'd ask the doctor, not a nurse, about what could be wrong. She could be catching a virus and that's why she has low energy. Good luck and Happy Holidays.

Kim,
My pediatrician told me "Fruits with P will make them poop"
Pears, peaches, plumbs, prunes. I found that if I give my son Pear juice( I can only find in the infants section) that it normally clears him right out. I have heard of kids that age and older who won't allow themselves to go- My therapist gave me some long explanation, it's not abnormal- but psycholgical things always tend to make people nervous.

Why don't you mix a little hot coffee with some milk and try that... sounds a little weird to give a kid coffee but it works (on constipation).

Is she having accidents where she leaks a runny bowel movement? Then it is serious.
My daughter is 4 and takes one capful of Miralax in a glass of chocolate milk almost every other day. She has been constipated for almost one year now.
It is unwise to give a child a laxative, especially without the doctor's direction. Please check with your doctor again before doing this.