I'm not sure where this name came from, but this is what we have always called poops for Cam. However this post isn't about him. If you are grossed out by poop talk, you might want to skip this one.
We had Kendall's 18 month check up on Monday and my top concern to discuss was her frequent constipation. She is constipated for weeks at a time, which has been going on for months. Our doc suggested taking her off diary for two weeks, as well as some chewable fibers gummy things. We are going to try the dairy first, so we can for sure rule that out (hopefully) before the gummies.
However my question is for those who have normal poopers. Last night I got a great one from her (I won't describe it's texture...but it was not constipated). Anyway, even when she does a healthy poop, she still braces herself against a chair, gets on her toes, and (with watery eyes many times) strains. Is this normal even for good poops? Sometimes after a good strain, I'm surprised to change her diaper and find a totally normal poop! Do your kids just walk around, doing their business as they play? Or can you really tell when they are going?
The only reason I ask is that I'm wondering if maybe there is another problem besides constipation. Maybe no matter how she poops, it's uncomfortable. I'd love to hear any comments about this...so I can know if I should be concerned about a different aspect to all this. :)
12 comments:
Madyson was always very obvious at that age...no matter what kind of poop. She would turn red and push hard. It's not been like that since she's been potty trained though.
Hi Kelly,
I'm sorry that you're dealing with this! We've had constipation issues with Hannah as well these past few months, though not to the same degree. What happened with her is that she had a very hard, large "stinkbug" twice and then got scared. So, yes, even if her poop was normal after that, she tried and tried to keep it in.
We increased fruits, started giving her more pear nectar (avail. in single cans of the Kerns brand at Staters, Wal-Mart, etc.), the fiber gummies, etc. all at the same time. [some of our friends also use the sweetened prunes that come individually wrapped...my kids didn't "go" for those] I know that you already feed her a lot of whole grains, so that is good.
She is a bit older than Kendall, but we checked out the book that you used in your picture from the library. It was a bit wordy, so I paraphrased most of it for her, but she LOVED that book. She carried it around for the full three weeks that we had it checked out. After a short time, she started telling me in a proud voice, "I'm letting my big poo-poo out just like Ryan [the character in the book]." I don't know how much of it Kendall would grasp, but it doesn't hurt to try.
Bonnie
P.S. I've made "gooey bars" twice this month for Christmas events. I love them because they are so easy and so tasty! I give you all the credit for introducing me to them. ;-)
P.S. What I was starting to say and got a little long-winded was this -- for Hannah, it wasn't just the consistency but she was scared of going potty. We've been working on the physical, yes, but the mental was a larger part of her issues.
Also, the doctor said that we could put a little dab of Vaseline around her bottom to make the poop easier to come out rather than use the glycerin suppository, which we tried a few times (the glycerin was NOT fun, but it worked within minutes!)
Ava has always left the room or gone in a corner, she gets quiet, and strains a little (like holding her breath as she pushes). She has normal little 'stink bugs' after each time.
I think it is normal for a little straining, especially before potty training, but I can understand your concern considering it's with straining to the point of tears. Keep us posted on the 'progress'!
Kelly, don't know Bonnie, but her experience with her daughter is so similar to ours with Mia. (How old is Hannah?) Mia is also scared to go, and so she tries very hard to hold it in, and as a result when she does go it ends up being more painful. It's impossible to explain "if you go now it won't hurt but if you hold it in it will" to a two and a half year old. We've been working on increasing her fiber and fluids and rewarding her when she "listens to her body". Kendall is probably still a little young for all this. Hopefully it's more physical than mental, as it seems that's easier to resolve. I'm definitely going to look for this book at the library though!
Wow--what great input. Your friends are such great resources!
Wow, there's lots to say about poop! =)
It's hard to tell when Sierra is pooping. She'll pause for a second, occasionally look like she's focusing on something, but that's it. Ashley and Savannah turned a little reddish in the phase, but there was never a lot of straining. (All 3 have almost always had normal poops.)
I hope you figure this one out!
Gracious me, make that: they turned a little red in the "face" - not the "phase." That's what happens when I don't proofread! =)
Ana, Hannah just turned 2 in Nov. but potty trained herself in June when her big brother was potty training. We've had this issue since right around the time that she potty trained.
wow... so may poop comments. I think pooping might be a big part of a mom's life when she has little ones :)
My kids have been easy poopers. Alayna will sometimes go off alone to poop, but never strains unless she's constipated. Ethan became very constipated when he potty trained, and we used the fiber gummies as well as Mirilax, which helped him. With my kids, unless they were really constipated, pooping was never a big deal. Hope that helps!
Breven had bad constipation and dairy product removal helped a lot and also upping fiber, water and a little more apple juice. Eventually he was on a softener which you can use its called miralax non stimulant and can be mixed into any drink like 1/4 to 1/2 a cap full will soften things up without nasty side effects. We also fed him double fiber bread, fiber 1 pancakes and afew other loaded foods to help the process.
Bracing herself no matter what is a habit Breven still braces and he has not had an issue for over 2yrs.
I really do hate stink bugs, they really are causing pain in my head. . .they infested in our crops.
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