Hurtful Pooping! HELP!`

My daughter went through this when she was 5 months. I think her body had a hard time adjusting to solids. She's 10 months now and it is no longer a problem. I guess she worked it out. Maybe you could try giving her foods that will help soften things up.

AS much as I don't like giving juice to my kids, you should give him a bottle of juice once a day and in no time he will be pooping like a pro! My twins have the same problem and my doc told me to give them juice (apple, white grape, pear etc...) and it really works. You can water it down some or buy the Splashers juice in the baby isle, it has less sugar! Good luck
B.

My son went throught the same thing. The doctor had me put a little mineral oil in his bottle to help move things along. I found that this helped repair the tearing from the constipation since he did not have to bear down to poop. I know it made him a lot more comfortable and me a lot less anxious. Good Luck!!

Yes!! Take him in. My son (and many boys as I've talked to other Moms) have constipation problems. It can tear the inside of the rectum. This can lead to many problems. Don't be scared, as it could just be painful constipation. Also what happens is that the constipation will cause blockage,then, over time the inside of the rectum will expand. After prolonged time of constipation, leakage happens and parents think the child is pooping their pants, when actually it becomes uncontrollable. If this is the problem, the Dr. will do an enama (it's not bad) and then if the rectum has stretched, put you child on a miralax or something to help pass the stool. It's a common thing to have happen. Children get constipated. Lay off Bananas and such, try mixing prune juice with something they might like (unless your little guy likes the taste, my boy did). Soy milks can sometimes make this happen too I hear, so be careful with them at this age if possible. Don't put you child on medications for this before talking to your doctor, especially at his age. My son is now 8 and from time to time we still deal with this. I wished I would have taken him in sooner for help.

Have you changed his diet any? When I wean my daughter at around a year she was having really hard poops and it was awful watching her go through that. We tried juices and suppositories and nothing helped until my father in law suggested we try some yogurt. I guess she was a bit lactose intolerant and the yogurt made a difference in a matter of days. But like I said before my daughter was older and she was no longer on breast milk. Good luck and remember every child is different and it may take a fews tries to figure it out but you will.

My pediatrician said to give my son 2-4 oz of diluted apple juice a day, but water works just fine most of the time, too. Pear juice would work, too, but it's not so much about the juice as it is the extra fluids. And if money is a concern to you, you don't have to buy "baby juice." It's just watered down. I always gave my sons regular juice from a can or whatever, diluted at least half and half. Now they drink it 1/3 juice to 2/3 water. It helps cut down on cost and calories (so they don't fill up and refuse to eat). In fact, I decided it was a good idea and gradually started diluting my juice, too. Only DH doesn't do it now.
My son's poop at 2 months old was the consistency of peanut butter, which doesn't seem like it would hurt, but it definitely was uncomfortable. Especially when you consider what newborn breast-fed baby poop is supposed to look like. The juice worked wonders. Unless I forgot to give him his daily juice (if he didn't want it all at once, I just stuck it back in the fridge and he'd always finish it by the end of the day), he never had problems with that again.
And about diapers, does he finish pooping 5 minutes later if you don't change him the first time? I think I remember that my boys did that. DH would say, "ew, he stinks. Are you going to change him?" and I remember saying, "Wait a minute to make sure he's done." So they must have done that. You can leave him sitting in his poopy diaper for a few minutes without harm, unless it's caustic diarrhea or something that instantly causes diaper rash.

When your son was constipated he could have torn his rectum a little. It is called a fissure and can be very painful. I would talk to your doctor about this possibility. Hope this helps.

I went to a gastrointestinal specialist for my daughter regarding constipation. Usually constipation is only because of any three of the following reasons. One, your baby is constipated because of his diet. Two, because he has a slow digestive tract. Or three, there is physically something wrong with his anus/colon/intestines, etc.

The third can easily be ruled out in your case because if he was born with a physical issue, his constipation would have started the day he was born, not at 5 months.

If your baby is formula fed then most likely he is constipated because of his diet. That is a normal occurrence for many, and most people "cure" it by giving a little watered down prune juice daily, or by making your own "formula". There is a great recipe on Mercola.com.

If your baby is breastfed, the doctor will tell you it isn't possible for him to be constipated. I was told that over and over, but my baby was exclusively breastfed and still extremely constipated. Finally, with a lot of research and doctor visits I realized my daughter just had a slow digestive tract. The longer the milk was in her colon, the more water her body took from it and the dryer her poop was. I started helping her with prescribed GlycoLax, which helped keep more water in the colon and lower intestines. It worked, but was habit forming. I then weened her to prune juice and made sure she had a lot of water to drink daily, and avoided rice cereal as it really plugs up the intestines. But what really worked (permanently) is taking her to a Foot Zonologist (basically is foot reflexology) to clear her whole system, including her lymphatic system, working and flowing properly. Now she is no longer constipated.

I hope that helps. :-) Good luck!

Our pediatrician said to just put a teaspoon of DARK Karo syrup in a bottle or cereal serving, once a day. Worked like a charm.

Hi S.,
I totally understand your problem. My sister and I have babies 3mo. apart from eachother. Her son when transitioned from the breast to the bottle became very constipated and the problem lasted for a while. Her pedatrician told her to put an extra ounce of water in his bottles. That helped but not very quickly. I asked my natural path what we could try and he immediately recommended an enema.I know that sounds weird but let me tell you it works!!!!!!!!! The colon absorbs water very quickly so it helps balance any dehydration. I would be happy to talk with you about the process if you want to call me. ###-###-####, or email me. I have given my 4mo. old SEVERAL enemas for various issues and let me tell you. It works like a charm!!!!!
Good Luck,seeing your baby so uncomfortable is just terrible.
L. H

my son had the same problem it start for him at just a few weeks old so the dr. told us to put a tsp. of prune juice in his formula and it worked as the amount of formula increased we added more to his bottles we did every 2 bottles with prune juice if you do it every bottle it gets out of control we only had to do it for about 2 weeks and it kept it softened pretty good occaisonally we would have to add some to a bottle but not very often . good luck hopefully this works for you to.

At about five months our pediatrician had me start giving him juice and told me to try to keep track of how much I was putting in so that if his poop was hard I could put more or if it was runny less. We just add a little to each bottle or water it down and just give him that. Anyways, that has helped us keep him the right consistency. We also keep an eye out for tears in his little rectum and put neosporin on it in case of severe constipation. If you see coffee ground looking stuff or black tarry looking stool contact your pediatrician right away. Good luck.

We have had major problems with constipation. My Dr. recommended giving my baby a few ounces of water during the day. You have to be careful to not give them too much. When your baby cries, are his stools still a bit hard? I would call your Dr. office and ask what they would recommend. We ended up giving my son prune juice. He's now 11 months old and is on a diet of mostly apricots and prunes to keep him normal. It's better than medicine. Good luck!

You don't mention it, but if you're nursing, you might see if he's drinking enough. You might have to make a doctor's appt., but you weigh him, nurse, and weigh again. Don't change diapers or what he's wearing in between weigh ins. The # of ounces he gains is the # of ounces he drank. Your doctor can tell you if it's enough. You want to do it at a normal feeding time. If he's not drinking enough, it could be undiagnosed reflux and reflux medicine will increase the amount he's drinking. If that is what it is, you don't want to let it go too long since it can cause other issues. Nursing babies his age shouldn't have an issue with constipation even after starting foods.

hi!
my daughter had the same problem, but it started a little later on, when i started feeding solid foods. (only breastfeedig should avoid constipation.) i was still breastfeeding in the am an pm, and i made sure she got extra oil in her food (even in the apple sauce, etc.), and i would add water to her food as well. the fluid helps to avoid constipation.
since she has been on solids and bottle milk (at age 11 1/2 months), i make sure i add a little water to each bottle and also a little to her food. it is a bit hard to get a baby to drink water, though it is very important! i also still make sure there is some oil/butter in the solid foods, without exagerating the quantities.

and while she was constipated, i rubbed a little lansinoh cream around the anus, to help with the cracks from the pushing too hard and pushing out a size bigger then ''normal''.
when i used a suppository (every once in a while, i had to do it... it was too painful otherwise. but use with caution), i also rubbed a little lansinoh cream before inserting. i think the lansinoh cream (same thing recommended the breasts of breastfeeding mothers) helps healing... because maybe he is still sore from the original bout with constipation...?

Hi S.;
Hydration is key as well as essential fats. At this age, you can begin to give him some omega 3 fatty acids. If you are breast feeding, make sure you are hydrated (your milk could be too concentrated if you are not hydrated) and also taking at least 2 g of omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil is best). There is a product called Frutol sold at Pharmaca (as well as NatureMed) which is GREAT for kids. It has probiotic, fish oil and fruit puree in it. I raised both of my children in the first year on this stuff. It tastes great and I would give my kids a teaspoon full.
good luck, K. P

Never can be to cautios in my opinion take him in!

Warm bath and teaspoon of prunes you can controll their potty pretty easy. Once you got him in the tub rub his lower back and keep an eye on him keep track of how he pottys and what he eats. Also iron which is in baby formula causes hard bowel movements. Also pedilite will soften the bowel movements. Try some of this, really it is just a process. You can also make poo harder with teathing cookies, that rice cereal, and bananas.I hope I helped you It broke my heart when my son did it. It looks really painful when they cry and turn red. Good luck.

My daughter now age 7had trouble all the time. Various things we have tried and worked are. Adding mineral oil to their juice. Loading up the area (hole)with a bunch of Vaseline to help it ease its way out. Also there is now an over the counter product called Miralax, that was helpful. At the time it was prescribed for us. Still check with your pediatrician. The Best help book for these kind of problems is "Your Childs Health" Good Luck.

I would take him in. He may have damaged or hurt himself on the inside of his anus and it would hurt every time there after. The tests are a bit invasive, but at least you will know that everything is ok.

If you have him on solids, I was told by a "poop" doctor, to feed the babe foods with hard "p" sounds like, peaches, prunes, grapes, apples. They seem to be "poop moving foods".

I had one that would not have a bowel movement on her own for many months. After about six months, her anal was trained to "let it out"

Good luck!

check out the formula your giving your son, it might be that he needs an easier for mula for his stomach. it might be that he can poop and might have difficulty but it could also be that there is more gas then poop. go to your pediatrician or call the nurse line and get some home remedies but seriously go into the doctor because your baby is in pain and they might be able to find quicker ways and diagnose him better.

I think it sounds normal. If the poop is pellets, you may want to try giving your baby some watered down pear juice? It has a lot of fiber. I know most people say apple, but apple doesn't have as much as pear. Not to mention, with the prune juice, if they spit it up, it stains, with pear, it isn't as noticeable, and dark.

Like the other response, I am not sure if you are nursing or using formula or both, but with my daughter, who is six months, when I would supplement nursing with formula she would have a hard time pooping and she would cry until it came out. I stopped giving formula and only nursed, and it really helped. When I started solids, I noticed it happening again so I have given her prunes and it really helps to clear her out, and make her poops softer.

I also gave her plenty of tummy time, and the pressure seemed to help her go better. You could try rubbing his belly or pushing his legs close to him, or bicycling his legs. Sometimes the movement will help.

I would avoid things like corn syrup or OTC medicines until you see a doctor, but if he is eating solids, the prunes work well.

The others' advice is all right -- pears, prunes, Karo syrup , enough water -- all are good to try. If these don't work then I'd definitely have the doctor check him out.

My son, who is 2 now had similar issues. You've gotten really good responses, so I'll keep this short. We tried the prune juice and such which would work for a while then not. The only thing that worked consistantly for him was Miralax. The main reason I'm writing, is that if you decide to take your baby into somebody to be checked out I have a wonderful recommendation. Our son goes to Barbie Doherty who is a nurse practicianer with Idaho Pediatric Gastroenterology. She is WONDERFUL!

My daughter has had pooping problems since she was born! So I understand the frustration. Our Dr. finally put her on Miralax which she is still on (she's 4), I can't remember when she started so I would ask your Dr. My Dr. also had us put prune juice in her bottle every other day , which seemed to help at that age. When she would get super backed up we would put a little suppository in her bum (NOT very far, and make sure you don't let go of it!), just to moisten the area so it wasn't as painful. We also gave her long baths, for some reason that seemed to help too. Hope this helps!

My son was a bit older when this happened but when I brought him in, the dr. said there was a small tear at the rectum so it would be painful to have a bowel movement for a while. He said to have him take Miralax. It is now sold over the counter. I think it is very safe but check with your dr. about the age of your child. It has no taste and you can mix it with any beverage. A little a day softens the stool enough to make it less painful so it can heal. After a couple days, he shouldn't be in pain anymore. Good luck!

hi S., my name is K.. i am a mom of 3, 9yr old son, 6yr old daughter,and an 18 month old daughter. in responce to your pooping problem, sometimes when they get constipated and they push thru that they can cause small tears in the lining of the rectum and everytime he poops it can retear the "scabs" if you will, causing pain everytime. i would try 1 ounce of apple juice to 1 ounce of water to help keep his poop soft so that he wont have to try so hard. hope that helps. it can be so frustrating sometimes when they are hurting and you cant do anything about it! good luck

My youngest had this problem. It was shortly after I started to feed him rice cereal. He started eating solids early. I found giving him prune juice helped and I only gave him cereal in the late afternoon. I also found that if I switched him to the oatmeal cereal instead of rice and added prune juice to it and gave it to him in the morning he was much better. I waited until he was 6-7 months before really trying anything else. I have an older son who is now 6 and he had no problems eating solids at 4 months. Just goes to show each child is different! If you are truly concerned you should call up your doctor and talk to them. You do not have to bring your child in just call and ask if they think the situation needs to be looked at better! Good luck

Your son should be old enough to drink apple or white grape juice. These are a good and natural way to slow the constipation. When you begin to feed cereals, if you add some juice it can also prevent constipation. As for the diaper rash, what I have found to heal and treat best is "bag balm". It containes antiseptic properties to help sooth and heal sores. Hope this helps!