V.N.
Unfortunately this is a horrible cycle that a lot of kids go through. Usually I have heard and experienced the constipation starting it off, and then the child being so aftaid of pain they hold it only to finally go, and it hurts so they confirmed their fears, and then their little systems go haywire. With my daughter who was going between constipation and diarrhea, I would give her yogurt and pear juice (which helps more with constipation than prune juice and tastes better), and if she would hold it for too long, I would have to give her castor oil so that she simply couldn't hold it. I would also give her a little Motrin around the time she usually went to try and relieve any pain she might be having. Unfortunately it seemed to have to go through some time to get over it, maybe even 4-8 weeks - and sometimes tough love of making her sit was required. But, usually it took one time of going and it not hurting to break the cycle. Some other things that I would try was very warm baths which usually really helped her go and then she could get back in the bath and play, books and toys she could bring into the bathroom with her to try and distract her (I even thought about bringing in the travel DVD player so she could watch her favorite show). But of course anything started might then have to stopped, so that is a whole other issue! Best of luck- I feel for you!
