Using Enema's and Suppositories

If his constipation is chronic, I'd recommend taking him to a pediatric GI specialist (Dr. Marjory McCracken, or Dr. Adel Abi-Hanna are wonderful).

For the rash, try mixing 1 tablespoon of white vinegar into 1 cup of warm water, and apply that after every poop. You can also try witch hazel wipes - that will soothe the irritation.

I, too, had to go through a cleansing process for my son via his gastroenterologist orders. The mildest and most effective way of doing this for him was to use Miralax. It was only available by prescription but is now available at most drug stores. You mix it in to water or juice-it dissolves and has no flavor. It adds water to the stool so the child's body does not become dependent on a laxative. His doctor also advised I apply a little petroleum jelly (or any other lubricant) to the anus to help prevent irritation.

When I gave it to him, he was 4 (and small for his age) and she told me to give him 1/2-3/4 of the recommended 17ml's. There is no children's version of Miralax-you just have to adjust the dose. My son initially got a few cramps, I adjusted the dose and he was just fine with it.

I hope this helps!

What type of diet is he eating? Limit the cheese and any other foods that are constipating. Lots of apple juice, grapes, water and a high fiber diet should help. I think that you are overdoing it just a wee bit. His bum is probably irritated because of all of the treatments. If he does not poop every day he will the next day. Relax, enjoy and give it a rest.

You poor thing. Your poor son. Did your dr tell you that it's common for 2yr olds to sometimes hold their poop for no reason? Toddlers sometimes do that when they become aware of their body & can also come about during potty training. Kind of a control thing, meaning they can feel it coming & dont really know if they like what's happening sort of thing. It's just body awareness.

So he has a irritation on his bottom & the dr. thinks that by making him poop more that will help? I wonder if you & I share the same ped practice (I'm looking for a new one). Just from what you've shared here, seems to me that your son is telling everyone that it hurts when he poops because he already has an irritated bottom, not that he's constipated. Has the dr. been able to determine what the irritation is? I assume that at 2yrs old you son is probably still in diapers? I wonder if he has a yeast infection, aka full blown diaper rash, or even some kind of dermatitis.

If it were one of my kids (& believe me, we've been thru the medical ringer with both our daughters, unfortunately) I would just trust my gut. I've found that every time I went against my mother's intuition & followed the dr's advice, I regret my decision later.

If you are still having issues with his sore bottom, have you maybe considered going to a natural food store or even natural food co-op to find a natural, topical cream that is non-steroidal & non-petroleum based? Titanium oxide or zinc oxide are ingredients you want to have. It makes the white paste that gets messy, but it offers a protective barrier from urine & poop, so it wont sting or not sting as bad when he goes. Anything with mineral oil/petroleum/petrolatum will only slow the healing process because it wont allow his skin to breath.

And if you find that the irritation keeps coming back, you might want to consider "pro-biotics". You can get a chewable tablet, tasty little thing, that gives kids age 2+ all the healthy bacteria for their intestinal tract. That will also directly help with stomach irritations, constipation, loose stools & is a general immune booster. NO side effects, you cant overdose on it, it doesnt react with other vitamins (not like taking too much iron or anything like that). I've had both my kids on probiotics since they were infants (they have infant versions) & it's the only thing that has kept them virtually gas free, constipation free, stomach ache free - they both have food allergies.

So sorry to be so long winded here! I empathize with your frustration & I hope this helps! If you have any other questions, you can email me at ____@____.com

I remember as a child being really sick and my doctor was out of town and his doctor on call told my parents to give me enemas. All I can say is I would have died had my doctor not come back. The enamas were dehydrating me quickly. If I were you, I would get a second opinion on this. I just cannot see having to give a child that many enemas. My son had the constipated problem and I would give his suppositories, but never enemas.

My 2 year was recently pretty constipated too. When i talked to the doctor they said to use the enema and suppositories as a last resort. While temporarily giving relief, it doesn't take care of the whole problem and the side effect are really bad cramping. yikes. They suggested 1-2 tablespoons of mineral oil mixed into their juice or milk, twice a day... once in the morning and then before they go to bed. It totally works. The mineral oil is tasteless. Also, if you haven't already, don't use desitin if the skin has blisters and bleeding. Instead use vaseline. I hope this is helpful to you. It's been really helpful for us. :)

My 1 yr. old was so backed up he was barfing and got hives. I tried everything( but not enemas) and the dr. finally put him on Miralax and it has worked wonderfully. Another mom told me her son was put on Metamucil and it also worked well. Good luck!

Personally I would not give a young child enema or suppository. I would increase his fluids, give more fruit, and give brown rice. I have a grandson who was impacted - he was 5 or 6. He always had a tummy ache, particularly after eating and my daughter finally took him to the doctor and found that he was impacted and when she changed his diet there was not more problems.
My son at 2 had very big poops. He would hold as it was painful to pass it which made the problem worse. He also refused to sit on the toilet - I guess it was painful. I also had to change his diet which fixed the problem. The doctor gave him colace(spelling?)which is a stool softener - I never ever heard of giving young children enema or suppositories on a regular basis...these are very drastic remedies. Try it on yourself and see how much discomfort it gives..that poor kid.
Milk of magnesia is also violent on the tummy. It gives me a lot of cramps...Change his diet first - this will have a more lasting effect.

Honestly, I cannot imagine a child who is regular having a need for daily enemas. It sounds kinda extreme.

Please keep him well hydrated during this.

:(

This is good old medicine. My mother who is 80 and her mother
who is long gone. Said to always keep the intestines cleared
when they get sick, because infections settle in your intestines.
I don't think you are over doing it. I would look for foods to help him go more, after you get this under control.
Give him apple juice and other fruit juices to help his digestive system. More fruits and vegatables and less cheese and dairy products. Check out on a google search foods that act like a laxtives.
However, there is a baby cream made by Arbonne that works mircles on a rash. My grand daughter & son used it on severe rashes and it cleared up in a day. There should be an indepdant rep around you , or go on line to get some.It really works.
Hang in there you're doing a good job.

I had a constipation issues with my son, and we did the whole enema and suppository scene, and that worked for awhile...however it seemed to be a little over the top for me too. A friend mentioned to me(and it worked like a charm!) to make "slusshies", (you can call them what you want) and make it a treat every night after dinner. What we used (my son was a bit older, 4 at this point) was an ice tray filled with rootbeer, and once frozen we took 3-4 ice cubes and put them in the blender with 2-3 Tablespoons of mineral oil(it has NO taste and it keeps things moving in the bowel track...thus they cannot hold it in) It became a nightly ritual, and he LOVED it! Within a couple of days he was going on his own, with no pain, and the oil helped everything move along the track without pain. It's totally harmless, and you can use juice, or whatever would be a "treat" for your little guy. Once it's a ritual, he will look forward to it...and they never make the connection between the "slushy "and going poop. It was the best thing for my son...he HATED the enemas and I felt horrible giving them to him. He had one hard painful poop at about your sons age, and that was all it took for him to want to hold it in...thus the constipation started. It's a very common problem I understand, so hang in there, you are doing a great job!

Good luck!

Hi S.-

I have a 3 year old daughter with severe constipation issues (it has to do with her diagnosis). You need to get a second opinion. I know very few doctors that would recommend the treatment you described. I have given my daughter a double enema (Children's Fleet) and suppositories. Not only is it completely unpleasant, but from what I have been told by many professionals, you want to avoid that as much as possible because it can cause them to rely on it to help them poop.

My recommendation - Miralax! It works wonders without causing cramping. I have tried many many things and have tons of natural rememdies, but Miralax is the best. There appear to be no negatives here and the GI dept at Stanford has said that my daughter can safely take it for the rest of her life (they want her on it daily, but we only use it as needed).

I would recommend getting an appointment with a GI and seeing a nutritionist as well. You will want to make sure that your childs diet is appropriate. As a previous post mentioned, liquids is important and avoiding contipating foods may be the way to go. If you don't have enough liquids, all the fiber in the world might not help. It's a tricky balance.

Good luck! (oh - and I'm certainly not a doctor either)

K.

Have you checked to see if he as a food sensitivity? This may be what's making him have a problem with his stool..........or try adding good omega 3 fatty acids to his diet. I get the Nordic Naturals oil from whole foods and put 1.5 teaspoon in a dixie cup and then add some organic grape juice. I shake it a bit so it mixes, and we call it a sparkle drink. The kids love it. I've been giving them fish oil in some form since they had bottles. The Mayo clinic has a whole article on their site about the importance of it for brain development, but it can also help with poop.......Also, I noticed many responses suggest mineral oil to help him......Mineral oil contains traces of petroleum in it, and I wouldn't ingest it.
You might also make smoothies with some juice, frozen fruit add the fish oil and grind flax seeds to put it them. You can barely taste the flax seeds and they add fiber. Apples, prunes, make sure he's drinking enough water, high fiber foods (and lots of water!).
If you have no luck on your own, there's a Dr. Cantwell at the Health and Healing Center in SF ( I think at Cal Pacific Hospital?? ###-###-#### - 2300 California St, San Francisco. He helped my friend who's son had horrible digestive issues and had to have his colon resectioned.............. Good luck!

Miralax is now an over the counter medicine that use to only be available by precsription. y nice had chronic constipation problems as an infant. My sister was told by numerous doctors to 'just change the diet'. For a short time, she even had her on an 'all fiber diet'. Still, my niece wasnt getting any better. my sister also did the suppositories..no child should have to experience that! After about 6 months of misery, she saw a specialist and was prescribed Miralax. She gets a tsp. everyday in her juice and cant even taste it. It's not addicting and is safe enough for daily use. My niece is now old enough that she can tell mom when she needs some medicine. Ususally, today's dose, helps tomorrows b.m. You can find Miralax at Longs, Rite-Aid and probably just about any drugstore. It's definitely worth a shot! I hope you'll try it.

Hi S.. My kids struggle with constipation. Once he is cleaned out good, you can give him mineral oil daily or try Miralax which is over the counter. Miralax disolves completely and has no taste so he won't even know he's getting it. Mineral oil on the other hand is kind of hard to get into them at times. Talk with your doc about it at least.

Hi,

I haven't read through ALL the responses, there are so many! I just wanted to drop a quick line and suggest your son may not drink enough fluids, I notice when I get dehydrated the first thing to happen is constipation and/or headache. So extra water and whole oat cereal with raisins or cut up prunes for breakfast every day might be a long term solution. I might even consider cutting out all processed flour from his diet, replacing with 100% whole grain bread and cereal. If a dietary change and extra hydration doesn't help he may need a specialist, what you're describing sounds very difficult for your little one to live with. Is his urine concentrated yellow? I keep drinking water all day until mine is more or less clear, if I can keep up. My grandmother has serious issues with fluid intake and I think many of us suffer with chronic dehydration without being aware of it. It definitely contributes to constipation, for adults and kids.
Good luck.

Have you tried just giving him some prune juice daily? The enemas and suppositories does not sound like the right thing to do. Im not a doctor, but I am a nurse. I don't think this is something that should become routine on a 2 yr. old. I have a 2 year old son and he is pretty regular so I've never really have had to deal with that. One time my doctor did say that giving him mineral oil would help or trying prune juice or pear juice would help. It did when he was a little constipated, but we really haven't had that issue. He has had diarrhea from antibiotics and his butt gets so tender that we have to wash him in the sink with running water to clean him up. The poop can be very irritating to a tender bottom.

Sorry about your problems. I hope it gets better!

Your child is only 2 years old! Whether it is a big poop or a little bit, your child seems to be pooping daily or so. Not everyday do you as an adult nor your 2-year-old child needs to poop as often as you may think. Relax. My advice is to forget about all this enema, milk of magnesia, suppositories and all for a young 2-year-old. Perhaps more fruits, vegetables and liquids and lots of hugs and kisses is better and let your child outgrow this issue.

I had good luck with Milk of Magnesia with my daughter, but immediately went to prune juice and other milder things. I incorporated eating lots of fruits and veges (even mini carrots), and making homemade chicken and vege soup (I put the veges and broth into a blender when my girls went through a picky vege time). Since then I found that cheese is very constipating. I also found my daughters needed to drink more water. The reflexes to the bowels are in the heels, so a gentle foot massage may be as helpful for your son as it was for my daughter. Hope some of this info is helpful.

S.,

I saw your update about the Miralax. I was very surprised about the doctor saying it caused tummy pains because my daughter's GI specialist highly recommends and I have been using it for both my girls with no trouble. We also used MCT oil originally to add calories but got the added benefit of softer stools. One girl loves prune juice and the other loves white grape juice, both of which are good for bowel trouble. Good luck with your son!!

Hi S..I had an issue & my dr told me to give just a suppository but he feels its not good to use all the time cuz the body still is growing and is still learning to function on its own. As far as the irratation find out what it is if you haven't already and try treating that first. My concern would be that your interfering w/ his bodies natural occurance of bm. Has he had a bm w/o your help? Try natural foods pruns, pears, beans.I don't know the entire situation but I hope this helped. I hope the little guy gets better

My daughter is 3.5 and also was holding her poop. She had gone 6 days without going and we went to the doctor. Our doctor did have us give her the childrens fleet and the suppository, but after that she had up put her on miralax to get her regular for 2 weeks. It was a half dose in her juice every night. Then we also had to change her diet to a very high fiber diet and if she did not go for one day we put her back on the miralax. That along with rewards has gotten her back on track and now she is happy to go. Hope this helps and if you have any questions feel free to contact me. It is not a fun process.

My question would be, what is he eating and could these foods be bothering him? Too much dairy, cheese? things that bind? I'd go that route rather than continuing to band-aid the problem.
Also, apple juice, even diluted can really irritate a baby's bottom. I'd avoid it until he's older. Make sure he's getting enough water and oily foods, (healthy oil), veggies,fibre foods, etc....
Good luck!

I know how frustrating this can be. We had an older pediatrican where we used to live. He recommended to us an old way to treat constipation. Very simple - Karo syrup! (the clear kind) It's worked great and their are no stimulants involved. Plus it is so much less expensive! I really can't remember how much you are supposed to use but I bet if you google it, you will find out. Best of luck!

I MUST preface this by saying that I am NOT a doctor or any type of medical professional, I am only a mom.

If it were my child I would stop. If his bowels are better and the tummy ache is decreased, there is no reason to. You may want to just look at his diet to see what may be too acidic. Acidy foods can cause irritation and constipation.

As for the irritation on his butt, I would use A&D or Budreaux's Butt Paste. They are thicker than some of the creams making a bigger barrier. It should also be applied each time he is changed. The irritation will get better.

I hope I have helped even a little.

God Bless

T.

My son had a very bad irritation on his bottom it lasted moneths and I tried everything! The first doctor missed the problem but the second one got it. It was strep on his bottom. It got cleared up with antibiotics. As far as enemas go I am a believer in them but not 9 days in a row. One day sure two days alright, but not more. It is important to make sure he is getting good bacteria in his food to replace what is being washed away with the enemas. Yogurt is a good place to start with that. As others have said clean his diet from cheese and fiber less bread and foucus on whole, healthy, unprocessed foods and of course water.

What ever happened to good old prunes to soften the stool? It just seems that doctors today as so ready to use medications to control a problem then using the natural way....through the use of appropriate foods. You could also try massaging the colon from the outside (about where you might think the overies are to the right and left of the pubic area which will allow any gas to pass or the bowels to move. These other treatments are usually used as a last response as they are hard on the system.....and when did you last have an enema? To my knowledge, the enema goes in and within a very short period of time, the child or person eliminates. You could try to talk to him while he is on the pot and tell his to repeat the words...."I let this go." Just a suggestion but this has always worked for my kids and they continue to do it for themselves the older they get.

Hi S.. My daugther is now 6 1/2 yrs. old, but from the time she was 4mos until she was 2 yrs, she had horrible problems with constipation. She didn't go at all for days at a time. It (the poop) would get so hard that it was the consistancy of clay. Sometimes I would have to put vaseline in the area and help her by pulling it out. It was like a baseball. Those are very gross details, but the truth. Anyhow, her doctor put her on lactolose which is like a sugary syrup. It helped for awhile, but I resorted to an enema because nothing seemed to work. I was advised by her pediatrician NOT to use one again. I'm not sure of the reasoning. If I were you I would try everything natural, prunes, raisins, water etc. I hope this helps.

Hi S.,
Just saw the update -- Miralax has to be dosed very carefully. We literally changed the amount day-to-day depending on how he pooped the day before. Def helped our son a ton. Please see a pediatric GI!

We TOTALLY went through this! Back arching is a classic sign of reflux, which our son had. Often with reflux, motility in the whole digestive tract is affected, meaning that your child can get constipation and hard stools as well. This constipation then causes irritation around his poor butt. Acidic stools can also do this. One tricky thing about constipation that, when stuff does move, often softer, sometimes liquidy (from Milk of Magnesia for us) poop makes it around a hard stool stuck in the child's intestine, giving the impression that your son in pooping when really he could still have a large stool in his intestines. For us, a combo of anti-acid meds (Prevacid in our case), motility meds (spacing the name, but a prescription, too), and Miralax powder (mild laxative) mixed into a bottle of breast milk/formula did the trick. Also, does your son drink cow's milk? We couldn't give our son cow's milk until he was almost 4, even though he could have cheese, etc. The doc had us give him Pediasure. It's basically the world's most expensive "milk" shake, but our son was pretty skinny and his tummy tolerated it well. When he was in serious tummy pain, we did use Fleet (a whole children's one per doctor's orders). It always worked right away, but our son hated it. This is gross and likely TMI, but when I saw my son's reaction, I bought the adult Fleet and gave it to myself to see what happens. It causes stomach cramps and then out everything comes. The cramping is uncomfortable, but the rest is ok because the glycerin is such a good lubricant. I really should mark this advice as private, but I figure I lost all dignity long ago :) My biggest piece of advice, though, is to get your son to a pediatric GI. Our regular ped is considered to be a really great doc, but he had a tough time dealing with our son's stomach problems. There are very few pediatric GIs, but we found a good one at UCSF. I'm guessing there must be one or two at Louise Packard at Stanford, and they have a couple affiliated w/ Children's Oakland. Get a referral from your pediatrician asap as these docs are in high demand and booked pretty far out. Our doc also managed to get us bumped up in priority because our son was a preemie and was pretty darn thin. No matter how long you have to wait, though, I highly recommend a specialist. They see this type of issue all the time. Also, ask you doc about products to help with the irritation around your son's booty. They do exist, though I cannot recall any specifics. Good luck! I remember all too well how awful it was to hear our son screaming in pain in the middle of the night and going in to find him all contorted trying to deal with it. Milk of Magnesia did not work for us either (nor did Zantac for acid). The stuff the pediatric GI gave us -- Miralax, Prevacid, and the motility med -- helped immeasurably. Perhaps your doc can also discuss the possibility of food sensitivities with you. I hope you son feels better soon!
K.

My 5 year old son was diagosed with chronic constipation after he started having hemroids and prolapses. The dr put him on 1 tsp of Miralax a day. Miralax is over the counter and is just mixed into his food or drink. It has worked very well with no painful side effects. It may be something to talk to your Dr about trying.