Son constipated since newborn

amother

Ivory

Tue, Mar 20 2018, 7:37 pm

My son is 4 now and he’s been constipated since he was a few months old .I took him to a number of specialists who presibed laxatives for him . So either he had diarrhea or was severely contispated . I took him to a doctor today who said he needs to be drained in a hospital. I feel like the doctors are not taking me seriously even though she said she will do more tests . Help! Anyone have experience with this ?

Kiwi13

Tue, Mar 20 2018, 7:52 pm

I had this with my son. Horrible constipation since birth. He ended up with several tears and an infection at different points. He’s 2.5 now and what worked for us was a daily dose of miralax which we increased/decreased as needed until we got the desired effect. A lot of this is trial and error and finding what works for your kid. I think it’s worth having a doctor (GI, other specialist, etc.) thoroughly check if there are any digestion issues or food intolerance.

amother

Gold

Tue, Mar 20 2018, 7:54 pm

I feel for you. I had the same issue with my son and we made appointments at various fancy shmancy specialists with all kinds of expertise and experience. In the end there's no magic and they basically prescribe laxatives. Hugs.

HappyGoLucky1

Tue, Mar 20 2018, 8:02 pm

Did they rule out a cause for the constipation? And have you been to a Gastro? If everything was ruled out BH, we also adjusted the Mirilax until we got the right consistency as a previous poster mentioned. If he's having diarrhea I'd lower the dosage on the laxatives. You want a #4 on the Bristol chart.
(stools is an excessive topic in the household. Never in my life did I think I'd ask each child if they pooed that day.. But.. BH! should be my worst problem)

saw50st8

Tue, Mar 20 2018, 8:06 pm

amother wrote:

Definitely try a GI and allergist. It might also be a food intolerance not allergy. If they don't find anything, try a total elimination diet (for me, it's grains that gives me the constipation and diarrhea combination)

amother

Ruby

Tue, Mar 20 2018, 8:11 pm

Yep! We have a behavior constipation, whereas my child is so deathly afraid of pooping that she will hold it in, despite laxatives!

So. . yeah. I've been everywhere, and it's basically just Miralax and other alternatives to Miralax. I laughed when one recommended my child have a teaspoon of mineral oil. Has the man MET children???

The good news is that they grow out of it.

amother

Fuchsia

Tue, Mar 20 2018, 8:19 pm

I have had 4 kids with functional constipation- it always starts with the newborn stage. They don’t even pass meconium without help. My pediatric GI has me using babylax suppositories if the baby hasn’t had a bowel movement for 3 days.

amother

White

Tue, Mar 20 2018, 8:19 pm

amother wrote:

Did it transform into an incontinence problem? My kid is 7 and has incontinence issues because of it. I am at my wits end!

amother

Ivory

Tue, Mar 20 2018, 9:43 pm

Ive been to a number of GI and they couldn’t get to the bottom of it . All prescribed miralax but it didn’t really work . He eats fiber and drinks a lot of water . He’s been to an allergist and no allergies .

amother

Natural

Tue, Mar 20 2018, 9:47 pm

yogabird wrote:

It could be a motility issue

Was just going to say the same.
my aunt has this with her daughter. she is 18 months old and never had bm on her own.

ProudMommy3

Tue, Mar 20 2018, 11:39 pm

I had a Dr in e"y who believes that many constipation issues stem from tongue tie. I had my son's tongue tie corrected (laser procedure) at age 3 for articulation issues, and his constipation disappeared! He'd been constipated since birth, but didn't need miralax on A daily basis. just thought I'd put it out there since no one mentioned it...

amother

Ruby

Wed, Mar 21 2018, 1:19 am

amother wrote:

Did it transform into an incontinence problem? My kid is 7 and has incontinence issues because of it. I am at my wits end!

Oh no. She's not old enough for that yet, and my GI warned me it could happen! Hence the laxative party.

Thanks for my new Great Fear In Life!

amother

Lawngreen

Wed, Mar 21 2018, 1:34 am

It seems basic, but have you done elimination diet type stuff? I'm assuming you started with that when he was an infant, but if not, it's definitely worth looking into. Dairy, especially, is a big culprit.

amother

White

Wed, Mar 21 2018, 11:03 am

amother wrote:

Oh no. She's not old enough for that yet, and my GI warned me it could happen! Hence the laxative party.

Thanks for my new Great Fear In Life!

Sorry 🙈 although if it offers you any comfort, I didn't do the Mirilax thing until after the fact.. Hopefully you have hope!

rydys

Wed, Mar 21 2018, 11:44 am

Has your son had a barium follow through test for motility? He should also have a colonoscopy with biopsy to look for Hirshprungs. The other question is how long has he been using enemas/suppositories? Sometimes overuse of these can affect the trigger to pass stool and they need to be weaned off or stopped.

amother

Linen

Wed, Mar 21 2018, 11:48 am

A number of factors to consider all can cause constipation and bowel irregularities.
1. Stress and anxiety.
2. Schedule and consistency ideally bowel movements are easiest if always done around the same time of day usually mornings are most ideal. This usually requires consistent sleep/wake schedule and same meal times schedule.
Leave a block of time every day just to be in close proximity to a comfortable bathroom and do something relaxing to allow the urge to come. This will train your body to go at this time. But do not force it let it it come when body is ready.
3. exercise and movement to prevent sluggishness and stagnation at least some every day the more the better.
4. diet- there are way to many variables to write in but
I will just write a couple. Allergies (common ones are dairy and gluten), whole grains vs white flour. not overeating or undereating. drinking enough water. eating raw and cooked vegetables very helpful.
probiotics are helpful.
A good book for diet is called
If it's not food don't eat it by Kelly Hayford.