Foods that make you go POOP

lyla29

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she's been on mira lax for a few days now. she's been off and on it for a few months. i also give her the senna product, but its in a quick dissolve tongue strip. she's actually still potty training. she'll go pee but not poo.

thank you for your help.

.stephanie.
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I haven't had this same problem, but when I was potty training my 2 oleder boys (and now with my 3rd) they would pee really good on the potty, but they wouldn't poop on the potty, so I would put them in a Pull-up or diaper to poop. I did this until they were really comfortable with the potty training, then started with them on pooping on the potty. It took some time, but it worked.
I know this is not the same thing, just giving you my experience. Good luck.

stephalvarez5

My 4 year old was in a somewhat similar situation...when she started preschool at 3 she started holding it in...which led to stomach pain and cramps. Now she's 4 and about to start a new school...sure enough she has started pooping in her underwear now (I know that's not what is happening to your daugther). I know a lot of parents and doctors will disagree with my method but it worked for both instances...bribery. She loves chocolate so she gets a small piece of chocolate every time she goes on the potty. Our pediatrician suggested stickers stickers but stickers just aren't motivating enough for her...but "treats" are. Obviously this will only work if she's not pooping because she's too scared/embarrassed etc. If she is only constipated and that's why she won't go, this obviously wouldn't work. But I suspect if she's too scared to go, it can lead to stomach upset and even constipation. I also give my kids a lot of juice...rarely any milk. Again, I know a lot of parents and doctors won't agree, but we have to do what works for us. Blueberries and grapes (lots of them!) work for my kids. Someone suggested nuts...nuts actually constipate me. My kids also have softer poos when they have chocolate pudding. The poo literally looks like chocolate pudding. Gross, I know. But at least it makes it soft! Good luck!

trust me, i dare not judge your parenting! i'm so frustrated if it were the same circumstances i'm SURE i would try this method.

.s.

kimss

Is she scared of the "toilet?
maybe try puttting her back in the pullups for a short times so she can go?
But all the other advice is what I would suggest too.
And see a specialist.
good luck

stephalvarez5

Is she scared of the "toilet?
maybe try puttting her back in the pullups for a short times so she can go?
But all the other advice is what I would suggest too.
And see a specialist.
good luck

no she's not afraid of the toilet. she'll go pee. and trust me ive tried the pull up so that she can go since the issue started when she starts potty training.

i guess i'm gonna have to see a specialist. thank u for ur help.

.s.

kimss

we feel so sorry for you both. my daughter is here with me and she had similar problems, but mainly from her Cerebral Palsy. but she totaly understands and her suggestions was, I would put a few Tbsp of KARO syrup in a cup of hot cocoa. and that always seemed to relax and stimulate her to go, also the warm compress on her tummy and and we would rub her tummy. in a clockwise circular motion in the way that the bowels move. anything relaxing to soothe her
we wish you so much luck.

czewwhat

Just reread your original post. I had a child in my daycare that did the same thing, he had OCD and feared public bathrooms. His doctor had his parents give him 1 tablespoon of olive oil in orange juice every morning, for months! They made the juice nearly frozen and blendered it into the juice so it would not separate. Just two or three ounces! It kept him regular and was not chemical so no fear of his digestive tract becoming dependant on the laxative like milk of magnesia or something else. Hope that helps your child get used to regular bathroom visits!

stephalvarez5

Just reread your original post. I had a child in my daycare that did the same thing, he had OCD and feared public bathrooms. His doctor had his parents give him 1 tablespoon of olive oil in orange juice every morning, for months! They made the juice nearly frozen and blendered it into the juice so it would not separate. Just two or three ounces! It kept him regular and was not chemical so no fear of his digestive tract becoming dependant on the laxative like milk of magnesia or something else. Hope that helps your child get used to regular bathroom visits!

i have not tried this yet, but i remember the dr. suggesting it. i had no idea what kind of "oil" he was talking about. i will try this. thank u!

.s.

stephalvarez5

we feel so sorry for you both. my daughter is here with me and she had similar problems, but mainly from her Cerebral Palsy. but she totaly understands and her suggestions was, I would put a few Tbsp of KARO syrup in a cup of hot cocoa. and that always seemed to relax and stimulate her to go, also the warm compress on her tummy and and we would rub her tummy. in a clockwise circular motion in the way that the bowels move. anything relaxing to soothe her
we wish you so much luck.

thank you for your kind words and suggestions. much appreciated!

.s.

parrotlover

I have a degree in early childhood education and a minor in child development. I have worked in a daycare and school setting so I have some experience.

I was wondering if you have discussed this with her pre-school teachers and maybe even the director? I wonder if something is going on at school that is making her feel ashamed to go number 2. It could be the teachers or the other children ( or neither). It is hard to say but it just seems really strange that a child so young would be so ashamed to perform a normal bodily function. Maybe her teachers could really work with you and make it a positive and exciting thing for her to go poop in the potty. Then you could celebrate it at home or she could get stickers on a special paper at school when she goes and then she can show it to you when you pick her up at school.

I would also really consider seeking a child psychologist's thoughts on this matter because it seems to be getting pretty serious. It seems that this type of doctor would find the main source which is very important in a child's development. Yes, you can use juice etc to help her go but that won't really get to the main reason she is doing this.

I really hope that you can get to the bottom of this soon because I know how hard it must be for you to watch your daughter go through this.

Once again these are just some thoughts from a different perspective. I don't mean to offend you in anyway!

hmo4

I've heard of this before, even years ago. I have 4 kids-all teens by now, but this has always worked for me as a parent-wrotten or not. BRIBERY works amazing for most things. Everytime she takes a crap, give her a sticker or whatever. 5 tickets, she gets to buy a toy or whatever. I bribed my kids with candy to go potty. My last kid-noway. So, I THREATENED her. She couldn't get off the potty till she went. Dang kid sat for 2 1/2 hours on the deck, even with company. Ate her dinner on it. And once she went-it was a celebration, and she never turned back. This to me is a psych issue, for whatever reason. If you're giving her all that fiber and things it should come out no prob. You need to get to the bottom (excuse the pun) of it. Get another Pediatricain for sure, yours is useless. (I'm a CRN who works in Pediatrics).
Give her supps now because its probably impacted. Would she possibly have hemmoroids from holding it in and having to push it out? Those are awefully painful. Meatmucil orange flavor is very yummy tasting also. Just give a partial dose, it shouldn't hurt her. Does she let you look at her bum? Check for hemorroids, the poop being right there and give her a supp. Put her on the potty in front of the TV, show her her treat when she does it, put in ear plugs and cry with her. Good luck. You need to get a book about school or something, buy her some school stuff and outfits to get her excited and visit the playground. Do you have a young sitter who goes to school who can talk to her, or friends with older kids? That might help too.:flowerforyou: Take care, Kath-mother of the year-ha! PS-she has to drink A LOT of Water too.:drinker:

jazzyjules2004

I have a 6 year old son that went through the exact same thing when he was about 3. His poo would be the size of an orange and would be hard as a rock...we had to get it out manually a couple of times..he would cry and cry and it was horrible! But what worked for us was a combination of the things the bloggers have posted. I did start with olive oil in oatmeal every day and that loosened it up enough for him to go every other day without pain. I kinda had to play a few games with him and reassure him it wouldn't hurt. He was on Miralax and all the bulk fibers also, but none of those worked. But what has worked for us is REAL fiber from fruits and veggies. I know that's tough with a toddler but I started with canned fruit in syrup and worked our way to fresh. And I hid veggies in the food like spinach in lasanga and etc... So I lessened the olive oil and increased the natural fiber and lots of water (several glasses of warm water is also a stimulant. I played the "I can drink water faster than you" game with him and that worked lol) . We had a poop try every day around the same time and after a few weeks, he was ready to poo as soon as we walked in the door in the evenings. I know its a lot but I hope this helps. I know the feeling of being helpless when they're crying and trying to get it out....

stephalvarez5

I have a 6 year old son that went through the exact same thing when he was about 3. His poo would be the size of an orange and would be hard as a rock...we had to get it out manually a couple of times..he would cry and cry and it was horrible! But what worked for us was a combination of the things the bloggers have posted. I did start with olive oil in oatmeal every day and that loosened it up enough for him to go every other day without pain. I kinda had to play a few games with him and reassure him it wouldn't hurt. He was on Miralax and all the bulk fibers also, but none of those worked. But what has worked for us is REAL fiber from fruits and veggies. I know that's tough with a toddler but I started with canned fruit in syrup and worked our way to fresh. And I hid veggies in the food like spinach in lasanga and etc... So I lessened the olive oil and increased the natural fiber and lots of water (several glasses of warm water is also a stimulant. I played the "I can drink water faster than you" game with him and that worked lol) . We had a poop try every day around the same time and after a few weeks, he was ready to poo as soon as we walked in the door in the evenings. I know its a lot but I hope this helps. I know the feeling of being helpless when they're crying and trying to get it out....

does it matter if its extra virgin olive oil? about how many tablespoons?

XFitMojoMom

If your daughter will not eat her fruits and veggies - try Miralax.
My friends boys are on it because they do the exact same as your daughter, and their pediatrician recommended using Miralax.
Miralax disolves in water or juice or even in your food and is completely tasteless.

songbyrdsweet

It sounds like her problem is anxiety, not actually producing excrement. The last thing I would do is load her up with fibrous foods so that her colon becomes impacted because she's too scared to make a bowel movement. If she were to respond to the stimulus correctly (I feel the need to poop so I'm going to poop) her excrement wouldn't be hard and too large to pass. The problem that needs to be addressed is her willingness to use the toilet.

jazzyjules2004

I started with 2 tablespoons just as a stool softener. And I don't think it matters what kind of olive oil

czewwhat

I called my previous client. He said they started out with 2 tablespoons and then backed off to one tablespoon when things got moving! kept him at 1 tablespoon for a year till the pattern was well established. Due to the OCD.

Phoenix_Rising

I had the same problem as a kid, and it lasted well into ...... I dunno, 10 to 12 years old. No idea what started it, no idea what ended it. I would hold for weeks at the time, then spend LITERALLY an entire Saturday sitting on the toilet, straining to KEEP IT IN because I knew it would hurt like a mofo by that point. My poor mom was so frustrated and worried.

My kiddo (4 years old) developed a constipation/ 'not wanting to go because it hurt' issue around 18 months - 2 years old. The pediatrician gave us miralax. Too much of it and it creates loose stools (just a clean up issue there), and too little doesn't do anything. We had to find the right balance. Prescription Miralax comes in a huge container for a reasonable copay -- over the counter Miralax comes in a small container for a lot of money (comparatively). And as said above, completely tasteless and odorless. Can be mixed in any juice or put into applesauce or in ice cream -- anywhere!

I'd call the pediatrician and ask about it. Get a script. On a Friday afternoon, dose the girl up with as much Miralax as is advisable by the doctor, and Saturday and Sunday the same. Flush her out. Keep her on reasonable doses after that to keep her moving regularly and gently. If it's a mental block, she would be able to move past the fear of pain after a few months (I'd think). If it's a phyical thing, talk to the doc about what foods to use. (Our pediatrician recommended green beans, even dipped in ketchup for our picky eater.)

Good luck with this! I can't imagine the stressful nature of it as a mom, but I experienced as a kid, and it was no fun. :flowerforyou:

stephalvarez5

I called my previous client. He said they started out with 2 tablespoons and then backed off to one tablespoon when things got moving! kept him at 1 tablespoon for a year till the pattern was well established. Due to the OCD.

thank you for the information. i'd much rather give her something natural then laxatives.
*sigh* wish me luck.

czewwhat

I called my previous client. He said they started out with 2 tablespoons and then backed off to one tablespoon when things got moving! kept him at 1 tablespoon for a year till the pattern was well established. Due to the OCD.

thank you for the information. i'd much rather give her something natural then laxatives.
*sigh* wish me luck.

Just don't tell her what it is for, just do it! Teach her to dip bread in the Oil at the table, very euro, she will feel all grown up!

abcagle

Hi,

I also know how you feel my daughter had a similar issue before she started pre-school. I think all of the diet tips have been great. However, I think the root of the issue is psychological. When I was going through that with my daughter I frequently tried talking to her about why she didn't want to go poop. I would usually bring it up casually and not try to make a big deal out of it. Sometimes she would talk to me about it and other times not. Unlike your situation I think going to pre-school actually helped my daughter. However, I think if you can get her to express her feelings to you it might help move things in the right direction. She will understand that you want to help her with the issue and she will experience you talking with her about it at a time when your not frustrated with her about it. At this point she probably has a lot more anxieties about it than you are even aware of going at school might only be one piece of the issue.

Good luck most likely it will resolve itself!

ksproston

Hi Stephanie,

I'm sorry that your daughter and you are having to go through this. My oldest daughter had this problem too. You've been given some great advice. The trick now is finding out what will work best for her. We did warm baths for our daughter as well (pool concept from earlier). She'd go up to 2 weeks without going. What we ended up having to do was give her an enema for 3 days in a row. Then had her on Miralax for a month. After that month we started mixing miralax and benefiber until she was on benefiber only. The enemas were to clean her system out, before we started her on the miralax. I agree, that I wouldn't want to giver her all of this fiber until she gets cleaned out.

What's happening is that the large poop is stretching her rectum and intestines and her *kitten* is becoming desensitized. So, she's not feeling the urge to go until the poop is bigger than normal and by that point she's remembering the pain from her going previously and she's holding it so it doesn't hurt. I won't say 100% that is what's happening, but this was our experience.

We tried almost all of the things the others have mentioned. They just didn't work for her, but I know of children who those things have worked for. Good luck. It's so traumatizing for both child and parent. Good luck.

annhjk

My 2 year old was constipate once (luckily) and I call our after hours nurse. She suggested a warm bath - with the tub filled up to his belly button- and add baking soda. I think I put in a lot, but it still all disolved. It worked - he pooped in the tub. I don't know why it work, but that time it did.

ilike2moveit

It sounds like what my 4 year old son has and it's a condition called megacolon. It is where the poop has gotten so compacted in her colon that the colon has been seriously stretched out and cannot contract to squeeze the poop out. At this point, diet can't correct the situation! Our pediatrician recommended doing a colon cleanse to rid the colon of all poop-using enemas and laxatives and then using miralax on a daily basis until the child has 1-2 soft BM's per day. It can take a long time for the colon to shrink back down and start contracting on its own. I would also contact your pediatrician. (I'm going to e-mail you this info too.)Good luck.

SusieSonshine

Fruit, veggies, whole grains, lots and lots of water if she likes it. Fruit juices are good too, prune juice, stewed prunes. Just keep in mind the sugar content could give her cavities - have her brush her teeth after she has anything like that. Warm baths help too; you can add some baking soda to the tub. I have no idea why this works, but I've heard that it helps and in any case it can't hurt.

You may also want her checked out - sometimes kids get a small tear in the anal area called a fissure, which makes it even more painful for her to poop so she holds it in even more, and it becomes a vicious circle. There are also stool softeners you can get over the counter but I would talk to her doctor first.

Good luck!

thank u for your help. i'm getting a second opinion because her primary dr. acts so blase about this situation. maybe a specialist.

.s.

My babygirl, who was a 3 month premie, had this problem. I took her to UCLA Medical Clinic-Pediatrics Unit, and the doctor told me to give her a tablespoon of mineral oil every day and make sure she drinks lots of water. It totally worked! Hot baths always help to relax her. We don't use the mineral oil anymore; she's 10 and I give her lots of fiber, in ways that she doesn't even notice! We eat tons of flax seed meal in smoothies, salads, soups, eggs, everything! I also use Trader Joe's Hemp Protein Powder which has lotsa fiber as well as protein in it. She eats fresh fruits and veggies and drinks nothing but water and we don't have the problem too much anymore. Poor thing, she used to be sooooo embarassed to have to "go" at someone else's house cuz her "deposit" would clog the toilet. I'm sure that some of it is psychological, but I think there's more to it than that. However, doctors just don't seem to want to take the time to find out. Meanwhile, we're doing well and water seems to be the best answer, along with fiber.

Hope that everything works out for your little one!!!

:flowerforyou:

SusieSonshine

It sounds like what my 4 year old son has and it's a condition called megacolon. It is where the poop has gotten so compacted in her colon that the colon has been seriously stretched out and cannot contract to squeeze the poop out. At this point, diet can't correct the situation! Our pediatrician recommended miralax on a daily basis until the child has 1-2 soft BM's per day. It can take a long time for the colon to shrink back down and start contracting on its own. I would also contact your pediatrician. (I'm going to e-mail you this info too.)Good luck.

Wow! Now I have a name for it!! I KNEW there had to be more to it! Thank you!

Now that my babygirl is 10 and can reason things out for herself, she doesn't let it get to the point of the "mega-deposit" anymore. She still has to take a warm bath now and again, but it's not at all like it used to be! Thank God!

Thanks again!

:flowerforyou:

SusieSonshine

My son is currently under the care of a pediatric specialist for the same thing: grapes, fiber suppliments twice a day and vitamins. Fiber Sure in his food (when he doesn't see it), Fiber One bars and lots of fluids.

grapes, grape juice and fiber- lots of fiber.

A teaspoon of oil will clean her out in about 20 minutes. That is one of our clean out tecniques.

When my son was your daughter's age, I use to read to him in the bathroom, so he would relax and poop after about 20 minutes. He liked the time alone with me.

Do you think your daughter has ADD or ADHD? That can make it worse.

Good luck!

a teaspoon of what kind of oil? olive oil? how do you give it to him? just like medicine or do you mix it?
she's actually very good in school with no signs of add or adhd. she's very focused and disciplined, except the pooping.

.s.

A tablespoon or two of mineral oil per a Pediatric Doctor at UCLA. This takes usually about 6-12 months to train her mind that pooping is not painful and get her body working on its own again. However, like the one poster said about megacolon (soooo nice to have a name for it!!), it will take time for the colon to reduce in size. I'm not sure that my babygirl's has gotten very much smaller, but she knows when she feels it in there that she needs to go to the bathroom and try.

:flowerforyou:

ilike2moveit

Hi,
First off you are not alone. I know she might be holding it in because it hurts to go (Therefore she dose not want to go and thinks Poop equals pain) ( My daughter has had similar issues.when she was younger) What we did was used bencol or benefiber ( you can mix it with liquid and it has no taste. You give it to your daughter every day. Talk to her about what you put in her drink and show her what you are doing (Heck let her help you mesure it and mix it in her drink. Let her know that this will make it easy to poop. ( this way it lets her know she has some control) also what can help is sitting in a warm bath or a hot tub ( both help relax those muscles and makes you want to go and the last thing is if you can get her in a pool ( with floties or what ever she need to move around. The pool takes the weight off the body and again relaxs those musles and she will be busys playing in the water and kicking her legs and it willl naturally want to come out. (I would suggest dont doing this in a public pool because Trust me floaters will happen.) I believe that once she has some easy poops that the issues will get better. Also you might want to make sure that she is chewing her food really well because the stomach will dont digest unchewed food well and it makes hard compact poop. I would not give her laxitives to often because they can make the natural system of the body sluggish and then she will have a hard time going without them. (Wow It seems I know a lot about Poop :bigsmile:

between you and i we could write a book about poop. anyway, she's been on laxatives/stool softners for while, but i think its all anxiety. i really didn't want to give her any laxatives at all because i didnt want her body to rely on those methods in the future, like you mentioned, but i only give it to her when i notice it's been quite an amount of time between BM's. i too noticed when shes in the tub she'll get the urge but she'll force herself to hold it back. her face just turns red. i don't know how else i'm suppose to explain this to her.

.s.

Holding the poop in and not wanting to poop are classic signs of megacolon-it's what causes the megacolon. She has learned that pooping is really painful because of the huge poop size. I recommend the website www.soilingsolutions.com - he addresses how to deal with this very thing. You won't be disappointed. You can buy his manual and he teaches you how to train your child to quit holding in the poop and to learn to release it.

leavinglasvegas

It sounds like her problem is anxiety, not actually producing excrement. The last thing I would do is load her up with fibrous foods so that her colon becomes impacted because she's too scared to make a bowel movement. If she were to respond to the stimulus correctly (I feel the need to poop so I'm going to poop) her excrement wouldn't be hard and too large to pass. The problem that needs to be addressed is her willingness to use the toilet.

I agree with this post. I did this when I was a child. I was terrified to go to the bathroom, especially in public places. It was so painful that just remembering it brings tears to my eyes. The more you push into her the more it will hurt her. You would be amazed at how much she is going through on the inside to hold it in, it is always painful. You need to get to the root of the problem, and its not going to have anything to do with food. Please take her to a psychologist. I wish so bad that my parents would have done that. No matter what they put in my food or drinks, it only made it worse for me. I still have issues with the bathroom. Can't even pee unless the door is locked and I check it several times. I ended up growing up with an eating disorder and major digestive issues. Early therapy would have helped me and prevented alot of self-esteem issues while I was growing up.

ilike2moveit

Most megacolon (encopresis) issues start with anxiety of not wanting to poop. The problem now has gone beyond that because now she is unable to poop in the privacy and comfort of her own home-the anxiety now is-I can't poop because it is way too painful because the poops are enormous. They are enormous from holding in the poop, and the colon continues to stretch, and the poop continues to pile up, and then the colon is unable to squeeze the poop out. Once the colon is cleaned out and the poops are soft she will slowly learn that pooping doesn't need to be painful and anxiety driven. A wonderful psychologist wrote a manual called Soiling Solutions-The Clean Kid Manual, teaching parents how to address the Behavorial Modifications on re-teaching your child how to overcome their anxiety of pooping. Miralax is also good because it is working on the physical part-the poop are way to big and painful-the miralax helps soften them so she can pass them.

czewwhat

Mineral oil is natural and very effective too! Just hard to get your child to eat or swallow. It is flavorless and stays on the tongue unless well disguised!