Ecing when baby is constipated

[Snapdragon]

my 7 month old is having constipation issues- he is pooping every 5 days- went 8 days the other wk and needed a suppository to get going- went another 5 days and needed a suppository again- and it has been 2 full days since that last poop. took him to the doc who suggested prune juice. We were starting solids but are just doing EBF now while this is happening.
So he used to be so great on the potty- catching most pees and some poops. He got pretty relaxed to be held over the potty. But now he just cries and resists it Sometimes he can be calm for a pee but- well he isn't pooping much at all.
So my main concern is not that he poops in the toilet but that he can relax enough o poop at all! So I am concerned that maybe doing EC has caused him to learn to hold in his poops? So now we are laying off some- and we tell him - you can poop in your dipaer! and make the poop cue- but he is still going very infrequently.
do you think ecing an infant can cause them to hold it in and create constipation or is it unrelated? I am trying a balance between offering him chances (lots ) to relax and poop at his leaisure w- a dipaer on, plus holding him over the toilet, plus laying him diaper free and relaxed on flat prefolds. I don't know what else I could do

[emmaegbert]

hugs

I don't have an answer for you guys but wanted to say that my DD, who tends to be more constipated (though not TOO bad) has always associated potty times with going poop. I can see she "tries". In her case I think it may have helped avoid constipation b/c she really does give it a good shot a couple times a day. But I could see with a kid who is having painful or difficult elimination, that might make the potty stressful!

Sounds smart to be mostly EBF until things resolve. 7m is still young, maybe his digestive system is just too immature to handle much food? My DS frequently went 7-10 days between poops, but that was before he was eating any solids. They weren't difficult or painful, just infrequent.

[bcblondie]

Lurking here because we don't EC. But my DS is constipated a lot... I try to feed him a ton of fruit since he doesn't like prune juice at all. He really likes pears. And pears are safe early on. Could you try that?
I do think that he could be starting the cycle of "poop hurts so hold it in, but now that makes it worse." My only advice is to make it as soft as possible so he stops being afraid. It might take a while for him to become comfortable again.
The position that helps DS (although he's almost 2) Is to lay on his stomach with his knees under him. Fetal position I guess. And I distract him with a book or something. That usually helps a lot. Sometimes I lay him over my legs.

[Marsupialmom]

I didn't ec by I had a child with BM issues.

At that age eliminate anything from the BRAT (Bananas, rice, Apple, and Toast) diet he may be eating. These are horrible starter foods.

I didn't start my other kids on these foods until I knew which woods would keep them soft and moving.

[Snapdragon]

thanks- it is a wk or so later and things are getting better w- the consitpation. We are doing only breastmilk and then on some days I give him some prune juice- which he loves. After this post he went 5 days w-out a poop and then was so upset and obviously in pain so we did one final suppository- then he pooped tons from that. Then finally pooped on his own 2 days later and has been much happier and more cheerful. So I thin kthe EC relation was not the factor, but just that I fed him too much solids from 6-7 months and his body got backed up. HE is getting more relaxed about peeing over the toilet again, phew- and while I am offering him chances to poop in the toilet, I am relaxing about it too and really not worrying aobut catching poops right now. I thin kit is better now- been about 3 days since a full poop. okay- I will stop talking baout this now- sorry! When you have a baby, their poop schedule becomes very interesting discussion- but maybe not to anyone but the actual parents of the baby!

[bcblondie]

Lol. No. Its interesting to us too or we wouldn't have responded! Glad it's getting better. I'm shocked that he loves prune juice. lol.

[kaylasclothkits]

I definitely notice that dd doesn't want to use the potty as much (even to pee) when she's struggling to poop. Just being in the position can be painful.

[Snapdragon]

I am still trying to figure out what is normal. After the huge suppository inspired poop last wk, there was one normal one- I think 3 days ago- and since then noithing but a few hints. We are still only on breastmilk and a little prune juice, but also a couple of times I have given him a small amount of pureed ripe pear- a fresh one, in the past couple of days. So I am still waiting on the poops- but I guess going a few days for a baby who eats mostly only breast milk is normal? the doctor didn't have any advice other than the prune juice- he said there is a strong laxative they can give but it is only for serious cases and has lots of side effects. Because this is my first child,I am still figuring out what is normal. I can totally tell when his belly hurts though- and thankfully the last few days, even though he hasn;t pooped again, he seems okay with that.

[Marsupialmom]

Use the fact of how his body works. A person bowels are moving after eating.

Hold him with his back to your chest will pulling his knees up to chest (kind of think of the 45 degree with legs pulled up to give birth. It can help get the poo out.

What is normal can be different from person to person.

[paxye]

Are you sure it is constipation? Is the poop like little pellets or is it more normal? If it is normal then it is not constipation..

My oldest was very regular.... he would poop at around 3pm every 10 days until he was almost a year and eating more solids... it was his normal...

My dd is 9 moths and she goes in the morning, every 2-3 days...

My two others were more on a daily schedule..

I wouldn't worry about it...

[emmaegbert]

Originally Posted by Marsupialmom

What is normal can be different from person to person.

Originally Posted by paxye

Are you sure it is constipation? Is the poop like little pellets or is it more normal? If it is normal then it is not constipation..

agree with both of these. "normal" varies greatly. my two kids have been very different in this regard.

if the poop is soft and passing easily, then its not constipation, its just infrequent. I would personally not do anything about that, and wouldn't worry about it. from my experience and what I've read, this can be VERY normal for bf babies.

[Snapdragon]

good to know ! There were a couple of wks (2-3 even) where it was constipation- he was in pain, trying to poop and could not
but now things are getting better!
Ever since we cleared him out and stopped solids, the poop is normal consistency. And he pooped again today so things are working! I guess his normal is every 3 or so days.
So now I want to get back to ECing with the poop again- I let it go and would tell him- its okay just go in your diaper. Now that things are flowing again, when I changed that poopy diaper I though about how much nicer it is when he poops in the toilet!

[emmaegbert]

glad your little guy is feeling better

(I had no idea, before I became a mom, how much my new life would require me to look at, handle, think about, and talk about poop!)

[anarchamom]

A couple of things that work for us when bowel issues arise:
1.warm wash cloth on the belly,
2.using the little potty instead of the in-arms position over the toilet because the position is more comfortable for the belly
3. DISTRACTION while attempting to move the bowels. Normally i sing, but when he is resistant because of discomfort, i sing as loud as i need to distract him from his anxiety. it works quite often. he can listen to my terrible singing and relax enough to get the job done.

glad he is feeling better.

[GingerNinja]

I sing like crazy too!! ahh the distraction.. at least this voice is good for something.. ;)

My DS is just over 7 months too, and is going through the same thing.. constipated (hard, dry poops around 3 days apart.. with much struggling) and really resists the in-arms position.  Problem is (and I'll be posting a question about this to the Mothering world in a minute) is that he's now discovered that he can pull himself to standing while on the potty! and then promptly careens towards the ground. He's a hefty little guy who doesn't crawl yet.. but seems to want to explore nonetheless. I've been using much distraction to coax pees from in-arms and can occasionally hand him enough squares of toilet paper or toilet paper tubes to keep him busy enough to pee on the potty while I'm using the "big potty". 

[porcelina]

I did not EC with my first but he had the exact same issues you described at that age. I wish I had done EBF at that point because it really does create a negative cycle. Instead I tried the prune juice, only high fiber foods, lots of fruits, etc. It helped only a little bit. Ended up having to resort to Miralax. Doctor recommended it, said it has no long term depndency or side effects. I held back for too long though and the negative cycle was established. At 2.5 he still needs Miralax and resists making a poop when he needs to because he fears it will hurt, and the longer he holds out the more it does. Anyway, my advice is do whatever you can to avoid painful pooping to avoid that pattern. I think some digestive systems just don't respond to the levels of fiber we can get in them at that age. Definitely try Miralax if you need to, before you have a severe case on your hands! It's so hard to watch them struggle like that!