11 Month Old Cries When Pooping.

[calizacar]

My son is almost 12 months old and pooping has always been a bit of an ordeal for him.  He was strictly breastfed for the first 6 months of his life and even then would cry when he pooped and once went 3 weeks without going.  So now I've introduced solids and every time he goes he cries like he's in agony and I'm just not sure what to think.  Is it normal to cry every time?  Is this just him?  It feels like that's a dumb question because everytime I see this happen I feel awful for him so surely it can't be good.  He strains a lot when going and sometimes pushes so hard he turns red, and something doesn't always come out.  I'm trying to be good about still nursing and also offering him water through out the day, which he will drink no problem.  I've cut out all dairy except yogurt because of all the live cultures and am also cutting out grains on top of that.  What else could it be but just his body figuring it out??  Anyone else gone through this???

[4myfinn]

Yes, my son did this too.  I always knew he had some sensitivities to foods through my BM (dairy, eggs, soy, etc.), but it turns out he had problems with foods I hadn't even considered- yams, peas, and pretty much any whole grain.  He was having so many issues that when he was 11 mo I had to basically start over testing one food at a time for four days to check for reactions (so many of his reactions are bowel, so sometimes it took a while to tell).  I give him organic pear juice mixed with a little water in a sippy cup in the mornings to help loosen things up a bit.  How do his stools look?  Also, are you giving him a probiotic of his own?

 

[callahansmama]

What about natural laxatives like blueberries or a little bit of prunes? Is he eating lots of high fibre fruits? I hope you find an answer soon. I would consult a doctor if he seems to be in pain.

[Snapdragon]

we used water mixed with apple juice (gave it to him to drink often) when ds had constipation and it worked great- both in getting a lot more fluids into him and also the apple juice itself helped,I think.

[expat-mama]

We had mild issues with constipation when DS started soilds. Water was the key for us- LOTS of it. We live in a hot and dry climate and indoors we have aircon running all the time- so it's dry everywhere. I always have a sippy cup with water and offer it to DS all the time. I don't want to start giving him juice so I haven't done that.

Pears, apricots and blueberries get things moving for him. And prunes of course! I make sure he has a serving of one of these every day. He also eats probiotic yogurt every morning. And I try to watch if I'm feeding him too much constipating foods (rice, bananas, etc).

Doing all of this we haven't had any more problems. My DS STILL grunts and turns red when he poops though- even if it is soft and runny! I think some babes just do that!

[4myfinn]

Dr. Sears also recommends flax oil for constipation.  I haven't used it yet but he swears it works in The Baby Book.

 

[calizacar]

Thanks Ladies, I spoke to my ped about it and she said it sounds like after having been constipated he's afraid now of pooping.  I started giving him flax seed this morning.  We have fruit and yogurt in the morning (blueberries, strawberries, grapesand whatever else I have).  He can eat an entire avocado in one sitting which has tons of fiber.  And I make sure he eats the baby yogurt with lots of probiotics.  I guess I'll keep going with the flax seed for now since he pooped twice today and see if that gets any easier.  Then maybe I'll add probiotics and prunes.  His poo isn't hard so it shouldn't be hurting but who knows....

God, I hope I don't have to go through every food........  ugh... 

[4myfinn]

FYI- Yogurt is not the only way to get probiotics; they make supplements for infants, many of which are dairy-free.  Since dairy can be a major contributor to some digestive problems and is also the most common allergen, I think you might want to consider cutting it out completely.  

 

[LaydieBugs]

Our naturopath told us probiotics are a little overrated:  a person does not need to take them all the time, just for 3 months after a bacteria-killing incident (antibiotics, etc). 

Our 11 month old suddenly started having a hard time with a BM too.  He's been happy to poop on the potty since he was 2 months old (we don't really EC, we just let him sit on the potty instead of watching him make a diaper, when it's obvious he needs to poop).  Now that they're getting much more solid, he only wants to poop standing up!  I can coax him sometimes into letting me hold him over the potty EC style, but he doesn't love that either. 

I think it's mostly that it's unfamiliar, not that there is a genuine digestive problem.  A baby isn't truly constipated, I've repeatedly read, unless the BM is hard pellets.  It's just that it's something new he needs to learn, and it's not a comfortable sensation when it's so unfamiliar.  I hold him and give him lots of positive feedback when he gets it out ... soothing and helping him learn which kind of pushing is productive. 

That being said, things to soften the stool might help a little.  Might.  Suddenly, no matter what I feed LO, he never has liquidy stools anymore.  More fiber just makes them more frequent, of the same texture.

[calizacar]

Laydiebugs, that's really interesting actually.  We do a bit of pooing on the potty as well since we've always known when he's pooping.  So EC by way of coincidence?  I end up holding him a lot when he goes and pulling his knees up a little since I've read that's a good position for everyone to go in.  I also rub his back, sing and just hold him.  Poor little guy.  It just makes me feel awful.  Oh, he's also started doing plank pose when he gets an urge if he's crawling around.  Do you think he could be trying to hold it in????  I've never seen a baby do this!  Crazy....

[scrandall1173]

Just a warning, I discovered that avocados and bananas constipate! I was surprised by this.

[4myfinn]

Carrots can too.  I think the key is just watching your LO for what foods seem to be binding and give them something to counter that.  When I feed my son foods that make it a little tough for him to poop (carrots, potatoes, bananas, lamb), I make sure to give him pear juice mixed with water to soften things up a bit.  I don't know if these foods have the same effect on everyone, but this is what happens to him.

Originally Posted by scrandall1173 

Just a warning, I discovered that avocados and bananas constipate! I was surprised by this.