[mama-a-llama]

Posting this here b/c the constipation is related to ds's syndrome. Also don't want to get chewed up in LWAB.

Ds's poop is generally pasty, sort of the consistency of peanut butter. For about a month now, per the ped's recommendation, we've been giving him 2 oz of prune juice every day. The problem is, this results in extremely liquidy poop and huge explosive messes. We tried cutting back the prune juice, but even 1.5 oz leaves him with the pb poop.

Anyone else dealing with constipation issues? He does seem to make more effort with the pasty poops, although I know most people technically say it's not constipation unless the poop is super hard.

ETA: other parents with ds's syndrome say that probiotics help some. I've been giving him probiotics, but it doesn't seem to make a difference at all. And he was always pooping every day, it's not an issue of him going longer.

 

[rbear4]

I was going to recomend probiotics too. If that doesn't help what about enzymes. I see he is very small (9 mos) so I wouldn't want to give out advice to give him unless it was ok'ed by someone who medically knows more than I (like a doctor).

For older kids with constipation problems I have usually recomended healing thier digestion through use of probiotics, enzymes and possibly mild fiber (prune juice should do that) as well as finding out if there is anything in particular they are sensitive too. As well as increasing activity if possible.

However, since your child is a baby and I don't know what his syndrome and infact I don't really know anything about syndromes, then take my advice with a big monster grain of salt.

Renee

 

[amycurlygirl]

Have you heard of slippery elm? Something to check into.

I even give my son(17mths) fresh ground flax seed to help.
I mix it in with his food. Started this at about 13mths though.

Your ds may be too young for flax seed?

Niether cause "blow-outs"
We always have problems with that as well.

 

[Fay]

Try flax oil instead of flax seed -- less of a gagging issue. Also, change to a different brand of probiotic -- there is a huge difference between one brand and another, and it helps to vary up the different strains of bacteria anyway. Consumer Reports did a study on probiotics this past year, and found that most powdered probiotics were ineffective because almost all of the bacteria were already dead at the time of purchase!

Benefiber (guar gum) dissolves completely in any fluid and has no texture, so it may be worth a try...but it doesn't work for everyone. It gave my DS gas and that's about it.

 

[wombat]

Sorry for butting in, I just noticed this post on New Posts. I know nothing about SN or DS but quite a bit about constipation after battling with it with my dd.

1. If it's like peanut butter that's ok. Most babies look a bit uncomfortable pooping - that's not a big problem. But if he's really uncomfortable and it seems painful, or if you think it's so difficult for him to poop that it's hindering bowel movements, and he's 'storing' it - for me that would be reason to treat because it can stretch the bowel and lead to functional constipation.

2. Treating - Sounds like the prunes are too much for him so try giving less. Else a gentler method may be using magnesium. There's been some threads about the ratio of calcium to magnesium we get these days. Here's a good link about using magnesium for constipation, including the dosage. http://www.enzymestuff.com/magnesium.htm You might want to ask your ped about it too, although it's usually Ped GI drs who would know about it

I think prune juice works by making his bowel muscles contract (that would explain the explosive poops). A treatment like magnesium that draws water into the bowel and makes the poop softer would probably be better (that's what milk of magnesia does). This link gives good descriptions of types of treatments even though they're very 'medical'. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/d...di/202319.html

ETA I'm not recommending milk of magnesia (icky and doesn't sound like he needs that!). I'd try a mix of mag. oxide, sulfate, and/or citrate - you can dissolve the tablets in his water/juice/food.

 

[mamaverdi]

Blackstrap molasses. 1 Tablespoon to 8 oz of water. Give him sips.
Try a different type of probiotics. We've used VSL with good luck. It is powdered though.