BMs 1/week - is this normal?! (warning: TMI!)

[ThreeofUs]

Hi, All--

I'm hoping you can help me with this. DS is pretty well potty trained - he urinates in the toilet, and can often get himself there for BMs as well. Accidents are about 1/2weeks, and always minimized and immediately reported by him.

Unfortunately, he also holds his BMs for a whole week. On about day 5, he starts complaining that his bottom hurts. We tell him that this means he needs to put his "poo in the potty", and then he will stop hurting/feel much better. On about day 6, he complains that it hurts a lot, and (repeating the mantra) we sit him on the toilet repeatedly.

He either has a BM in the potty at one of those times, or sometime soon after he runs on his own to the bathroom and then does so. He never exhibits pain, just concentration and effort to get all the BM out.

We're worried about this, but don't know whether 6 days between BM's is too long and if so what to do.

Any suggestions would be welcome!

[JBaxter]

no its not. I would start giving him 1 or 2 oz of prune juice daily mix it with apple and dilute it. It is NOT good for him to keep doing that. Nathan did that for about 3 weeks when he potty trained at 2 1/2. My ped recommended the prune juice routine. It can become a nasty cycle... it hurts when he poos sho he holds it and the longer he olds it the more it hurts. the prune juice keeps the poo soft and they cant hold it as long.

If you go to your ped and it continues they usually suggest miralax which is a prescribtion. I would go the more natural prune juice if you can.

[ThreeofUs]

FWIW, just got back from Ped's office, and here's a report.

He says, "no problem if BM is not hard and child does not have problem expelling." He also said first line of defense is prune juice, then (if that doesn't work) 1 teaspoon of mineral oil once daily.

Interesting.

[JBaxter]

1 tsp of organic flax seed oil will also work instead of mineral oil. My ped also recommended that for Nathan and when I asked him what was in mineral oil he just looked at me LOL. Flaxseed oil has the omega-6 that is good for you and it softens up the poo.

I mixed 2oz of prune with 2oz of apple then diluted it 1/2 with water. If you give to much more than that the poo gets really runny and thats a whole other issue :(

Good luck :) I want to say This too will pass ;)

[ThreeofUs]

I've been mixing 2 oz of prune juice mixed with about 6 oz of apple, and having DS drink it through the day. Nothing yet, though he's complaining about his bottom 3 days early. I hope something will pass soon! :) hee hee

Flaxseed oil is a wonderful suggestion; I drink it myself but would never have connected the dots to DS. Thank you so much.