How often should there be poop? Would you give Miralax?

[ExcitedMamma]

After only pooping on he poppy seemingly by accident I'm so impressed with DS who over the last two weeks has become poop trained to only go on the potty. But sometimes he has huge poops every other day or so and then has just little poops. We had been giving him Miralax regularly to stay ahead of some on and off constipation but then he started having big poops on the potty so we stopped. Now with the little poops I'm worried about constipation but I don't want to mess up our potty success. Worried about Miralax making things too soft or otherwise changing things since he's so good now about telling us when he needs to go. Also before the poop was smooshed in a diaper so now I'm much more acquainted with the sizes but I don't know if those big poops were him just finally releasing, maybe holding it back too long, or if these little poops are normal or if it's constipation. Sorry for the TMI! What do you think?

[ExcitedMamma]

Bump...any advice would be greatly appreciated! So torn about giving Miralax because I'm afraid he needs it but also scared of messing up great PT success.

[Katigre]

Why not do a low dose of Miralax so that his poop consistency isn't affected but he goes more regularly? Usually poops should be all the same size (width-wise I mean) - if you're seeing a big variation that could indicate impaction/constipation issues. It should also be regular (1-2x/day) without skipping days.

[momm]

I wouldn't worry about constipation unless the consistency of the stools worry you.

Constipation is rarely about the amount, or number of times anyone poops. It's about the consistency. If the stools are really hard and tough to pass, then it's constipation. If you see your DS trying hard and being unable to poop then it's constipation.

It's quite normal for children not to poop for a day or so, or even a few days, as long as their diet is good, poop is ok in consistency, and there's no bleeding or anything from applying pressure.

I wouldn't give Miralax and make them depend on it, unless there's some problem and your ped has suggested it. I would instead depend on fibrous diet and lots of water for your child to be regular.

Good luck!

[twowhat?]

I wouldn't take him OFF the miralax unless your ped says it's OK - especially through potty-training. It'll only take 1 painful poop to throw a wrench in your PT success. The miralax won't interfere with him learning the sensation and being able to tell you when he needs to go. All it does is pull more water into the poop. My DD2 has been on Miralax for more than 2 years now with no side effects. And our ped told us to continue to give it (and also emphasized making sure to dose her consistently through potty-training) since we deal with chronic constipation here. It's much easier starting with too-soft poop and slowly backing off on the miralax until you get the right consistency than it is to start with too-hard poop and a kid who withholds because he is afraid it will hurt to poop.

And I think I've read before that depending on how bad the constipation is, sometimes even the consistency of the poop can fool you - as the softer poop moves around the harder compacted poop to make its way out (gross, I know).