Help - What's happening with my 6yo DD? Any developmental spurts I should look out for?

Hi Sugarbeach, I had this problem when I was 6..... At this point in time I lived in Cyprus, where my baby brother had been born and due to him having sever learning difficulties, my Mum had to return home to the UK for him to be accessed etc.... I'm not sure if it was the stress or her leaving, but I remember one day playing and felt I was wet downstairs - thinking I weed myself, I ran behind somewhere and checked, only to find my bikini bottoms filled with blood. My Dad rushed me to the doctors where I was told to eat as much digestives and drink plenty of orange juice - that was some 25yrs ago but it sorted itself out.... It may be down to stress, but not saying that to make you feel bad. Also, it could be food allergies, which I too struggle with. There's a test you can get at the docs which test 200+ foods & it costs 1700dhs, so not cheap.... Maybe something that you think is good for her just doesn't agree with her.... My brother also has the same issue and he was told not to eat banana's as they are notorious for bunging you up?! Everyone is different though. I'm sorry I probably haven't helped you much, but just wanted to let you know it happened to me and tell you what I was advised. Good luck and I really hope she's back on track very soon! xx

MOT, I'm sure that works! I have been suffering from chronic constipation all my life, throughout my teenage years. Recently, I have started 'going' in this posture (happened itself, didn't know it was recommended!), and it does work like a charm. Plus, Sugarbeach, try finding out if your DD is a nervous pooper. I just can't go if there's some one up and around in the house, there's something that needs to be done in a hurry, or there's a lot of activity going on in the house. Its very psychological, the body just wont respond if the mind isn't ready and willing. Reading or some other distraction might help her too. TMI, but HTH.

Just wanted to share something I've learned from a very experienced pediatrician I had (one of those doctors you feel incredibly comfortable with and knows a lot!!) It has to do with posture while 'going" - (try it yourself first and you'll see how well it works!) Sorry to be a bit too descriptive ( I'll try to do it the best I can!) The correct posture for "going" is, legs in "v", apart, arms placed in front of lower abdomen, not pushing in but forming a support "wall", sorta speak. When the abdomen pushes, it will move out, so the arms are there to give support to the muscles. Works like a charm and less pushing is needed. HTH.

Hi Sugarbeach, ((Hugs))) as i know just how hard it can be, and you are certainly not alone. Whilst living in the UAE, our daughter had a couple of bouts of constipation, and once we ended up with her in hospital because of it. The drs had conflicting ideas on how to deal with it, and we have had drs disagreeing as to whether she was indeed even suffering from constipation.(frustrating to say the least) We have been back in Oz about 15 months and for the past 8 or 9 months DD ( now 5) has been under the care of a paed and is seen regularly by the staff at the continence clinic. The nerves in her bowel have been damaged due to constant over stretching and in turn, has left her (bowel) incontinent. The nerves should heal and regenerate, but it is a loooooong, tiring, messy process. Her appetite is pretty good, and her diet has always been quite well balanced and full of fibre, but sometimes that alone ( along with water) is not enough. She is on meds at the moment, but is expected ( at some point in time), to have a normal functioning bowel again. Editing to add: DD has to sit on the loo for 10 mins, 20 mins after eating- and is NOT allowed to push. Pushing is not encouraged at all by the continence clinic. If you want to chat off line at any stage, my email address is sgilli3 at gmail dot com edited by sgilli3 on 27/10/2011 edited by sgilli3 on 27/10/2011 <em>edited by sgilli3 on 27/10/2011</em>

Isn't parenting an incredible job? My three kids are a bit older than yours, but I have some experience with all of these issues. First of all, the constipation. It was a very big problem for my daughter and now that she is in her late teens, she still monitors her system and is proactive about eating the foods she needs to keep her system moving. When she was much younger, we ended up in a clinic (in Canada) that dealt with this exact issue. One thing to keep in mind, if your child has been constipated for a while, their muscles that move the stool along may have been stretched and it takes a while for those muscles to contract back down and send the signal to the brain that it is time to go. (In my daughter's case, it took about a year to heal). At the young ages of your kids, it's really important that they get into the habit of sitting on the potty for a while. Have a basket of books nearby and be prepared to sit with them and look at books. Setting a timer used to help. If you are at home with the kids then after every meal it's important that they have time on the potty. It's tougher to manage if they go to school. Also just a word of caution about stool softeners and stimulants, they are okay when things have really slowed down, but you don't want your child's body to become accustomed to them. It really is a matter of high fiber and eating good quality food in the diet. As long as you have ruled out dietary allergies, then continue with loads of fibre. If you can ever find bran buds here, they are packed with fiber and will get things moving. There are loads of ideas on the internet for sneaking bran and other foods high in fiber into the diet. Keep in mind that bowel issues take time to resolve but it's really important that you stay on top of it. One other thing, this is going to sound really bizarre, but if you know your child is straining, then it's important to help them learn how to breathe through it. Instead of holding their breathe and really straining to push when they are on the toilet, you actually want to get them to exhale when they push. ( I learned that from a physiotherapist). You don't want them straining until it looks like their eyes are going to pop out of their head, teach them to exhale. As for the nosebleeds, if the airconditioner is running a lot, it can be very drying to the mucous membrane inside the nose. We were always told to put a tiny bit of vaseline inside the nostril (don't get carried away, just a small blob) to lubricate the membrane might help prevent it from drying out. I know it's hard to see your child struggle with all these issues, but hang in there!

sugarbeach, just writing to tell you I can totally sympathize. I'm sorry I can't help as I am faced with a similar problem with my eldest and dying to find him a cure. He's had cronic constipation ever since I can remember and he is not even three yet. He had been on a strict fibre diet as well but it didnt help much so we are not following it as religiously anymore. We are clueless at the moment and really desperate although his doctor keeps telling us he is otherwise a healthy boy (no underlying health issues and thinks he will ougrow it as he grows). If you dont mind me asking, what does the fibre diet your daughter is following consist of? I'm glad she is not straining anymore as mine can't go a day without his duphalac dose and I wish we could do it wih only a diet control. Thank you and hoping you find a solution soon. oh and I forgot to mention that he is a super fussy eater too.

My youngest DD used to suffer with random, unexpected heavy nosebleeds at around that age and continued to quite some years until we discovered it was a reaction to an allergy like hay fever, brought on by varying substances from pollen, feathers, household cleaning substances etc. Found relief from using beconase nasal spray continually from march to september (UK spring/summer) to combat pollen, we eradicated feathers from the home and changed household cleaning products to more organic products. However I would suggest you writing a history of recent episodes/illnesses and discussing with your doctor as a whole history to see if they are linked or just coincidences. It would also be good to do a daily diary of DD's activities etc and chart nosebleeds to see if there is a common denominator which would help pinpoint causes.

Is she still straining to go to the loo? Or sudden sneezing may be enough to do it...but pinprick broken blood vessels in the cheeks of her face can be caused by a good hard tanty and the likes. Lil miss has started getting more blood noses again, they started maybe a year ago and she is nearly 7. I had them as a young one too, so either she will grow out of them, or I'll have to see what the ENT says. I had mine cauterized, and it was fairly traumatic at that age. Lil miss also had a hernia but far far younger and the advice we got then was that it wasnt a problem and should work itself out within a year..it did. This time of year here colds and allergies seem to rear up again, and excma. You're doing your absolute best with the diet, and as the mum of a picky eaty I feel your pain. (Kiwi fruit rules in this house!)