Constipating Foods

Encopresis: My Child's Battle

Constipating Foods Encopresis, a word that I have added to my vocabulary in the last six months. Encopresis is defined as the soiling of underwear with fecal matter by a person passed the age of toilet training, typically recognized as 4 years of age. August of 2007 a four year old little boy was placed in my home as a foster child. When he first came to my home he was terrified of water, baths were a difficult thing to do. It seems that , as a punishment to his soiling himself, one of his parents stuck him in the shower and ran hot water over him. We got past the bath water issue with the introduction of bubble baths, and this child now enjoys showers, but the soiling problem is a whole different matter.

Old enough to start to public kindergarten in 2008 year, I chose to hold this child back one more year to work on the bathroom problems. I could not understand how a child, at the age of 5, could "poop" all over himself , not once but twice, at his 5th birthday party. The whole summer of 2008 , accident , upon accident occurred. It was during a visit with a psychologist that I was introduced to encopresis. This disorder results from chronic constipation. If a child ever experiences a difficult bowel movement they may be inclined to hold the bowel movements to prevent the pain from happening again. In my child's case I think he tries to hold the bowel movement as long as he can due to punishment he received for accidents in earlier years.

Children that suffer from encopresis often have no clue they have soiled themselves. This is the case with my child, and this is what clued me in that there was something more going on that just not going to the bathroom. The odor from these episodes is very foul, and you would think a child would notice the smell but I often must tell the child he has had an accident and have him go to the bathroom.

His medical doctor has prescribed a dosage of Miralax to treat possible constipation. This was a hard thing for me to accept at the time. How could medicine for constipation help a child that was using the bathroom in his pants daily? However the treatment did help the problem. By causing a softer more regular bowel movement daily the accidents miraculously disappeared. Once I stop the daily dosage of Miralax the problem re appears.

To help my child permanently correct his problem I must become better at monitoring his foods. During research about encopresis I have discovered that milk and yogurt, two food items this child loves, are considered Constipating Foods. I need to increase his fiber intake. Popcorn is a food that he loves and is high in fiber. I will need to start offering it to him more. He's not that found of fresh fruits but does like dry beens. I have not given him a Fiber One bar yet, but I love these myself and will be offering him one soon. I prefer the non medical treatments and hopefully this summer , now that I know there is a medical diagnosis for the child's problem, will be a less stressful time for me and the child as we get ready to begin our kindergarten school year.

By Frances E.(Beth) Bowling - I am the biological mom of two girls, adoptive mom of three children that I was foster parent to first. I have a degree in accounting and computer programming. Having a very logical mind, I love new challeng...

Constipating foods?
My son is 10 months old. recently, his bowel movements have beomce "pellet like".. what foods are constipating? I have been giving him bananas, which i beleive ARE constipating..are potatoes??? any suppgestions would be quite helpful/ Thanks i just wanted to add that my son just got over a cold,,,he was taking some Triametic strips for his cough and stuffy nose..maybe that is the culprit/? I am also trying prune juice now too...thanks agian

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bowel problems?
ok. all my life i have been having really bad bowel movements. i play sports and i drink enough water, but certain things i eat just makes me constipated. for example juices like fruit punch, gatorade, and soda makes me constipated. foods like cake, spigetti, pie, icc cream, cookies, chips, candy, makes me constipated. and i don't understand why. so whats up with my body u guys? the only thing that helps me out is olive oil. i drink it every night, so when i wake up, i am able to have a bowel movement. but without it i can't. it don't only make me me poop but it makes my skin look better and brighter with aglow. so that's a plus. lol i don't eat junk food tho. i might add because of the effects.

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How can I relieve my constipated baby?
My 9 month old has had constipation problems since he was about 3 months old. We have tried so many things at the pediatrician's advice. None of it has made it go away. He cries so hard when it's time for a bm, and it's clear that he's in pain. The pediatrician just says "try this and call if it doesn't work" and then she just give another random solution. We've tried prunes in the form of juice and baby food. We avoid apples, bananas, rice, and other constipating foods and opt for oatmeal, apricots, pears, vegetables, etc., that are supposed to relieve constipation. It seems better, at least the bm is over faster, but he still screams like crazy and the bm is really hard and big (no wonder it hurts!). I need advice from someone who'[s had the same problem and found relief, or from a nurse or pediatrician who can be more helpful than mine. Feel free to offer multiple solutions; we'll try anything!

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