Author Topic: Dairy and constipation - any experience?  (Read 16340 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Edesanja

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 39
  • Posts: 2593
  • Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Re: Dairy and constipation - any experience?
« Reply #45 on: June 26, 2013, 21:05:31 pm »
Ugh it progressed into wetting herself a few times which will mean she's blocked up. So we gave her lactulose. Ugh. Her poo was so *nice* for quite a while and then she just reverted back. Really confused now.

The other thing is the dark circles under her eyes never got any better which I thought they would.
Jenny - mama to



Offline EloysH

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 102
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 5299
  • Eloise & 2 boys, from reflux to gut healing :)
  • Location: Sydney, Australia
Re: Dairy and constipation - any experience?
« Reply #46 on: June 27, 2013, 05:56:42 am »
Oh that's a shame that her poos went off again. There must be more to it... could it be other constipation factors that are at play i.e. more than just dairy intolerance, you've got hydration, and fibre content of diet to consider, plus other possible food intolerances I guess. Perhaps soy? 

We're you really strict with the no dairy whilst the constipation was building up?

I think the dark circles can take quite a while to go. I think they are more related to liver function and detoxification rather than food intolerance/allergy. Kai has been months without the allergy shiners then if he starts to get run down, or tired they come back, or if he is having trouble with foods again. There are natural things you can do to support the liver of course there is a myriad of remedies/foods/supplements/herbs/minerals that will help.  ::)

Offline draxela

  • BW Aficionado
  • ***
  • Showing Appreciation 4
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 139
  • My beautiful cherubs
  • Location: Canberra, Australia
    • Swings and Roundabouts
Re: Dairy and constipation - any experience?
« Reply #47 on: June 27, 2013, 16:30:06 pm »
Hey Jenny, we noticed the same thing with Neko after a few weeks and I suspected it was the soy milk we were suddenly giving in abundance (not to mention soy yoghurt etc). I cut right back on that and replaced the soy where I could with other alternatives and that seemed to help. Also, our paed told us that long-term constipation can lead to a very stretched and lazy bowel, meaning that the slightest trigger will now set her off for a while yet (eg stress/anxiety, medication/antibiotics, not enough water, not enough fibre etc). Can't remember if I already suggested the daily oats and green veg regime? We have to get her to eat oats in some form daily, and offer green veg as more than half her meal (currently trying broccoli, kale, spinach, peas...)

Fx it gets better soon for you guys xx
Alex, mummy to:
~ touchy/angel N, 2 November 2011, Cow's milk allergy
~ spirited A, 18 March 2013, food intols, reflux, tongue tie, lip tie!

Offline *Becky*

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 255
  • Posts: 19155
  • Location: Sussex, England
Re: Dairy and constipation - any experience?
« Reply #48 on: June 27, 2013, 18:44:22 pm »
sorry to hear things are not so good right now. I have found that to be a tough thing to deal with, I get so excited when we have a good patch and then it is so defeating when he starts having accidents again.

I think liquids is a big issue here. H used to drink lots of water but it is hard to get it into him now so I may actually let him have a bit more diluted juice as at least then he is getting more liquids.





Henry James and Martha Rose - my spirited pair!

Offline ZacsMumme

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 425
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 23962
  • You complete me
  • Location: NZ
    • Tomi & Roo Boutique
Re: Dairy and constipation - any experience?
« Reply #49 on: June 27, 2013, 20:21:23 pm »
Hugs Jenny x
***Sara***
https://www.facebook.com/tomiandroo


DS1 - Our sensitive soul. Silent reflux.

DS2 Our cheeky chipmunk. Reflux, MSPI.

Offline Edesanja

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 39
  • Posts: 2593
  • Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Re: Dairy and constipation - any experience?
« Reply #50 on: June 30, 2013, 21:12:13 pm »
I have been reading your replies this past week, and wishing I'd remembered what you'e been saying about there being setbacks etc ::).

We started a dairy challenge last Monday which I wish we hadn't - we should have pushed through for longer to see what happened. I really do wonder if the chocolate was the main factor. Anyway, she's doing okish but I'm pretty sure it's building up. On Fri she had to poo 3 times in an hour which isn't a great sign. I'm afraid we aren't hitting her hard enough with lots of dairy - she's drinking about 50ml at breakfast, still not having any on her cereal, and maybe eating a bit of yoghurt and a couple of slices of cheese. Not much hidden dairy since I don't have much about due to getting rid of it all.

That reminds me Alex, the only soy she was eating was hidden soy and it does still pop up a bit in some of the processed foods she was eating (like sausages - though I do try and buy them without soy but I know she did eat some that had soy in them). Oh and a bit of soy sauce in cooking occasionally but no soy milk or soy yoghurt etc.

Ugh, I just hope it's not too difficult to convince DH to go back to dairy free if necessary ::) ugh.

The plan at the moment is to carry on with the dairy for 3 weeks or until there's sufficient evidence that we need to stop. Gah, I feel like an idiot for doing this too early ::(

Jenny - mama to



Offline ENMS

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 63
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 5189
  • Location: Quebec, Canada
Re: Dairy and constipation - any experience?
« Reply #51 on: July 01, 2013, 01:00:52 am »
(((hugs))) you are so not an idiot!!!

You are trying so hard to make your little girl feel better, never for a minute and think you're an idiot. You're a wonderful mommy and you're doing all you can to help her. Maybe the dairy challenge will give you the answers after all.
Elise



Offline ZacsMumme

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 425
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 23962
  • You complete me
  • Location: NZ
    • Tomi & Roo Boutique
Re: Dairy and constipation - any experience?
« Reply #52 on: July 01, 2013, 01:43:01 am »
Hugs Jenny. I spend every day doing idiotic things ::) these kids with intolerances and allergies ar just hard to figure out, there is almost no info, but too much iykwim. Nothing is a 'sure thing' so we just muddle along learning more trying our best. It's all we can do :-*
***Sara***
https://www.facebook.com/tomiandroo


DS1 - Our sensitive soul. Silent reflux.

DS2 Our cheeky chipmunk. Reflux, MSPI.

Offline EloysH

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 102
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 5299
  • Eloise & 2 boys, from reflux to gut healing :)
  • Location: Sydney, Australia
Re: Dairy and constipation - any experience?
« Reply #53 on: August 12, 2013, 23:58:30 pm »
How is she doing?

Offline Edesanja

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 39
  • Posts: 2593
  • Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Re: Dairy and constipation - any experience?
« Reply #54 on: August 16, 2013, 04:18:32 am »
Ummm... ok I guess. We started needing to give her lacutlose again about 10 days after we stopped the dairy trial (so she was better dairy free than on dairy, but not good enough to be off the lactulose). If we are reliable at giving her the lactulose every night, she's ok. We forgot 2 days in a row a while ago and had problems. The good thing is, since we started giving it again, she hasn't been waking early to need to go to the toilet which has been great.
She's having milk on her breakfast (most of the time) and ice cream and cheese occasionally but trying to keep it as low as possible.
The ideal combination would probably be dairy free plus lactulose but I don't like my chances of getting DH to agree to that while we are cruising like we are at the moment. The motivation for trying was to get rid of it all together, and that didn't work out like I thought.
Jenny - mama to



Offline draxela

  • BW Aficionado
  • ***
  • Showing Appreciation 4
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 139
  • My beautiful cherubs
  • Location: Canberra, Australia
    • Swings and Roundabouts
Re: Dairy and constipation - any experience?
« Reply #55 on: September 17, 2013, 20:57:05 pm »
Okay, so DD1 is right back to square one. She hasn't touched dairy since March (not even hidden) but since that first lot of antibiotics a few months ago we've had swinging constipation and diarrhoea. I'm so over it. I'm sick of keeping her on a restricted diet when it doesn't even seem to be helping. I wish I could at least give her yoghurt and cheese. She's still on Movicol so I'm starting to doubt whether dairy is really the root problem or just an aggravator. Plus apparently rice milk has arsenic, soy has phytoestrogens and almond milk has sugar!

WWYD??
Alex, mummy to:
~ touchy/angel N, 2 November 2011, Cow's milk allergy
~ spirited A, 18 March 2013, food intols, reflux, tongue tie, lip tie!

Offline Edesanja

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 39
  • Posts: 2593
  • Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Re: Dairy and constipation - any experience?
« Reply #56 on: September 18, 2013, 01:57:45 am »
Oh Alex, I know how you feel. E does eat dairy and is still medicated an most of the time she is okay-ish. The thought of her being on Lactulose long term (and especially of the possibility that she will need increased doses as we go along) drives me nuts, but at the moment I'm not sure what else we can do. Ugh!
Jenny - mama to



Offline draxela

  • BW Aficionado
  • ***
  • Showing Appreciation 4
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 139
  • My beautiful cherubs
  • Location: Canberra, Australia
    • Swings and Roundabouts
Re: Dairy and constipation - any experience?
« Reply #57 on: September 18, 2013, 16:19:32 pm »
From what I've read, Lactulose long term is okay but Movicol isnt't??

Do you give her probiotics? I read a study that found that taking l. rhamnosus helped with chronic constipation. I'm currently giving it to N but may have to up her dose.

Am going to start a dairy trial with yoghurt tomorrow.

Sigh.
Alex, mummy to:
~ touchy/angel N, 2 November 2011, Cow's milk allergy
~ spirited A, 18 March 2013, food intols, reflux, tongue tie, lip tie!

Offline Edesanja

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 39
  • Posts: 2593
  • Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Re: Dairy and constipation - any experience?
« Reply #58 on: September 18, 2013, 19:53:25 pm »
I still worry though. I don't like giving her anything at all, yk?

I can't remember what kind of probiotics we have. I am quite bad at remembering to give them though, so need to get my act together!

All the best for the trial!
Jenny - mama to



Offline draxela

  • BW Aficionado
  • ***
  • Showing Appreciation 4
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 139
  • My beautiful cherubs
  • Location: Canberra, Australia
    • Swings and Roundabouts
Re: Dairy and constipation - any experience?
« Reply #59 on: September 18, 2013, 20:15:33 pm »
Yeah I totally know. Long term medication in LOs sucks. I worry all the time about it. I'm so tired of the doctors telling me 'oh she just needs more fibre' like I'm some kind of idiot. Then I tell them she eats a really balanced diet with porridge for breakfast and broccoli for dinner and they look surprised! Then they say 'she'll grow out of it' which I think is a lame way of saying 'I don't know how to help you'.

Grrr.
Alex, mummy to:
~ touchy/angel N, 2 November 2011, Cow's milk allergy
~ spirited A, 18 March 2013, food intols, reflux, tongue tie, lip tie!