Recently, I treaded on some very unfamiliar territory. I did something I never thought I had to do, at least hoped I never had to do! I gave Pinky a suppository for constipation. It was horrible but I knew it had to be done.
Pinky was pushing, and her eyes were watering, concentrating…everything to make me believe that she was pooping! So I asked her, “baby are you going poo poo!?” And like always she shakes her head yes, so I give her some privacy. A few moments later, we go to change her diaper. NOTHING! Hmm…okay. The next day it happens again, only this time, there is evidence that she was trying pretty hard. I felt so bad.What made things worse, Pinky was clenching her bottom half so hard. Anyone could see the child was in pain, stressed out even. She was crying and holding me tight. Good thing Grandma was there to help.
Not sure what to do I call the nurse line at Children’s Hospital. Here is the standard advice I was given:
- Feed her foods that are high in fiber – wheat bread, cereal, broccoli, apples etc.
- Stay away from dairy products for the time being
- Give her a good multi-fruit juice, the nurse I spoke to suggested Gerber, but ended up getting Welches grape juice
- Give her a pediatric glycerin suppository!
- WHAT!?
Clearly, I had never done anything like this before. Not for Pinky, certainly not for Daddy and not even for myself. Grandma works in the medical field so I was hoping she would do it, but I came to the obvious conclusion that I needed to do it. After all, she is my baby, and I might have to do it again in the future. Besides, Grandma didn’t want to be the “bady guy!” I just wanted my little lady to be rid of her pain and agony.
After she woke from her nap, I talked to her about what was going to happen next. I said, “Mommy’s going to put something in your butt butt, to help you go poo poo.” She shook her head yes, as if she understood what I was saying. I think partly she did. I also said to her, “it’s not going to hurt, but it might be a little uncomfortable.” She continued to shake her head. I turned on the TV, put on Barney to help distract her, lied her down and… I couldn’t do it.
The nurse said to use KY Jelly or something else that I couldn’t remember. Grandma kept telling me to use Vaseline. I thought that was a little too much…so I found something similar to KY that I got from the Babeland Party during Blogher to lube up the suppository that was in the shape of a bullet. I told myself, if I’m going to do this, I have to do it right the first time! I didn’t want to make it any worse than it already was for Pinky.
I’m stressing out just thinking about it. So, we got barney on the screen, we turn her on her side, Grandma is trying to console her…she’s doing fine. I start to insert the suppository and she gives me the craziest look, like what the hell are you doing Mommy? She flinches a little, I look at my work, doesn’t look right…before I could say anything Grandma comes in for the save and pushes that little bullet in the rest of the way!
Pinky is confused, more surprised than anything. I hold her on my chest to help calm her down. I worry that her legs will cramp up from flexing them too hard.
The instructions say to retain the suppository for 15 minutes. It also says, “your child may have rectal discomfort or a burning sensation.” Great! Seriously, within the 15 minutes, Pinky points her butt in the air, clenches and cries for a few seconds. Could it be?! Did it work? By golly…she passed a poop! I was never more happier to see poop in my life. It was solid, it was good, and she was relieved! Mission accomplished.
I called the nurse back to give him an update, and he suggested I do it again the next day! Thank God I didn’t have to. I have Quaker Oatmeal to thank for that!
This was the first time Pinky had ever experienced constipation. At least the first I ever knew about it. It was quite odd since she eats a lot of vegetables and fiber based foods. I guess it can happen to anyone. Nowadays, we are definitely keeping a closer eye on her diet, and our own to make sure we don’t have to go through this any time soon!
For more information about treating your baby’s constipation check out the Baby Center.
Have you ever had to use a suppository on your child? I’d love to hear your stories. Leave a comment or share it with us on Facebook!