Makayla In The Hospital

This post has details...gross details...so don't read it if it will offend you!!! You have been warned.....

Since starting on solid foods Makayla's bowel movements have slowed down dramatically! When she was a newborn she would go 10 times a day, that slowly moved to a couple a day, down to 1 a day....well...she hadn't gone in about 6 days and I was starting to get concerned. The last time we were at the Doctors I did mention to him that she was starting to slow down and he said not to worry, this always happens when you switch to solids and she may not go for a week or more and not to worry.

Makayla has been extremely cranky the last few days but I just assumed it is because she just cut her first tooth and there is probably another one on the way. Two days ago she was straining to go to the bathroom, when I checked her diaper there was a little poop (stuck half way in), I helped her get it out; she continued to push while on the change table and I could see that there was more in there but it wasn't coming out. I figured it would come out later. Two more days went by and she still hadn't pooped...I knew it was in there because I had seen it!

Last night again Makayla was straining so I took her to the change table, took off her diaper and again could see poop in there, but it looked to big to come out...she was SCREAMING in pain. I put some baby oil around her anus and waited while she pushed. Nothing. She was in so much pain. Oh and the smell was disgusting...if it is possible - imagine rotting poop!

I called health link and told them what was going on. The nurse gave me a bunch of suggestions on things I can do if I suspect she is constipated; drink prune or pear juice, mix brown sugar or corn syrup in water and have her drink it, increase her fluids.....it is too late for this lady!!! She IS constipated!! Then she suggested that I go to the pharmacy and get a glycerin suppository and insert that in her bum.

When I got to the pharmacy I grabbed some pear juice (to start giving to her so this doesn't happen again) and I talked to the Pharmacist explaining what was going on. He told me not to use a suppository since she is pushing and I can see poop the suppository won't work. He explained to me that all a suppository is going to do is make her muscles contract so she will push it out....she is pushing...it's too BIG! He said that I needed to go either to the medicenter or the ER to get this de-compacted...I chose the ER.

After waiting about an hour and a half in the main waiting room (everyone loved Makayla who decided to test out her voice) we were moved into another waiting room for minor treatments! Minor treatments....are you kidding me!!?? While we sat here waiting for our turn we sure saw a variety of "minor treatments"! Sprained ankles, trouble breathing, slips in the bathroom, various cases of stitches, a boy swallowed the ring from a key chain, toddler smashed his head on something and had a HUGE bump, guy got bit from his boa constrictor, old crazy drunk lady, fall down the stairs, oh and the list goes on....

A few hours later we finally got assessed. It was determined that they needed to get this poop out. In came the Doctor with his rubber gloves and lube. He stuck his pinkie finger in her bum and dug it out!! We couldn't believe how much there was, it is hard to imagine that this tiny little girl could have that much stuck up inside her! After that they did end up giving her a suppository because he wanted to make sure that she could still go. She ended up pushing it out inside a piece of poop so then they had to put another one in.

My poor baby girl was so tired she hadn't napped all day, she actually fell asleep shortly after they inserted the second one. We waiting about half an hour and she didn't poop - because she was sleeping. They finally told us that we could go home and gave me two more suppository's and two more packs of lube. So after 6hrs in the ER we were finally on our way home.

Anyway, this afternoon my beautiful baby girl had a poop, all on her own without me having to use another suppository!! The Doctor has told me to cut way back on the solids and INCREASE her fluids. Today she had prune juice, water, prunes and breastmilk!