I can tell you firsthand how helpless you feel to see your infant in complete agony and pain. Our baby was unable to have a regular bowel movement, and sometimes it was days before she would go. Despite giving her baby enemas, when she did go it was so painful that we both would cry. It all came to a head when we had to call an ambulance to our house because she strained so hard, her colon protruded from her rectum and didn't immediately retract. Our pediatrician recommended we seek a specialist at Children's National because she was not growing out of this condition.

The staff at Children's National were phenomenal and very comforting to us as we sought to find out what was going on with our baby. After a multitude of tests and x-rays the doctor put her on an aggressive course of stool softeners and medication. We were fortunate to learn that there was nothing wrong with her little system, except that it was too small and needed to catch up with the rest of her growth.

We are happy to report that the treatment worked, and she will be a teenager this spring! She has not had any more digestive or constipation issues since she was an infant. We are happy that she doesn't remember any of the horror she went through as a baby. We continue to be ever grateful to Children's National for all their expertise and knowledge, and for taking care of Dale.

Sincerely, 

Dale's mom, Christina