Volume of childhood enemas

Excuse me if this has been posted before, if not; I remember getting at least a quart and a half of soapy water when I was around 6 or 7. At the time it seemed too much, maybe or maybe not. I was wondering if anyone received large volume enemas as a child and maybe someone knows if there was a correct limit to how much water a mother should give a young kid.

I can only remember receiving 2 quarts of Ivory soapsuds

The very few Enemas I got as a child, consisted of only a single squirt

with a small bulb syringe. They weren't enough to do anything. I know

the colon should be filled for best results.

Dan

When I graduated from the bulb at 6 i started getting 1 Imperial Quart(OWWW) then, 2 US quarts when I was 8

When I was young and getting enemas with the bulb (8 oz.), the most mom would give me is two bulbfuls before I was allowed to expel. I think she was afraid I wouldn't be able to hold more and would spray it right back, but there was a time that I knew I could take another one. When I started getting enemas with the bag (typical 2 qt. fountain syringe) She would give me about half, I'd expel, and she'd give me the rest. Although I don't recall ever draining the full bag, as I got older the volume increased to the point that the bag needed refilling for the second fill so I could have a "good" enema. Taking multiple bulbfulls or full bag enemas started when I began to self-administer in my early teens.

Until I was 5, it was just a 4-oz bulb. About 9 or 10 ounces by age 5.

At age 5, one of Mom's relatives in Canada sent us, completely unsolicited, a "children's" bag that apparently had been used on my mother and her siblings It was marked '1 imp qt" That was used in all 7 or 8 enemas I got between then and my growth spurt at 9. After that in was a basic, 2-us quart bag.

On my first time self-administering when I was 12, I asked my father if I could use his 3-qt bag,

His response was, "I'm going to recommend that you not, but I'm not going to stop you if you do. It's time you start to make some of your own decisions, and learn to accept the consequences. It WAS the most difficult enema I'd had up to that point. We located some more of my mother's stuff when I was 13, and there was a 3-us-qt bag in that stuff.

Since my mom used a white enameled enema can, i couldn't see how much soapy water went into the 2qt capacity "irrigator," but I think it was more than half filled. In any case, I was assured that I needed to take in "just a little more." Sound familiar?

My enemas as a child were from a bowl full of Ivory soapsuds administered with a small bulb syringe so I am not sure of the exact amount. I was too busy crying and pleading for her to stop to ever count but I'm sure she used the syringe on me around ten times. The amount was always more than I wanted because after I told her I was full and couldn't hold any more she continued to syringe me until she was satisfied that I had taken enough to make my bowels move. Looking back I would guess it was around a quart or so but it varied from enema to enema. I do know that it was always enough to be effective. After I expelled, I was then given roughly the same amount of plain water to rinse out the soapsuds.

The last I can remember, can't remember how old I was at the time, but just before reaching puberty, it was a quart. I remember my mother actually using a kitchen one quart measuring cup. Don't know if soap was used or not, didn't watch thepreparation, just heard the water running in the bathroom.

About 300cc ... this was the bulb in our house ...

I can not remember any childhood Enemas that were of the Bulb Type.

It was from a 2qt red bag,red hose and black nozzle.

The volume was always far more than I could handle without screaming and crying my Head off.

Later, like so many of us, when I approached my Teens I could not wait for my Mother to give me a "good hot, baking soda Enema"

Billy Joe

I don't recall many bulbs but when graduated to the combination syringe it appeared to be about half full as I got older the flatness got smaller. (more water less flat.)

the boxcar

I don't rember bulb enema, but I know I got them as the bulb was in the medicine cabnet. I do remember every second of the enema that made me a clismo. Mom took me down a long hall and I could see the hanging bag. It was frighting, the enema tubing and nozzel waiting in the sink. Then it was over Moms lap and advised she would make me all better and the enema flowed non stop. I was so full but Mom was in control. She would not stop and said I had to be completley clead out. I remember every second of my pleading for her to stop, the answer not yet you'll have to take alittle more. Now I would love to relive that time. Now I take my enemas and remember!

When I was young, and I mean under 10, I don't think I got more than a pint of water. Later on I got about a quart of water, and when I started doing them myself as a teenager I used about a quart. I don't have a spastic colon or anything, but I had (and have) a pretty strong reaction to even small amounts of water. If I was being given an enema for constipation my mom would finish things up pretty quickly. If I was being given on for punishment, my mom would slow things down a little and make me hold it for a few minutes, but even then I didn't really have to take a huge amount of water.

Until age 3. 2 oz. after that add an ounce for every year of the child's age up to age 7 after that 1 qt until the onset of puberty. They can take 2-qts from then on.

My first enema with the bag when I was 4 years old was 1 pint (2 cups). My mother increased the amount to 3 cups at 7 years, 1 quart (4 cups) at 10 years, 5 cups at 13 years, 6 cups (1 and a half quarts) at 16 years, 7 cups at 19 years, and 2 quarts (8 cups) when I turned 22.

I got enemas from a red bulb and the red enema bag.

My mom had a 4oz bulb that was used for my enemas until maybe I was 7 or 8. When younger it was a single one, but when older she gave me two. Then she switched to the enema bag and the normal amount that she fixed was a single quart. If I only could take a pint and a half she was OK with that, but when I was a teenager I could usually manage the entire quart. I didn't have a two quart enema until I gave myself one when I was in my 20s.

The only thing mom used on me was a red bulb. It maybe held 6 oz. My earliest memories are getting one bulb and as I got older two. The most I remember was three.

My grandma had a small bulb of maybe 4 oz. and I remember a couple of times when we were visiting I got a small enema with the red bulb. Then when I was ten, I stayed at grandma's for a week during summer vacation and she gave me an enema with her red bag. I don't think I took more than a quart or so but it was probably the largest enema I had to date. I got one or two more that summer, then she moved to Florida.

When I was a teenager I started reading about enemas in the medical books in the school library and was quite surprised that a "normal" enema was two quarts. From time to time I gave myself multiple bulbs but never reached two quarts. It wasn't till after I was married that I bought my own enema bag and slowly taught myself to take and hold two quarts. It took a while.

When I graduated from the bulb at 6 I got a one quart sometimes soapy enema other times with bakking soda.

I know I was getting the bag at 7 years old, as for volume, probably a quart or less. By 14 the full 2 quart bag.

I got enemas weekly from mom till I was 13. From age 6 to about 8 it was just over a quart. By 10 I know I was taking the full 2 quarts, so maybe starting young helps on the capacity.

Like Billy Joe, it was the big bag from the beginning for me; screaming, crying and begging for relief. Bulging red bag, red hose,metal clamp and black nozzle .... not sure how us old timers survived .... but here we are to talk about it .... 😃

My pediatrician always specified a pint of tap water to my mother from ages 6-10. By age 12, it was one quart. After that I'd tell her to fill the bag up since I was a macho male. My Docs. never told her to use soap, so I started experimenting with it during my teens. Before age 6, I got the small bulb with lots of Ivory Flakes and at least 3 bulbfuls. My first bag enema at age 6 opened a whole new world to me.

I am surprised at how many got a quart or two at such a young age; seems like overkill.

I remember reading, some number of years ago, a historical retrospective dating from late Victorian Era on The Enema, where the writer stated; "Every good mother knew, within a teacup, the capacity of each of her children". The thinking in those days was that a 'really good'' enema necessarily involved a complete filling of the child's bowels, usually administered in the time honored manner of 'hot and soapy'. Obviously, the colon capacity of a young boy or girl is less than that of an older child, so the volume of the enemas administered by the mother would usually increase over time. I recall that my early filling were probably no more than a quart or so - but they were always administered to me on my hands and knees in the bathtub, very warm and soapy, with much groaning and panting and urgency to get to the toilet. Very memorable moments in my life! By the time I was around 12 years old, I was regularly getting a series of three or four hot soapsuds enemas of about 3 quarts each 'till clear'. How I dearly loved those, because I was constantly being coached and encouraged to take as much water as I could possibly hold to insure that I received a really deep and thorough bowel cleansing.

Mom, usually gave me about a pint. But, I remember one Saturday morning, she was giving me a series of enemas. After the first 2, she began to fill the bag. When it held about a pint, she held it up, turned off the water and started to screw the adapter plug into the bottle. I reached up and grabbed her hand and asked her to put a little more water into the bag. She looked at me and said, "Mike, I don't know." I said "please!" She shook her head and again turned on the water. She filled the bottle completely up and attached the tubing. I surprised her when I was able to take that whole bag. I was very proud of myself and all of my future enemas consisted of 2 quarts of warm water. I had to show her what my capacity was.

Like many here that grew up in the '50's, my childhood enemas increased in volume as I grew. Mom's over-the-toilet bulb enema sessions increase from one (8 oz.) bulbfull to two (before I was allowed to release) around age 6. It seemed like just when I was becoming comfortable with her multiple 2-bulb sessions, she graduated me to the big family bag - the classic 2 quart fountain syringe with all those black bakelite nozzles. At first she filled the bag full and gave me about half, and then gave me a second filling with the rest. At about 8 or 9 I was taking enough of the bag that she would refill it for the second fill. By the time she allowed me to self-administer at around age 12 I could pretty much drain a full bag on the first fill. Those childhood enemas are legendary to us klismo's.

From the time I started getting from the open top enema bag it was full to overflowing. I didn't take the full bag at first but mom was always coaxing me to take more, and when I did she would tell me how big a boy i was. By age 10-11 was getting the full 2qts and sometimes more . I got three enemas in a row from day one one soapy then two warm water. I remember the first time I took the full bag i was so proud, I couldn't wait for Dad to get home to tell him .

Those early enemas sure felt enormous! In reality they weren't excessive, maybe a pint of water. I seem to recall that the pediatrician would sometimes mention a pint SSE during a house call. I do not recall any bulb enemas, all my remembered enemas were from the bag so there was no way to determine the amount of water she used.

I gave myself larger enemas than what my mother administered. It wan't until a long illness around age eleven that mom began administering a full bag of solution. I guess she noticed that I was easily taking the amount she began with and increased the volume accordingly.

At ages 3&4 my mother used a small bulb (4-6 oz?).

At ages 5&6, she used an 8 oz syringe.

She should have stayed with the smaller one and used more bulb-fillings, because the experience degraded when she started using the larger one. Later, I asked her if she used less soap in the big one. She said that she hadn't, but I should have asked that of her years before when it was fresher in her mind, as the feeling wasn't nearly as intense with the big bulb.