OK my oldest is driving me CRAZY!!! He has been potty trained for almost a year (he is 3y9m). Well the past month or so he has been holding in his poop. He is not constipated, he just doesn't want to go in the toilet anymore. He can hold in it for days. This last time it was 6 days. He has learned to hold it in by stiffing up his legs or crossing them. This sometimes leads to "streaks" and lots of extra laundry for me. I make him sit on the toilet (sometimes it seems forever) and he wont go. It gets to the point where days later I sit him down, I see him crossing his legs, I pull them apart, and he goes. This happens with a lot of crying and screaming. I feel I am being a bad mom for prying open his legs but then it is also a health issue. His stomach has got be be killing him. Does anyone have any insight and suggestions? I have tried everything I can think of (yes even a bribe) Cari
I'm not sure if it's relevant or helpful - my kids are nearly 2 years younger than your guy - but we've had something similar with Maia which I posted about recently. I got some helpful and informative replies which may help you. Basically in Maia's case she had something which made it painful to go for a while - constipation or anal fissure or burning poop or something - and afterwards became scared to go. The doctor gave us a gentle laxative (polyethylene glycol) to ensure the poop was soft and an anesthetic cream to rub on her anus (to ensure it didn't hurt to go). It's sort-of solved the problem. She's a lot better, but not 100%. It's definitely something to take action on soon as I've read that holding poop can exacerbate constipation - as water continues to be reabsorbed from the withheld poop - and also cause part of the bowel to stretch (with the size of the withheld poop) and create later problems. Good luck!
Cari, you have received the first hand experience there above! :hug99: I hope you call the doc and get some help. I don't know if they make a Colace for kids, but if it's softer he may not be able to hold it in with success. How frustrating :hug99:
QUOTE(li li @ Mar 22 2008, 06:18 AM) [snapback]682045[/snapback] I'm not sure if it's relevant or helpful - my kids are nearly 2 years younger than your guy - but we've had something similar with Maia which I posted about recently. I got some helpful and informative replies which may help you. Basically in Maia's case she had something which made it painful to go for a while - constipation or anal fissure or burning poop or something - and afterwards became scared to go. The doctor gave us a gentle laxative (polyethylene glycol) to ensure the poop was soft and an anesthetic cream to rub on her anus (to ensure it didn't hurt to go). It's sort-of solved the problem. She's a lot better, but not 100%. It's definitely something to take action on soon as I've read that holding poop can exacerbate constipation - as water continues to be reabsorbed from the withheld poop - and also cause part of the bowel to stretch (with the size of the withheld poop) and create later problems. Good luck! Thanks for the link. I am taking the twins to their 2 year appt. on Tues and will be talking to the doctor about my oldest. It is definately not a constipation problem. Hopefully we can figure it out soon. He doesn't complain about burning and hurting, just that he doesn't want to go on the toilet. Sometimes when I put his goodnight diaper on before bed he will use that to go. When I sit him on the toilet I try to entertain him (leapster, laptop, video) but he will sit there forever, sometimes going sometimes not. Sometimes I think it is a attention thing because he has been jealous of his brothers now that they are getting older. It is a way for me to hang out with him in the bathroom one on one. I just can't do that all the time with 2 two year olds. I just don't want to rule out anything (health wise). Cari
