Is it possible she has pelvic floor problems?

[ktwiltshire]

My DD2, middle child has been toilet training since just after her second birthday, just like her elder sister. she is now 3.5 and almost completely dry at night, just a dribble on the way to the toilet in the morning, nothing on the towel/bed.
when she is at home with us on the weekends (both DH and I work so she is at preschool fulltime) she hardly ever has any accidents, just when shes giggling when we are playing, tickling etc. its worse when she has a cold i.e. coughing and sneezing a lot.
At preschool she has anywhere from 1-4 accidents (just wees) during the day. some of it, im sure is to do with control and proving a point as she has whole days, weeks where shes completely dry, at least in the summer.

i have had to have lots of meetings with preschool about her toileting and its frustrating me no end, she is almost always dry at home, we don't remind her much to goto the toilet as she seems to respond better to it being in her control (we have tried everything from reward charts to setting a timer and taking her every 20/30mins).
today whilst DD1 was at a school disco i was talking with DD2 about the toilet things and accidents, why it happens, is it on purpose etc, she was talking about how it feels like its raining on her 'bum' and she finds herself wet, eventually she admitted very tearfully and obviously upset that it often happens when she sneezes, coughs, laughs, blows her nose etc.

this to me sounds like its a pelvic floor problem (rather like me lol), but i have never heared of a young child with pelvic floor problems so im not sure whether my instincts are correct on this, as for a long time i have been thinking that shes doing it on purpose.
I am going to be taking to the doctor anyway, as if nothing else I need to eliminate a physical problem, be pelvic floor or not.

any ideas? im going out of my mind

[nappyaddict]

Could she have a weak bladder? If the bladder contracts strongly and without warning (like when you laugh, sneeze and cough), the muscles surrounding the urethra may not be able to keep urine from passing.

[nappyaddict]

Or could it just be that she doesn't want to use the toilets at preschool or miss out on the fun she ignores the body?s signal of a full bladder. The bladder then overfills and leaks urine.

I have heard of children who are unable to completely relax the pelvic floor muscles which means they never fully empty their bladder but it usually goes hand in hand with a bad experience of toilet training.

[nappyaddict]

The way it was described to me as a child was like a balloon.

As the bladder fills up with urine it gradually stretches like a balloon. Normally when the bladder is about half full we get the initial feeling of needing to go to the toilet but most people can hold on for quite some time until it is convenient to go. If you have a weak or overactive bladder it seems to send wrong messages to the brain and your body thinks it is full when it is still quite deflated.