Toddler (3) refusing to poo....

[auntyspan]

Really struggling with my DD1 at the moment. I have a 4 week old, which I suspect is the root of the problem, but basically she's refusing to have a poo. It's been nearly a week, she's uncomfortable, gets tummy ache and is clearly in some discomfort but no amount of persuasion will make her go.

I've been giving her lactolose (sp) the last couple of days to try and hurry things along - any other tips?

Hi- I remember you from the march antenatal thread (although I am still pregnant)

My daughter has constipation who is under the care and having treatment via the consultant at hospital after months of issues with poos, which started before I was pregnant.
So I consider myself to be a little bit of an expert

Lactulose may work, but will take at least a week to make the poos soft enough. this works through encouraging more water into the bowel, making poos softer.
Senna also encourages more water, but also stimulates bowel to contract (I think)

We tried with the above for weeks to no avail, and eventually demanded movicol which is FANTASTIC.....which stimulates bowel and makes poos so loose dd cant helo but have a poo iyswim, and she gos once a day

The point I am trying to make is that the consultant told me that most probably dd will start having accidents when baby arrives, due to attention etc and that I must be aware of it and to keep an eye on it.
Its easier for me to control however, as she is on medication everyday, but until this baby is born (WHEN WILL THAT BE??) I dont know how she will react.

I do however know how hard it is, if your dd starts leaking poo in her knickers this is a classis sign of severe constipation and she will need to see a doctor.

if you need anymore advice, please post and I will try to help x

i have one who does this occasionally.

apricots and prunes - and tell her it'll make it soft and not hurt.

also try to get her to fart in the bath to make bubbles. it might make her need to poo (and tell her it doesn't matter if she poos in the bath, though my dd always gets out).

i would go back to the doctor and ask for some senna my son went through this he still will only poo with nappy on but was so severely constipated for 3 mths it became painful and then he wouldn't push because it hurt so gp gave him senna and lactulose one to soften one to shift it but gives diarrhea you use long enough until the stigma of painful poos go and then he will go on his own now

at this age its easy for them to get afraid of pooing if constipated because of the pain get her to gp and get some senna as well and she wont be able top hold its the pain that stops them but once the medicine works given a week or so they forget my ds had this for 3 mths poor thing was in serious pain couldnt walk etc

A week is too long - I would go and ask for movicol. My daughter takes it everyday as she doesn't like to poo and can realy hold it in. When she starts pooing on the toilet of her own free will I will start weaning her off it.

Lilymolly - dd doesn't have a proper poo every day even on movicol. She leaks on and off then has a proper poo about every third day. I'm very anxious how she will cope at school in Sep. It's been 3 months like this with no change so far.

Fruit etc helps - but once they start actively holding it in it may not be enough.

It's not necessarily about pain. Dd's poos don't hurt - she just doesn't want to do it.

Acinonyx
how many sachets is she on?
my dd is on 1 a day, and I can tell the signs when she needs a poo (runs and jumps around) and we sit on the toilet with a book or a toy etc.

Or I bribe her, i,e we are not going to soft play until you do a poo?

My dd is only 3 though, and is not at nursery until easter, so no real panic for us yet.

I think fruit, rasions etc etc are useless if a child has severe constipation btw
Movicol imvho is the only thing that works

Hello March antenatal folk and others

We're going through the same with DS - also 3. DD is 2 weeks old, and he's been holding poos in since she was born, back to how he was when we first potty trained. Thought we'd got over this...

We've had movicol in the past, and I agree it is excellent stuff - do go to the GP. The first time we ended up with suppositories for DS which were a nightmare, but worked.

once you get past a few days and get really bunged up it becomes so hard too painful to push out by then

gp recommended lactulose to soften and the senna to give it the push so they cannot hold it wont have any chance but to push maybe then you could give loads of praise and maybe a sticker chart so every time she goes she gets a sticker hopefully by then it will become a lot easier as she will be doing it for positive attention instead of negative good luck

Was only suggesting what works for mine. Obviously, dd's situation isn't so serious - not clear from OP whether it is a big medical issue or one that could be sorted more simply...

Um - we were advised by HV to seek medical help if dd regularly held in poo for over 3 days (only time I ever actually sought HV advise).

lilymolly. We are at our wits end! She has one sachet a day. She doesn't show seriious signs of needing a poo for a day or two. The most exasperating thing is that she will sit on the potty or loo for AGES but keep holding it in. She has a pull up from tea time and she is more likely to do it then. I just daren't ditch that pull up yet as she still gets in quite a state trying to keep it in otherwise (with much tummy ache).

My feeling is that she has stretched her bowl now and isn't getting the urge as often. Sometimes is comes on the loo when she's having a wee - that's the best outcome as she hasn't got time to think about keeping it in. But once she's held it in for a while the urge seems to go when she gets on the pot.

She was absolutely fine - once a day poop - until potty training which has been a nightmare. Even the wee part took months.

Perhpas we need to revisit the dr. She is very big for her age - maybe it's just not enough

2 sachets a day? thats what the doc told me if 1 didnt work

our aim is to have one poo a day and we would try all the doses until that happened

I think you're right lilymolly. We should check in with our GP.

Oh have been there ... 1st happened when she saw her first potty poo and freaked.. Got over that then as I was on finals with dd2 it started again she was 2.8 - Her diet was kiwi, vege soup, prune juice and also chocolate ( as its stimulates her!!). We now at the first signs ( not a daily poo) give her a mild laxative for children sounds like this Movicol. We also use when she says its hard and she is distressed mini oil suppositories. they are a small sqeezing thing that you just put the tip in the bum and squeeze the oil in- its painless and not distressing to be honest. They are fab as they soften the poo and helps to slide out.

Well I'm glad to say DD1 had a big poo this morning, lots of tears but managed it in the end. Hopefully she'll cheer up now!

Thanks for all your advice everyone, lillymolly i'm having a bad day and no, it's not that bad!!

Congratulations! marvellous isn't it?

If I said she's had 5 poo's today would you believe me?!

I would! They're like buses.....