My DS will soon be 3 years old, and I believe he has functional constipation. This means that although his stool is rather soft, he often fights the urge to poo. Here’s what happens: when he starts to poo, he asks me (or DH) to hold his hands and always poos while standing. On good days, which are very common, he just moans a bit for a few minutes and then he’s done. On bad days, this can last for up to an hour. He arches his back like a banana and does everything he can to prevent himself from pooing - quite successfully :( .
This started 5 months ago, initially with what I believe was real constipation, likely due to eating a lot of pizza. Unfortunately, it took me a few days to realize it was constipation, and by that time, the damage was done (he got scared of pooing). The GP prescribed Movicol, which has helped soften his stool, and he has been taking it for around 5 months (with periods where I could significantly reduce the dose). I also try my best to give him healthy food (fruits, vegetables, fiber), so his stool is never hard. However, sometimes when his routine changes the problem resurfaces in its worst form. This happened recently when my mum visited for a couple of weeks and also when we went on a trip. He said he would only poo when we returned to London, but fortunately, he started to change his mind after a couple of days...
I wonder what to do about this, it's quite stressful. Sometimes, I’m afraid to let him go to nursery if he hasn’t pooed for over a day. Before all this started, he had a habit of hiding and pooing by himself (always in his pampers and standing). I wish he could at least relearn to do this... We haven’t started potty training him yet, though he does use the potty to pee from time to time when we ask him. I wonder if some of you have seen something similar and found a way to deal with it. I would be grateful for any advice!