3 yr old can't poo!

[Noodlebugs]

DS is 3 next week. He hasn't been able to poo since birth and has been on Movicol and suppositories since he was 4 months old. No one has ever been able to tell us why. He was diagnosed with CMPI at 1, but removing milk from his diet made no difference.

He really wants to potty train. He can hold his wee and will do them on the potty without a problem, but he can't poo! We can't get his movicol dose right - Either his poo is like water, or he doesn't go at all (He can regularly go 9 days without). Often, his poo leaks out (overflow?) and there's nothing he can do about it. Then we're back to upping his movicol hugely and gradually dropping it until he has a normal poo. It never seems to work though - What he needs for one day seems to not work the next. We've been doing this for years!

He doesn't show any signs of withholding, but does complain his tummy hurts when he hasn't been for days. We've tried watching videos and reading books. When I ask him if he wants to do a poo he says "But it won't come out mummy". Never complains that pooing hurts.

How on earth do I potty train? He starts nursery in September. Help!

I have only recently had any success with pooing, at 6 years old! It's the same kind of problem, I would focus on training for peeing only, if he's not going it's unlikely he will go at school.

As long as he's able to pee in the toilet and hold poop during school time, nobody will know he has problems.

This means you will need to use a suppository every 3 or 4 days and cut back the movicol, or work out what he needs after school in order for him to "go" in a nappy, even if it's bits leeking out.

It's not an ideal situation i know, but this is what we had to do to get trained enough for school.

I just wanted to say you are not alone. My DD has a very similar problem. It is nice to read a thread about this actually!. I also don't know what dose of movicol to give. She has had issues pooing since birth. She is four now and I wish I had the answer!

Pirate it is nice to read your post too as I have been worrying about school. You re right though it is unlikely my DD will grace a school toilet ith a poo of any sort! She has been trained for weeing since three and just avoids pooing anywhere but home in a nappy.

ratqueen:
It was never a problem at school because he just wouldn't poo, i posted a success thread when he did manage to poo on the toilet here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/a2057566-my-6yo-just-pooped-in-the-toilet-for-the-first-time
I'm still so proud. He's still doing it but we have to keep him topped up with weatabix and stuff.

He sounds so similar to my DD. I am so pleased for you that it is finally resolved! Gives me hope! What other things do you give him to eat and do you still use movicol?

What other things do you give him to eat and do you still use movicol?

Well today it was:

Weatabix at breakfast, with raisins and a drink of milk

movicol mixed in with his lunchtime flask (only sometimes depending on how things were the day before). White bread sandwich, cut up carrot with the skin left on, fig roll biscuit, and a Rocky bar. (plus grapes for snack.)

Dinner as normal, plus plenty of water throughout the day.

This normally gets him going around 6:30 – 7pm each night.
If he doesn’t go by bath time I give him bubbles to blow in the bath, then rub his tummy and move his legs in a bicycle motion when I put his night time nappy on, this normally makes him jump up and go to the toilet.