Need help- poop withholding

Ds doesn't like to poop ANYWHERE. This has been a serious issue for over a year now. He's 3.5. When in diapers he would leave "track marks" in many diapers until he finally went. When he needed to go he would do this awkward pose where you see he is holding the poop in so uncomfortably and it could go on for days until I resort to a suppository. I do miralax daily. We have some good weeks and then some really bad ones where I just use a suppository. He's now fully trained but still having same poop issues. You see him holding it in and I know it's behavioral and can be very common but I am not sure what to do anymore. He tells me he needs to go and sits on potty and then tells me he'll go later. Then he holds it in. Miralax seems to help sometimes but even with it he sometimes has really bad weeks. I also give prune juice. The dr said to give him enough that he can't hold it in at all and is having constant diarrhea for a while but I wanted some more opinions, especially form other mothers who have dealt with this?! Thank you!!!!

Need help- poop withholding

I have no experience here, but it sounds like he is old enough to tell you why he doesn't like pooping? Like maybe he needs gentler wipes?
Or maybe celebrate/give rewards for pooping?

Re: Need help- poop withholding

He just say he "doesn't need to" when I know he does. Then he screams bloody murder when he sees a suppository and he immediately will go after. The dr said this is common behavior and not anything medical- it's a psych issue. I'm at the verge of bringing him to a child psychologist. Ughh.

Need help- poop withholding

Yeah, I would probably try a psychologist first. I think inducing diarrhea could make things worse or even be dangerous. But, I know sometimes you have to do things that others might not agree with.
Good luck!

Re: Need help- poop withholding

We had the same issue with my ds.
It was horrible and so painful to watch.
Our ped recommended miralx so it was easier for him to go. Worked like a charm once he went on the potty it was much better and then I slowly weened him off miralax and hasn't had an issue since

Need help- poop withholding

Very common. Made me CRAZY! She had been potty trained for pee for a YEAR before we fixed the poop issue. We spoke to the pediatrician and a few different GI docs about it. Ultimately, we used Miralax. We started with A LOT so that she literally had to go and couldn't stop it. That got her going on the potty. We have been slowly weaning the Miralax. Painfully slow. Every time I think we are almost ready to stop it some life changing event happens (her sibling was born, we moved etc) and we go right back withholding it here and there and I bump on the Miralax.
It's a control thing with my DD. I have tried to find a psychologist to help and no one seems to be able to point me in the right direction. I also found that the less I spoke about it with her the better she was. The more attention that I drew to it that more she exerted her control over it.
Important to be consistent with the Miralax to get him going and keep him going. A GI explained that the bowel then needs time to heal and shrink back down bc it has expanded to allow room for all the poop. It's a slow process.
Feel free to PM me. I've been through it!

Need help- poop withholding

I don't have advice but I use to do this as a child from preschool to about 5th grade on and off. My parents had to keep me on a high fiber diet all the time. My parents had a rough marriage and I used it to control my surroundings (what the doctors told my parents). It didn't fully stop till I was able to actually realize why I was doing it. As a kid I use to tell them I didn't know why and it drove my parents nuts. I honestly remember not really knowing why. It wasn't till 8th grade that my amazing guidance consular actually made me realize a lot of what was going on. I have been fine otherwise however it does mess up your bowels and I still eat extra fiber. Hoping some of this helps one of you.

Re: Need help- poop withholding

Oh lord. DD did this to me for an entire year. I had to actually take her to a pediatric GI. I used to give her Miralax every single day to keep things soft and easier for her to pass. Honestly, there's nothing I really did. You can't make them poop. It was just a mind thing with my DD. she eventually grew out of it when she became potty trained. She hasn't had an issue since then. She was potty trained just after she turned 3. Good luck. I know the feeling. My life revolved around her poop for a year.

Need help- poop withholding

Went through this too. Soo frustrating! So my protocol was if she didn't poop, the next morning she would get a suppository. If she would shoot it out or not go, the next day it was a liquid suppository. If she still didn't go, the following morning she got an enema. It got to the point that all I would have to say is it's time for a suppository and she would volunteer to go. She is six now and goes every other day now with no help. PM me if you have questions. I could talk about this with you bc we struggled for years.

Re: Need help- poop withholding

Thank you everyone. It's relieving to know I'm not the only one to go through this. When I tell people what's going on no one understands and they tell me he's maybe not ready to be in underwear and put him back in diapers. No one gets that this had nothing to do with being trained that he just doesn't want to poop-anywhere! And hopefully he will outgrow this

Need help- poop withholding

Try Pedialax. My daughter had an issue from about 12 months until 3.5. She would hold her poop and it would be so painful for her once she did go, she would actually bleed. She'd start sweating and screaming crying. It was so bad. She was the same way once she pee trained at 3.2. She had been on mirilax for over a year and while it helped it didn't do the trick. I swear after one dose of Pedialax, we used the chewables, when she finally went on the potty and it came out easily she has never had an issue since.

Message edited 8/22/2015 9:21:44 AM.

Re: Need help- poop withholding

Need help- poop withholding

We are dealing with this now with DS who will be 4 in a few months. Fully potty trained but will not poop outside of the home (not even at daycare), and will hold it in at home sometimes. Finally he told us that it hurt to push it out. We've been giving him prune juice every day to make it softer. Some other things that we are having success with (he did his first poop on a public toilet this past weekend!!!): having him sit on the potty for 10-15 min each morning and night, play games (DS likes I Spy) or read books while on the potty to distract him, and offer rewards. It gets better, hang in there!

Message edited 8/24/2015 10:56:24 AM.