Constipation Archives

Withholding stool 3 yrs. old (Testimonial)

After a long 15 months of suffering through the withholding stool issue with my daughther, we have finally seen huge strides. For any of you experiencing this with your child it is the most horrible thing to watch them physically hold back a completely normal function. My daughter started withholding after a round of antibiotics that caused severe diarrhea. Through Dr. Stoll, I was able to understand more of what I was dealing with as it turned into more of a control issue over a period of time. We had a few sets backs over the course of the 15 months; however, the Mineral Oil and Metamucil worked. There was a period of time I used the MOM due to not being able to get enough Metamucil in her diet. In January we decided to take the diaper away and potty train her. In my opinion, she screamed and danced holding it regarless if she had a diaper on or not so why not move on and see if that would help. We still kept her stool loose enough so she could not physically hold it. A suggestion came from the nurse that I thought I would try and I hesitate to say it only because in all books you read it tells you not to force or punish your child for soiling their pants. I agree with that in the event it is an accident; however, knowing that they need to go and refusing to sit on the potty I feel is a little different. The nurse suggested that if she refuses and goes in her pants to just tell her "These were your panties for today so you have to wait while they are washed and dried before you can play." After about three times of that she decided to sit on the potty instead of going in her pants. She did great for about two weeks and then had a set back once again. She started holding again and this time the screams and dancing were worse than ever. Her poo poo was soft and there was no reason physically for her response it was psychological. After trying the washing and drying thing once again, this time it didn't work. So after that my husband and I talked again and we felt we would create a new rule. Any time dancing and screaming started she had to sit on the potty for 5 minutes. Sitting on the potty made it harder for her to hold back. It worked in about 2 days she quit the screaming and holding and decided that since she had to sit on it anyway she would just go. Now she has been going everyday for three weeks and last week she started going without even announcing it all by herself. All I can say is this is still an issue for her and will probably have a few bumps in the road ahead; however I have learned a tremendous amount through this process. For those of you suffering through this I can't tell you what the deciding factor in her mind was that change this around; however, the one thing that I do know is what Dr. Stoll says about keeping the stool so soft they can't physically hold it then you have done your job and it is up to them. We tried everything over the year...rewards, MOM, Miralax, Metamucil, Mineral Oil, diaper, no diaper, exercising, strict diet, etc. Maybe the payoff for holding it wasn't as fun anymore when she had to sit on the potty anyway. Maybe she out grew it. Maybe it just clicked. Not sure if we will ever really know. To other parents out there just keep trying and you will find what works for your child. Afer a little research I realized that this is a quite common problem and I was surprised there was not more information out there for help; however, this website and Dr. Stoll provided the most support and answers to my questions. Thanks again, Dr. Stoll!

Re: Withholding stool 3 yrs. old (Testimonial)

Re: Withholding stool 3 yrs. old (Testimonial)

Re: Withholding stool 3 yrs. old (Testimonial)