My FIL used to say that my 2nd son was "the poopingest kid I've ever seen!" That was back when he was an infant, and I didn't really see the problem.
But now, it IS a problem!
He's 3 1/2 and mostly day potty trained. The weird thing is that he goes poop about 6 times over the space of 3-4 hours! He'll often run to the bathroom and say he needs to poop, but he's already got a little hanging out and often it's sort of smeared. But he sits on the toilet and that's all he gets out. He'll often get some smeared on his underwear, so we usually go through 4-5 pair a DAY! He has stacks and stacks of underwear, but we keep running out!
After 4-5 little "accidents" he'll usually manage a regular-sized BM and then we're done with that ordeal for the day (usually).
He did this last Spring, too, when he was still in diapers. We went through so many diapers! And I wasn't looking forward to potty training him with that sort of problem, so I called his pediatrician to see if I needed to take him in to be seen. The nurse who returned my call didn't seem to have listened to my message, because she told me how to "firm up his stools," but that's not the problem. It's almost like his body doesn't hold it.
Now, my husband is unemployed and even the copay for taking my son to the doctor would be hard to spend, so I thought I'd ask all of you for advice before I go waste $25 to find out it's normal. (I just did that with a medical concern of my own, only it was $40!!! We can't afford to do that again.)
Has anyone else dealt with this? Is it a problem, or is it just annoying?
Thanks, everyone. Encopresis sounds just like my son! We've changed our diet a bit since my husband lost his job, including cutting out most of our juice (water's cheap!) He's sort of resisting the water bit, and probably isn't drinking enough.
The strange thing is that I figure his fiber intake is about the same. We've switched from his favorite cereals, raisin bran and shredded wheat to oatmeal, but they're all good sources of fiber. I guess he just needs more than he usually gets. I sprinkled a little Metamucil on his cereal this morning and I'll give him more juice and fruit and we'll see if we can't resolve this at home!
Double thanks, I have tried googling the condition, but it's sort of a cumbersome symptom to type int he search box. There's no way I would have found it on my own!
Is his stool hard like maybe he is constipated? I had a problem like this with my 1st born and he was just constipated so only little bits came out at a time. Maybe you need to loosen not firm.
Good luck!
A couple things after reading your response...
Apply for WIC. You'll get free juice and cereal. You can get Frosted Mini Wheats and bran flakes.
Look into Medicaid or your state's Children's Health Insurance Plan (CHIP). If you qualify, it is free (or a max of $3) to take your kiddo to the doctor.
Is it possible that his bm is too firm and he can only get out a few 'plugs' before his body softens them up enough? Embarassingly enough, I (adult Mom) had this challenge myself, and my naturopath recommended probiotics. Problem solved! I take 12 billion active acidophillus per day (2 5 billion caps 3x/day) Probiotic yogurt seems to do the trick for my children. It's a healthy, inexpensive thing you can try before forking out the dough for the doc.
A relative had a similar problem with her son and it turned out he had giardia, once that was treated he was fine! May not be your issue but it is something to look into!
One of my boys (almost 4 years old) has had similar poop issues. About a year ago we figured out he was lactose intolerant and switching to lactose-free milk made a huge improvement. If your son's stools are loose then you might want to eliminate milk, yogurt, and ice cream for a few days and see if things improve. Good luck!
I have poop issues with my 10 year old we're trying to figure out. My stepmom asked her best friend, an MD psychiatrist who specializes in kids about it. Third-hand she thought it sounded like Encopresis. Maybe Google that and see if it fits your son? Hang in there!
My son did something like this and I think it was because he was a little constipated. It was also so frustrating. I felt like we couldn't ever leave the house until he really pooped because you could guarantee a mess! I started giving him a big dose of prune juice for about a week or two until got a little more "normal" and still give him a couple ounces a day. Once it was easier for him to poop it all came out at once. So, perhaps give the prune juice a try and see if it makes a difference.
From reading the other responses, it sounds like there could be a medical condition worth looking into. But I think it could also be "normal" - it's a myth that we should go poop just once a day. Some people are very regular like that, others not so much. And it may be that his sphincter muscles (that control exit) may not be completely coordinated with his bowel activity quite yet. So it could be something he grows out of, or not.
I would call the doctor again. If you need to leave a message, make it simple "I'm concerned about my son's bowel function" or something like that, and then give the details when they call back. If you don't feel like the nurse is really understanding, ask to talk to the doctor! Then describe all the sympotms you've noticed. That may be a good way to gauge if its something that needs attention right away or if it can wait.
First of all, congratulations on baby due in a less than two weeks!!
Sometimes due to stress in the family or major change in the household (which-- from your 'request' sounds like there is plenty of right now.)Children will change their bathroom habits- not necessarily on purpose.
My oldest boy, 4 yrs old, experienced a similar prob to what it sounds like your 3 year old is experiencing- only he had frequent 'emergency' urination. i took my son to the doc to check for uti & to check his blood sugar levels-- all clear and healthy. His pediatrician told us, in his age group it is somewhat common for a child's bladder to expand due to 'holding it' for too long because they get so busy and active at this age and they have such a great confidence in their potty training expertise. Anyhow, she suggested we time it and have him 'go' once every hour just to form positive habit & to shrink his bladder to normal size & prevent the light leaking of urine he was experiencing. We set a timer and allowed him to go to the restroom when the beeper sounded. Once every hour like clockwork. His preschool teacher also cooperated. He now, after a few weeks, seems to be regulating things himself without too much stress on him... and too much laundry for me!! ;)
I wonder if your son's stool isn't too loose, like the nurse suggested- maybe she did hear your story correctly.Or maybe he's constipated. What is his diet like? have you heard of encopresis?
http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/UVAHealth/peds_growt...
-- well it's like the opposite of what your son seems to be experiencing-- or maybe it's the same-- difficult to tell.
Maybe your lil guy might benefit from sitting & waiting on the potty after breakfast in the morning until he produces something substantial-- sounds like, from what i read, once he does, that seems to help things a bit.
Is he an all day snacker? Has his diet changed? Have you noticed actives or patterns in his emergency bathroom calls? Does he experience abdominal pain, too- or just embarrassment? Has anyone else in the family tree experienced anything like he is-- any kidney probs?
"Questions to be asked include size, consistency and shape of stool, presence of blood, mucus, grease or oil, frequency of nocturnal bowel movements, characteristics of any abdominal or rectal pains, presence of rectal urgency, current medications, previous and concurrent illnesses. Based on the history and the results of a physical examination, the physician can determine which if any tests are needed in your situation." www.medhelp.org
Good luck to the little guy! AND good luck to you and your husband!! Hang in there-- everything happens for a reason.
Sending positivity & a little prayer your way,
D.
My daughter went poop like 6-8 or more times as an infant for a while until we realized she had an allergy to dairy. Then she went about 2-3 times or less once I stopped eating any diary (as I was nursing). I'm not sure if an allergy would cause the same symptoms in a toddler but it might be worth a try as its cheaper than going to the doctor. Does he eat yogurt?(not helpful if he is allergic to dairy however)Or you can get probiotics (I think that's what they are called), but it's that stuff, good bacteria, that is supposed to help your digestive tract.
Good luck, and good luck with number 3!!
I would probably get him to do some yoga to stregnthen the spfinkter muscle just like doing keegles after pregnancy. Also check to see if he has IBS if so it is an emotional disorder that happened in his life that has him holding emotions in like spanking him to hard or yelling at him or a fall or a parent not being there for him.
I wonder if he is a bit constipated, and it's hard for him to get it all out the first time?
Maybe you can try working some prunes in the morning?
When I have this trouble (with myself) I take a magnesium calcium suppliment in the form of a powder drink. So maybe there is a child size of that (think milk of magnesia).
You may want to try fiddling with his diet to get him to be able to eliminate the stool in one sitting rather than trying for several times until he gets it out. Maybe even something warm to drink may help.
Potentially even just avoiding things like bananas?
Good luck!!
