# Toddler BM Withholding



## jelymead (Aug 29, 2015)

Hi Everyone - 
I'm new to this forum and very excited to be here. My husband and I are working toward becoming more natural as a family, so, of course, the first thing I think of is my almost-three year old daughter. 

Since the end of December / beginning of January 2015 she's been withholding. It correlates to when we started potty training and also around the time that she had a really bad yeast rash. I tell you that not because I think one caused the other, but because I'm not sure if they are related. 

Our family doctor wanted us to try to eliminate for food allergies. Seven (or ten - I don't remember) days without milk, then add it back in. Then eggs, then wheat. Unfortunately my girl goes to an in-home daycare and was constantly getting into other kids' foods or drinks when the provider had her back turned tending to another child. I don't fault her for this because I know how hard it is to work in child care - especially by yourself!

We then got referred to a pediatric gastroenterologist at a local hospital. He said it sounded like it was withholding and, though he couldn't feel blockages because it would be so low in her belly, the smears and smudges and small, frequent BM's (7-10 times a day at daycare) were probably overflow around some sort of blockage. He had us do a three day clean out (poor girl!) with Miralax and enemas, then start Lactulose once daily. The Lactulose didn't work, so they switched us to Miralax (half cap once daily). This was giving her ridiculous diarrhea so the PA told us to decrease the amount of Miralax until her BM's were soft, but formed, and one every day or every other day. Well she isn't a big drinker and, at two and a half, will not be forced into doing anything she doesn't want to do :wink: so she wasn't drinking the Miralax fast enough for it to work. So when we went back in for our follow-up the doctor basically said that a girl her age should be able to tolerate a half cap of the Miralax and to make her drink it in 15 minutes. He doesn't have a toddler, I'm sure, because this is near impossible without someone kicking and screaming (usually me). 

So my question / concern is this:

I'm pumping chemicals into my daughters body in fear that she is damaging her colon. The doctor said that, at this point, her colon is so stretched out at the base that she doesn't recognize that she needs to poop anymore (hence the smudges and smears - this is her colon naturally contracting and pushing out small amounts). But now she just has super stinky and either diarrhea or VERY lose stools one to two times daily (full diapers, usually). Have you been though something similar? Is there something else I can do to help? I want to potty train SO bad to get her out of diapers but I basically can't until she learns to control her BM's. And I can't imagine how much discomfort she must be in with such frequent and loose BM's. Help! :frown:

Thank you in advance.
Jessica


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## CarolS (Nov 20, 2015)

hi, dealing with the same here.

Did you take a look at Clean Kid Manual by Dr Colliins?

He has the Soiling Solutions page.

I cannot afford his page or book; but, another mom has told me about the manual. 

I hate giving miralax! ugh nasty stuff. I hate putting chemicals into body as well.
Seems they really push the miralax. It is horrible stuff.

I found cutting gluten, changing diet, lots of patience helps tons.

I give enemas instead of giving the miralax.

Love to hear how things are going for yours. 

I sent you a message. Don't know if you got it or not.

Carol


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## CarolS (Nov 20, 2015)

*may be encopresis??*

whoops double post. Sorry.
see above.


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