# My One year old son screams while pooping



## Debbiepop (May 11, 2006)

I am new to this board and I am desperate for help! My one year old son has the worst time pooping.







It seems that he spends half the day trying to hold it in. I know this because I will hear him start to scream, look over and there he will be down on his stomach stiff as a board from head to toe
with his legs and butt squeezed shut as tight as he can get it! He will do this all day long until he can no longer hold it in at which time I will have to pick him up, separate his legs and rub his back until it finally comes out. Then it finally does come out he gets so upset it takes me a while to calm him down.









This has been going on every since he was 10 months old and had a bad experience with constipation. The Doctor said that this can be normal that some kids just do not like the feeling of going poopie. He's poop is soft so I know that it's not constipation, I hate feeling so helpless and wonder if any one else has gone though this and has any advise on what I can or should do so that he will get over this.


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## Lazyhead (Mar 27, 2006)

oh mama, that must be so hard for you!! i do not know what to tell you i just wanted to offer you a hug.
you say his poop is soft so it isn't constipation. what happens if you don't do the back rub thing? does he poop eventually without your help?


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## Bad Mama Jama (May 29, 2005)

My dd is the same way. It's a production any time she poops. There's crying, screaming, redness in her face. She's not constipated. She just hates the pooping and the way it feels.

I, too was a patter to get her to calm down. Now I sing and she looks more relaxed about the whole thing. She also likes the feeling of actually sitting on the potty while pooping. Sitting seems to relieve the straining.


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## Leiahs (Jul 29, 2005)

Hugs to you, mama! My 2.5 year old started doing the same thing about 3 months ago. We're still dealing with it, and as far as I can tell, we're in it for the long haul.







I wish I had some advice - my daughter HATES sitting on the potty, but that seems to be the only place we can actually help her to do the deed.

Here's my original thread in Health & Healing...you can see some other people's replies and experiences there.
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=437376

Wish I could say more, but she just woke up from a nap, gotta run!


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## elmh23 (Jul 1, 2004)

Have you tried putting him on the potty when he starts the screaming? He may just not like the way poop feels in his diaper.

Good luck, and I hope it really is just as simple as the feel!


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## blessed (Jan 28, 2006)

He may have an anal fissure. That is a tiny crack or tear in the anal lining that usually happens during a hard stool from constipation. Once there, every time the child has a bowel movement the area is _extremely_ painful. This makes the child fearful of bm's and they can struggle even more with constipation.

Hard stools stretch the tear and hurt, and soft stools leach into the open cut and sting like crazy. Then the pain causes the anal sphincter (the muscle ring that lets us hold our poo and farts in until we want to let them go) to spasm. You know how painful it is when you get a muscle cramp in your calf? You know how you're rolling on the bed screeching in pain and trying everything to get it to stop? Well, it's the same feeling except in your _butthole_, if you can imagine.

Usually they're small and a bit internal so you can't see them unless you gently spread apart the anus, which the child can't tolerate because it's so painful.

It can be tough to get them to heal since each bm traumatizes them anew. Soaking in a warm bath after bm's helps clean any residual bacteria which are causing pain and stinging in the cut and also relaxes the muscle. Use natural fiber to keep the stools firm but not hard. And you might consider analgesics like tylenol or ibuprofen when you know he's going to poo soon.


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## Debbiepop (May 11, 2006)

WOW thanks to all for the hugs and advice! I have to say that a tear COULD be possible as the last bout of constipation is what started this whole thing. So if there is a tear, then there is hope.

I feel like I can't start my day until my son has had his daily pooping eposide. Also, my family's comments of "THIS IS NOT NORMAL" drives me insane. I know it's upsetting to see but what can I do. I hate to even leave hiim with any one because of this... Boo HOOOOOOO









I haven't tried sitting him on the potty yet, (he just turned one). I wonder if that will help.. You bet I will be trying tomorrow.


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## Bad Mama Jama (May 29, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *elmh23*
Have you tried putting him on the potty when he starts the screaming? He may just not like the way poop feels in his diaper.

That was the case for my dd... Good luck and report back tomorrow. I'd love to hear how it goes...


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## LoveChild421 (Sep 10, 2004)

one natural and easy way to keep them from getting constipated is Cod Liver oil or Flax Oil. I use Nordic Naturals Cod Liver oil (the formula they have for kids tastes like strawberries and he loves taking it). He hasn't had any hard stools since I started that and hasn't had to strain. I also try to get him to drink as much water as possible.


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## soybeansmama (Jan 26, 2006)

your op sounds like my very first post on mdc. I came here to seek out help for this very issue. Big hugs to you because I know the anxiety that it can provoke.

my son's issue started at 14 months. At first I was clueless and thought he was in some kind of tremedous pain the way he flopped about, screaming and trying to clench enough to keep it in. He is 2.5 years now and the episodes are easier to handle just understanding what it is about. He still will sit on the floor to attempt to hold everything in. He still flops and kicks and screams and fights everytime he is just about to pass it, but some things have made it easier for us and less dramatic...

First just talking about it ALOT. We read potty books, pick up the dog poop in the yard, share mommy and daddy's big poops and talk about how we feel so much better when it is all done. normalizing it has helped put it in perspective for him. He still cries everytime he poops, but at least he recovers a lot more quickly now.

I have also discovered flax seed (ground and put in yogurt or apple sauce).
I give him yummi bears fiber formula with chicory root to at least avoid any constipation from keeping it in for days (he poops every 2-3 days). Bathtime also gets things going. Occasionally when I have had enough of the poo mood, I will resort to suppositories just to get it over with. Also a bulb syringe with some warm water makes the urge hard to resist. We tell him that his bottom needs a drink of water.

I am sorry mama that you are dealing with this...you are not alone. Please pm me if you need to. I will post more when I can...I am at work and they keep looking in my direction!

Jessica


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