Encopresis is defined as the inadvertent passage of stool, or fecal incontinence. In children, the pool session is only considered to be covered when the child is over four years old and has previously been potty trained. However, as we recently discovered, encopresis can occur in toddlers who have never been potty trained. Getting a diagnosis for encopresis in a child under the age of four is very difficult.
When my second son was born, he cried while having bowel movements. This concerned me greatly, but the pediatrician examined him and found no physical problems. The sensation of bowel movements seemed unpleasant to him. This does not change over time. As he entered toddlerhood, he began to hold back chairs. His bowel movements are only complete once or twice a week. He shook and screamed while trying to hold the chair as his body wanted to twist. It was a league to watch. We tried relaxation and calming techniques. We certify that he is not experiencing constipation due to improper diet. There was no sign of encopresis at this point. I spoke with his pediatrician, and it was diagnosed that he would eventually grow out of the natural body strength that he was doing. We were warned not to push potty training and because we firmly believed in child-led potty training, this was our decision. from the beginning.
At his two year well visit, he was checked again to make sure there was nothing physically wrong but I noticed that sometimes I would hold the chair for a week and it concerned me. However, there were no signs of constipation so there was no concern. At about 27 months he started pooping in small amounts that he had no symptoms of and was considered to be encopresed. I changed a diaper after the diaper and noticed that the smell had changed. A few months after his birth, his younger brother held his bowels for three weeks. During that time every fecal matter is constantly. Since that movement always happens eventually, I don’t really start to worry until two weeks into holding it. At that time I made an appointment with her pediatrician. The day before it was scheduled, after three weeks he did not complete a bowel movement, he finally passed a huge mass. This was another sign of encopresis that I did not know.
Unfortunately, the day before the doctor failed, there were no signs of encopresis for the pediatrician to see. It went undiagnosed again. I was left with a warning to bring him on a prescription laxative if he went any longer without movement. However, because the pediatrician did not know that he was leaking, he did not know that he was actually experiencing convulsions. I finally made some progress with my internet search on the subject and found a few other things that I had to do with toddlers.
After several months of my son experiencing fecal incontinence and using glycerin suppositories to help, I brought him back to the pediatrician armed with my information about encopresis and paediatricians agree that their symptoms are directly designed for encopresis. Bowel instructed to keep my son’s stool soft enough so that he cannot stop. This helped and he did not experience the cathartic incontinence of digestion from the beginning.
This is the beginning of a long journey. My son has held his stool so effectively that he has lost the urge to poop and needs to regain bowel movements. You will likely have problems with the potty for years to come and the problem may get worse when you finally start potty train . The key will be proper nutrition and a relaxed schedule to allow him time in the bathroom to take care of business. Even if life is ugly, it’s going to be a lot of fun. The biggest barrier, which is overcome at the age of diagnosis of the child, we tend to better times.
