    
Michaelyn Dunaway
Moderator
Username: Michaelyn
Post Number: 9
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 17, 2007 - 12:42 pm: | |
Hi Lisa,
Thank you for your post. Your son's bowel movement accidents and resistance can be caused by many factors.
Some children fall into a cycle of discomfort, dread, and delay. Dr Greene, who is a pediatrician calls this the D3 cycle.
Children may end up in this cycle because they had a negative or uncomfortable experience with bowel movement. This may have been because of constipation or change in diet or it could be a fear of the toilet and/or flushing or simply delaying a BM because they are too preoccupied with something else way more interesting.
Whatever the trigger, the result is that the next time the child has the urge to poop, he delays going because he knows that it hurts. The delay leads to discomfort. The discomfort to dread and the dread leads right back to delay.
In order to move forward, this D3 cycle must be broken.
Some parents go back to diapers and this seems to work. The child relaxes, the stool gets soft and the tension dissappears. Bowel movements come regularly and without the protest. In the child's mind - they have decided that diapers are good - no pain with diaper and it hurts to use the potty - so potties are bad.
This is often when parents come looking for answers. You basically have to adjust your child's perspective and teach them not to be fearful. You might want to try a step-by-step approach.
1. Encourage your child to poop in the bathroom (in his diaper).
2. Once you have established this as a routine (3 or 4 days), try having him sit (on the floor, on the potty with the lid closed - wherever he is comfortable) with his diaper on while having a bowel movement.
3. Once he has mastered going poo while sitting in the bathroom move him to the potty with the lid open and let him poo in the diaper while on the potty.
4. Now comes the big step. After he is comfortable sitting on the potty and going poo in his diaper, try removing the diaper for the next BM. If your child is not comfortable try cutting a hole in the diaper or leaving the diaper open.
You basically want to work your child up to the point of using the potty by taking small steps. Remember, his behavior is likely based on fear. Think about how you react when you are afraid. You have to enable your child to get over his fear. You know your child best, so adapt these techniques based on his needs. Be patient and you will both get through this.
I hope these suggestions help. Please keep us posted.
Michaelyn |
