DO ANY OF THESE DESCRIBE YOUR CHILD?
INFANTS
- Pellet-like stools
- Arches back and stiffens legs when straining
- Cries or screams before or during bowel movements
TODDLERS & OLDER
- Withholds or refrains from pooping
- Stands straight with knees pressed tightly together
- Poops only in a diaper and/or hides when pooping
- Complains that pooping “hurts” or that it is “hard to push”
- Soils underwear (skid marks) and/or has poop accidents
- Large diameter stools; sometimes blocking up the toilet
- 4 or fewer bowel movements per week
- Dark brown to black stool
Any of the above symptoms can lead to, or be the cause of, a severe type of constipation known as functional constipation.
WHAT COULD BE THE PROBLEM
Children with functional constipation and/or encopresis no longer sense the need to defecate because their rectum has been stretched so severely by compacted stool as shown in the illustration below from the book.
Functional constipation is a serious medical and psychological issue that is difficult to treat, can persist for years, and is often the cause of embarrassing soiling accidents known as encopresis.
In this short video, Dr. Tom introduces functional constipation:
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DR. TOM'S 6-STEP PROGRAM
If your child is mildly constipated, the book will help you treat it and prevent it from becoming more severe. If your child is more severely constipated (functional constipation or encopresis), the book details Dr. Tom's proven six-step treatment program.
There is so much misunderstanding around this condition. Dr. DuHamel does everyone a great service in demystifying the whole process of functional constipation and then breaking down the solution into simple steps that lead to recovery.—Robert Telzrow, MD, Pediatrician
Using clear instructions, simple visual aids, and featuring stories by real parents, The Ins and Outs of Poop will teach you:
- How constipation and withholding begin and why
- The signs and symptoms of occasional & functional constipation
- How to prevent constipation using natural remedies
- How pain and fear lead to stool withholding
- How withholding causes "poop accidents"
- When it is necessary to introduce laxatives
- Dr. Tom's six-step program for treating functional constipation/encopresis
- How to successfully withdraw laxatives
- Why patience is critical
- Strategies for building your child's self-esteem and confidence
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DR. TOM'S RECENT BLOG POSTS
(See Blog Post Categories for more Posts)
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