Potty training with bowel problems

[Racabel]

My little girl is 3.5 and we are wanting to give potty training a try. She has suffered with chronic constipation since she was 18 months old and takes paediatric movicol. About 4 weeks ago she started to be very loose and going all of the time so we stopped the movicol. Since then she is straining after every meal and every nappy is dirty to the point her bum is getting sore. I have a doctor's appointment coming up but I wondered if anyone else had experienced this and could give me any advice. Thank you.

[Helen36]

Hello - first of all I just wanted to say that this was us a couple of years ago. It is possible to potty train despite constipation but you do want to try and the constipation under control first. The aim is to get a nice big soft poo once or twice a day. I’d suggest that no movicol isn’t right for you but perhaps the dose you were on before was too much. However, the very loose stools could have been an indication of a blockage. I think it would be well worth considering a disimpaction (see Eric website and talk to your GP) to ensure there are no blockages, and encouraging her to sit on the potty for a few minutes after every meal. Get her to blow bubbles as this helps the bowel push. Also look at her fluid intake - aim for about 800-1000ml a day, ideally water and avoid black currant. Ask your GP for a referral to your local paediatric continence team (if they have one). Many won’t refer until they are four, but as appointment waits can be long, push to get in the system as soon as possible. Sorry this is a bit of garbled reply but hopefully helpful. X