Please Help! 2 1/2 Year Old Holding in Bms

Did you see a Pediatric Gastroenterologist?
That is the kind of Doctor you should see, if you have not already.
Not just a Pediatrician.

There is also something called 'Encopresis" which is an involuntary leaking of poop. Often times, as a result of constipation.
So, this should be considered as well.

Again, see a specialist, a Ped Gastroenterologist.

Constipation... causes pain. Thus, the child starts to 'withhold' it. This makes it worse and internally. Bulging bowels, encopresis, etc.

Is he potty training or something? Kids, OFTEN per potty training, will 'withhold' their poop. It is then a vicious cycle and 2-fold: emotion based due to the pain and fear of pooping, AND also, medically and physically a problem.

I would go to a gastro doctor asap~ They need to check and do a scope to make sure everything is ok.
It could be something small, but it is something that I would not wait on..

Like the others have suggested, check with a pediatric Gastro.

Some home things to try.
- Increase water intake
- Decrease milk, cheese, bananas as possible.
- Increase the his walking/running time.

Talk to the dr. about using Miralax. Its helped my daughter.

It could be encopresis, although your son is a little young. This article might be helpful:
http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/sick/encopresis.html#
I hope all goes well.

If he was going alright before this all started, then the constipation is probably caused by diet. The one thing that always seems to be the problem in that area is a need for more fiber and probiotics (good yogurt works for that too), avoiding white bread or refined flour, and loading up on fruit, plus more water in the diet, (grape juice works wonders too!), To show the kids how drinking more water helps them go to the bathroom easier, I would show them this way: stuff a wad of clean toilet paper into an empty toilet paper tube, hold it over the sink and try to shake the paper out the bottom of the tube. Then tell them, "See how this won't come out, because it's dry, right? But if I pour water into the tube, it will come right out the bottom." Then you can explain that's why certain foods will help him go poo - and it won't hurt then.
There is a lady named Brenda Watson who tells all about FIBER and it's benefits: - she does the HOPE method to improve health - Have you heard about her on PBS? Hope stands for:
H= High Fiber
O= OmegaThree oils
P= Probiotics
E= Enzymes
http://www.brendawatson.com/In-the-News/Brenda's-News...

I heard someone say long ago:
"CONSTIPATION IS THE THIEF OF HEALTH" and it seems to be true!

If you are not the sole caregiver for your son, always check what they are feeding him, and if they are giving him enough liquids to drink, and if he has gone poo and how much. Though it is a rather 'crappy' topic to discuss, it is important. Learn what you can, do your best and don't worry - everything will come out all right in the end!
There are some great potty training tips here, too:
http://www.gomommygo.com/pottytraining.html

Imagine if the only time you had a BM it hurt... I'd hold it in too! Try a stimulant-free stool softner. Our daughter held her BMs during potty training for a week or so; our pedi suggested Children's Milk of Magnesia or Miralax to "force" a soft BM.

So sorry he's having such problems. Without knowing what the doctors recommended and that you've tried I would suggest getting him to a Pediatric Gastroenterologist ASAP.

If the poop is soft it really doesn't sound like constipation, it almost sounds as if there could be a problem with it backing up into his upper intestines from holding it, and he may need enemas, etc., to clean him out. A BM once a week for 5 weeks has had to put a tremendous amount of strain on his poor system. I so hope this doesn't go on much longer for him.

My sister's two boys have gone through this, for her children it appeared to begin with potty training. Theirs also had the screaming from discomfort, violent shakes, and their's were/are large but hard not soft. She always consults with the pediatrician, who recommend all the standard; plenty of water, prune juice, more vegetables, and even glycerin capsule (enema I think) The enema's were my sister's last resort, because they would fight her the whole process through. It is difficult to expect the child to change their mind about holding it in, because they feared going into the potty.
When I would babysit for my sister, I always made fresh banana oatbran muffins. Here kids would eat 4 or more and by the time my sister would pick them up, he would have gone three times that day; no screaming, no shaking, no problem. I hope you are able to identify why your son is holding his BM in and hope his overcomes it soon. Good luck

My son suffered from constipation from the time we started solids. We eventually took him to a Pediatric GI doctor. We were told to decrease the amount of dairy we were giving him (I was really loading him up after he turned 1), and give him more diluted apple juice (I give it only at meals and water in between and with naps), and he's been on Miralax for as long as I can remember. We became desperate after two trips to the ER after he was experiencing severe belly pain, and they had to give him an enema. With the above, things have been much better and we've been able to cut back on the Miralax slowly. The GI doctor has us doing this until he is potty trained and then said things might start to get better. Something else that really helps is watermelon. I think, for us, getting him more liquids was key - he doesn't like to drink water.

Try baby food. I know its a step back, but it will soften him up w/o giving him diarrhea. As he starts becoming regular again, slowly add regular food until you see he can poop w/ease.

I went the extreme when my son did this at 3 yo. He was on nothing but baby food (#2s & #3s of dinners, fruits and veggies) for 2-3 days, and after 2 days of regular poop, I started taking away a jar/container a meal. It took about 2 weeks to transfer back to all solids but it did the trick for us.

Google "encopresis" right away!

Is he constipated? It sounds similar to what I experienced with my daughter at the same age. She was constipated. Miralax has been a life-saver for her.

Poor baby! Papaya works like a charm on my boys. Good luck!