Grunting, Crying, and Newborn Poop

Does your baby grunt, turn red, strain, or even cry for several minutes before finally passing a soft poop? It may look like constipation, but your baby could actually be experiencing infant dyschezia.

Infant dyschezia typically occurs in babies younger than 6 months and happens because they are still learning how to coordinate the muscles needed to have a bowel movement. To poop, babies have to increase pressure in their abdomen while also relaxing their pelvic floor. Sometimes they haven't quite figured out how to do both at the same time—so you see lots of grunting, pushing, red faces, and tears before a perfectly soft stool appears!

The important difference is the consistency of the poop.

Constipation typically involves hard, dry, or pellet-like stools. With infant dyschezia, the stool remains soft.

Although it can be difficult to watch, infant dyschezia usually improves on its own as your baby's coordination develops.

Rectal stimulation, suppositories, or routinely using devices to help baby poop are generally not recommended, because baby needs the opportunity to learn this skill.

If stools are hard, there's blood in the stool, your baby isn't feeding or growing well, or you're simply unsure whether what you're seeing is normal, give our office a call at (719)766-9398.