# Grunting and pushing constantly!



## kezz_howland

I haven't slept all night due to my LO's grunting, pushing and straining. I have read that it is normal looking at random posts on the internet, and I also found this (feel free to not read it all, but just to give anyone else with same problem an idea):

Grunting Baby Syndrome

It may be the bane of my professional existence but it isnt found in the major pediatric textbooks. Its the source of stress and confusion for so many young parents. And too often its misunderstood if not mismanaged. Its grunting baby syndrome.

The baby with grunting baby syndrome will push, squeeze, grunt, change color and carry on only to produce a soft bowel movement. Parents will report that their baby is constipated and seek help. Very often were lead down the down the primrose path searching for a solution. But there is no problem. The grunting babys problem is one of primitive incoordination. While we all take for granted our understanding of the need for simultaneous relaxation of the pelvic floor and abdominal pressure to poop, not all babies have this figured out. And its this lack of coordination that makes us believe that our babies are in trouble.

A common trap for parents and even pediatricians is to stimulate the GBS baby with a thermometer or a cotton swab. When the anus is stimulated, babies exhibit whats referred to as an anal wink. When this happens the bottom relaxes ever so briefly but just enough to allow rectal contents to be eliminated.

The reason this is a trap is that it actually works. And because it works so well we do it again and again. But as the baby becomes accustomed to pooping with stimulation it comes to be that the baby can only poop when stimulated (thus the trap).

The baby with grunting baby syndrome is best left to work out her issues on her own. The simple timing of elimination is something that we all sort out early on and we shouldnt interfere. As difficult as it may be to watch, the short-term relief of rectal stimulation is never a good long-term solution. Parents of babies with GBS will often look for help after weeks of continuous bottom tweaking and failure of a baby to poop on her own. After a thorough history, physical, and exclusion of other causes I educate the family on GBS and suggest a slow withdrawal of stimulation with the understanding that baby will figure it out.

But up until now it's usually been for a few hours in the night and he mostly sleeps soundly during the day. However, last night it started at 2am, and has carried on through the entire night, with almost no breaks. He woke himself up once and has been really grumpy all morning. He wouldn't sleep and when I finally got him down for a nap this morning (after a 20 min walk in the pram) he fell asleep, but has been grunting all the way through it. He pood last night and again this morning, perfectly normal poo. He also has a lot of gas and seems to strain to pass that too. 

He is 4 weeks old tomorrow and is fed aptimil formula. Does anyone have the same problem this extreme? I can cope with lack of sleep etc, but seeing him like this I can't help thinking he's in pain or uncomfortable, or that he's gonna give himself a bloomin hernia, even though he sleeps through it mostly. It breaks my heart and when he does it for ages and ages (especially when I'm tired) it makes me cry watching him.


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## LeeLouClare

thank you!! my Sam grunts a lot too :)


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## mj2004

My lo does this often also. I know how frustarting it is!


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## Mrs_Random

You should see the colours my boy goes, he went from white to bright red in seconds he was pushing so hard, and we had the noise to go with.

I'm lucky, he only does it in the day, but he does it a lot and often only trumps or produces a tiny poo.

I do feel for him, especially when it brings a tear to his eye, but he has to learn to do it in the same way he will learn to control his wee so I leave him to it.

If his poo had blood or anything else in it, then I would worry.


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## kezz_howland

You don't think they can do themselves any harm doing it do you? Sometimes he strains so much I think if it were me i'd have piles and allsorts! I guess I'm just scared of him doing some damage!


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## paperkite

kezz_howland said:


> I haven't slept all night due to my LO's grunting, pushing and straining. I have read that it is normal looking at random posts on the internet, and I also found this (feel free to not read it all, but just to give anyone else with same problem an idea):
> 
> 
> But up until now it's usually been for a few hours in the night and he mostly sleeps soundly during the day. However, last night it started at 2am, and has carried on through the entire night, with almost no breaks. He woke himself up once and has been really grumpy all morning. He wouldn't sleep and when I finally got him down for a nap this morning (after a 20 min walk in the pram) he fell asleep, but has been grunting all the way through it. He pood last night and again this morning, perfectly normal poo. He also has a lot of gas and seems to strain to pass that too.
> 
> He is 4 weeks old tomorrow and is fed aptimil formula. Does anyone have the same problem this extreme? I can cope with lack of sleep etc, but seeing him like this I can't help thinking he's in pain or uncomfortable, or that he's gonna give himself a bloomin hernia, even though he sleeps through it mostly. It breaks my heart and when he does it for ages and ages (especially when I'm tired) it makes me cry watching him.



kezz_howland, when did your baby recover? I am in the same boat and wondering how much longer, too! My baby is now 12 weeks and still has this. He grunts/strains/cries all day and all night, every.single.day. When he poops, he's relieved for about 10 minutes. Then, it starts back up again. He seems to strain with both pooping and passing gas. The doctors tell me that it's colic but if it weren't for the straining, he'd be fine.


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## Mrsmitch80

My daughter did this, every night, day, just all the time. She was grumpy and going purple trying. I repeatedly took her to the docs but was fobbed off until I took her to hospital at 6 months. There it was discovered that her lower intestine had a problem and that was why she was struggling. Unfortunately though her bowel needed time to recover from being so full and her pushing so much so she ended up with a colostomy for 6 months! And she had literally given herself a hernia!!!

It is common for babies to grunt but not for hours on end, if you thing it's not normal get your lo checked out. I wouldn't want anyone to go through what we did :( xxx


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## BrittasticTX

Didn't read all of the responses, BUT...
My LO was VERY grunty, had a hard time sleeping, and lots of gas pain. I gave him gas drops, and learned to "fart" him :) lay him face up on your lap, head towards your knees, and push his knees into his tummy, try to elevate his butt a little bit. Keep him in this position for a couple of minutes and all the air comes out! (and when he was little, usually a poop!) We did it EVERY MORNING! At around 4 months he seemed to figure it all out, and although he still gets a little grunty now and then, its not really a problem at all anymore.


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## paperkite

Thanks for the responses! I took him to the doctor today just to make double sure it wasn't anything serious (my heart goes out to you, Mrsmitch80). The doctor confirmed t's all about gas pain and he has to outgrow it. Unfortunately, he won't let me keep him in the "fart position" for more than 15 seconds or so before he twists and squirms and cries. When I put him in a similar position up against my chest with his feet tucked under him, he will *sometimes* pass A LOT of gas. Alas, not usually, though. These have been the longest 3 months of my life... so, hopefully by next month he'll have it all figured out because I'm EXHAUSTED.


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## duckytwins

I have the same sort of baby. He doesn't seem to know how to "go". And I know he's in pain trying to pass gas because he cries a "help me mommy, it hurts" cry. And I feel so bad for him. :cry:


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## BrittasticTX

I also have a happitummi, sold on amazon or at happitummi.com, it seemed to help relax him a little bit, and the warmth and smell helped him fall asleep. When he was 1-4 months I used it ALL THE TIME!


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## mo0nangel

My baby does the same thing all day he grunts and strains and cries :/


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## kezz_howland

So sorry I didnt reply I hadnt realised the post had been commented on since last time!! He was about two months when he finally stopped doing it! By which time he was in his own room cause we were just getting no sleep! But eith both doors open we could hear him if he woke, but not the grunting! Peaceful sleep for everyone!! :) theres light at the end of the tunnel haha


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## marymoomin

One of my twins is like this. She is 11 mths and it's recently started to get better. I got them probiotic drops and the wind lessened. I had almost tuned it out but someone asked what was problem with her was.


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## pollydolly

Exactly the same here! He always looks so uncomfortable it's awful & only poops once a day! I hate seeing him worked up :nope: xxx


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## DaniMoose

same here, lo spends most of the night (but mainly 3am onwards) straining and grunting...contemplating sticking her in her own room but feel so guilty if we do so early on


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## Popples1

I'm posting this after an extremely sleepless night in which I resorted to putting an ear plug in one ear and stuffing a muslin in the other (I lost one of the plugs in the chaos!). My LO grunts and strains most of the night. I've been trying to bicycle his legs which he seems to quite like but he's still full of wind. I haven't tried infacol yet but that might be my next plan of action...


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## Piper2Paisley

My daughter is 2 months old and a grunter big time. we don't do the stimulate thing unless its been a few days and she really needs to get it out. but she has given herself an umbilical Hernia and it seems to get bigger by the day from all her pushing. we went to see a Pediatrician the other day about the hernia and he checked her over and told us that the reason she is having so many issues pooping and grunting all the time is because her rectal cavity is too small so he is sending us to a pediatric surgen on Monday to see what can be done about it. is this all just part of this Grunting Baby Syndrome or should I really be worried that my 2 month old might need to get surgery on her little bum? I'm Very Scared.


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## Blah11

My girl grunts all night too and also during the day haha she’s 6 weeks actual and a few days corrected. Premature babies are notoriously noisy. She isn’t constipated at all.


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