Baby Crying While Pooping: Reasons & When to Worry?

Change is often hard to handle, and it’s definitely much harder for an infant to deal with. The body of an infant changes rapidly and has to adapt continuously to the changes in their environment. While some things are easily learnt and adapted to by your baby, such as eating or sleeping, some may be challenging or painful for them. One of these things is not able to excrete comfortably, which results in a baby crying when pooping. There might be certain reasons that they result in uncomfortable and, at times, painful poop. Below, we discuss the possible reasons why your baby cries while he poops and what you can do about it.

Reasons Why Your Baby Cries When They Poops

If your child is not able to excrete comfortably and often cries while doing so, these could be a few possible reasons for the same.

1. Constipation

Just like elders, infants too suffer from constipation at times. This could make it very difficult and hurtful for your child to poop. Observe your child’s stools to ensure that they are not too firm and dry. If they are, it’s possible that your baby is constipated. To tackle this situation, increase his fluid intake for the day. This will help with the process of digestion and also help soften his stools. Also, increase his intake of high-fibre vegetables and fruits. You can mash them into a paste or puree for easier consumption.

In case these methods are ineffective, consult a paediatrician for help.

2. Gas Trouble

Gas troubles in a body as tiny as that of an infant can cause pain while pooping. An infant can have these gas problems due to the excess intake of air while crying, hyperlactation syndrome, gastrointestinal infections and/or the inability to digest breastmilk. Gassiness can be reduced by ensuring that your baby is burped after every meal. You can also massage your baby’s tummy to rid it of excess air.

3. Incomplete Coordination

A baby’s body can take time to adapt to the stimuli to which it is exposed. This also involves the pooping process. Some children can find it uncomfortable to poop in certain positions. For example, if a child is lying down, they might have to use their abdominal muscles and exert more strength than usual. This can make the baby feel rather uncomfortable and drain out his energy. Due to this lack of coordination of the muscles in the baby’s body, the baby might have some trouble pooping.

4. Attention

This may sound strange. However, it is common for babies to ‘fake cry’ for attention from their parents. If you find that your little one ceases to stop crying as soon as you look at him or sports a smile too, there’s a good chance he was crying to get you to notice him. If this is the case, you can try and pacify your child with hugs and positive talk from time to time.

5. Adapting the Sensation of Pooping

In the initial days, if you find your baby crying while pooing, it could be because they are still adapting or getting used to the sensation of pooping. Generally, the abdominal muscles of a baby are still underdeveloped, which makes it difficult for them to pass stools easily, and they cry while pooping.

6. Infant Dyschezia

Dyschezia is a condition in which a babay strains and cries for more than ten minutes before defecating. During this, the baby’s face turns red or purple until they pass soft or liquid stool. Dyschezia is a normal and very common condition and might resolve after some weeks.

7. Anal Fissure

If the baby has chronic constipation, there are chances they might develop anal fissures. In this condition, there is a small tear of the skin in the anal canal or the lining of the anus because of passing hard stools and painful defecation.

8. Colic

Approximately 10–40% of babies are affected by colic. Babies uncontrollably cry while suffering from colic and, therefore, also cry while pooping too.

9. Food Allergy or Intolerance

Food allergy or intolerance might be the reason behind the baby crying while pooping. It means that your little one’s digestive system is having trouble breaking down certain foods.

10. Baby Is Uncomfortable

A baby crying continuously while pooping may be because they are uncomfortable because of teething pain or an ear infection.

11. Blockage

The baby might have swallowed a foreign object like a coin or a toy, which might be troubling them by causing blockage while pooping. You must take your child to the doctor right away for treatment.

How Long Does Baby Cry While Pooping?

A baby may cry 10-30 minutes before pooping, but they generally stop crying after the poop comes out.

Tips That Will Help Stop a Baby From Crying While Pooping

Here are some tips that might be useful if your baby cries while pooping.

1. Massage their belly and legs when they are pooping.
2. Breastfeeding mothers should change their diet and see if the baby is able to pass stool comfortably.
3. Include high-fibre foods in the baby’s diet.
4. Keep your baby hydrated.
5. Put a warm compress on the baby’s belly to help them pass stools comfortably.

When to Worry?

In case your baby shows none of the above symptoms or is absolutely inconsolable for days on end, there might be some other underlying issue that needs checking out. Make sure you visit the paediatrician immediately for a remedy.

FAQs

1. Why Does Your Baby Cry When They Poop After Eating Solids?

If your baby has just started eating solid food, there will be changes in their bowel movements, and they may have to push hard or feel a little uncomfortable while passing stool. This may be the reason behind their crying while pooping.

2. What You Can Do If Your Baby Cries While Pooping, But the Poop Is Soft?

If your baby’s poop is soft, but they are still crying while pooping, you can try massaging their tummy and see if it helps.

3. Does Breastfeed Babies Have Trouble While Pooping?

It’s not very common for breastfeeding babies to cry while pooping, but it can happen. Try changing your diet in this case.

It might be difficult to understand your baby’s feelings and emotions at first, but you can always spot the root cause of the problem once you start noticing symptoms. In any other case of trouble while pooping, ensure that you take the advice of a paediatrician. Overall, make sure you keep a tab of your child’s stools, and ensure that he has a healthy diet and sleep pattern as well.

References/Resources:

1. Infants straining to move bowels; childrenswi.org; https://childrenswi.org/-/media/chwlibrary/publication-media-library/2020/03/30/20/48/2144en.pdf

2. Constipation in infants and children; medlineplus.gov; https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003125.htm

3. Khajik Sirob Yaqob; Colic and Anal Fissure in Infancy: The Missing Significant Correlation; ecronicon.com; https://www.ecronicon.com/ecpe/pdf/ECPE-04-00099.pdf; June 2017

4. Dyschezia; my.clevelandclinic.org; https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24109-dyschezia

5. Paul E. Hyman, Peter J. Milla, Marc A. Benninga; et.al; Childhood Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: Neonate/Toddler; gastrojournal.org; https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(06)00517-8/fulltext; April 2006

6. How Can I Tell if My Baby Is Constipated?; kidshealth.org; https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/constipated.html

Also Read:

How Often Should a Newborn Poop?
Blood in Baby’s Stool: Causes and Treatment
Watery Poop in Newborn Babies: Causes & Treatment