She can't sleep because of all the grunting. What should I do? I think she is constipated.
First and foremost, constipation means a firm, dry poo. Often babies make a huge fuss about passing a poo but when they do it, it is soft or sometimes runny and you wonder what the fuss was all about.
Small babies may find the sensation of doing poo to be disturbing, so they seem to struggle with the sensation rather than the firmness of the poo. If your baby grunts and groans during sleep but it doesn't wake them up, don't worry!
Some breast fed babies can go for days, even up to 2 weeks without pooing - yet when they do, the poo is soft, so they are not constipated.
A constipated baby has firm dry poo and you need to chat to your nurse about it if that is the case.
Otherwise infrequent poos when baby is breast fed is quite normal.
Got more questions? Book an appointment to speak with one of our baby specialists.
Author: Helen Stevens. RN. RM. MCHN. Manager of Clinical Services, Education and Research. Parent Infant Consultants. 0411880720.