Bowel movement in newborns vary. Painful bowel movement  can disrupt the baby’s daily schedule and make feeding and diaper changing difficult. It  can also be a sign of a serious condition so it is important to see your doctor if you have any concerns.

How do i know that my baby has painful bowel movement ?

Your newborn may do the following if he is having painful bowel movement or discomfort.

• Pulling his leg upwards into his stomach
• Turn red in the face  and grunt while attempting to have a bowel movement
• Stools become infrequent, hard, dry and resemble pebbles when they are passed
• Blood  in your newborn’s stool or diaper

What could be causing my baby’s bowel movement ?

This condition can result if the child has poor rectal muscle movement or the stool contains little water. Some of the triggers include the following :

• Formula fed babies have ingredients in the formula that can cause stool to be hard and difficult to pass
• Dehydration can trigger painful bowel movement
• Hemorrhoids which are swollen veins in the anus or rectum can also  cause pain and discomfort during bowel movement
• Tear in the anus as a result of frequent, hard stool can also cause this condition .
• Medical conditions such as Hirschsprung’s disease can also cause this condition.

What are the remedies for painful bowel movement ?

With your pediatricians approval , you can give your baby water, an infant electrolyte solution or diluted juice in between feedings to help soften stool. You also move  your baby’s legs in  a  circular motion  while he is on his back to help with the movement of bowels. Another way is to try massaging the baby’s tummy by placing 3 of your fingers tummy and rubbing for about 3 minutes. Medical conditions such as Hirschsprung’s disease will require medical treatment.

NOTE

Get medical help if the pain is severe, doesn’t get better after a couple of days or gets worse or the baby develops bloody stool.This could indicate a very serious medical condition.
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