Is she attention seeking or could it be something else?

For about a week now DD constantly grunts and strains like she is doing a number 2 and most times i check her nappy and theres nothing there. At first i just ignored it and made a game out of it but now she will do it an hour to a few hours before she does one.

Would she be having difficulty getting it out or is it just coincidence?

She also growls and screams when nobody is giving her attention so thats why i was wondering if shes just learnt another way to get attention. Also we have just started her on solids.

TIA :)

What are her poos like when she does do them? That would be the best indicator of whether or not she is constipated ... constipated feeling can often be accompanied by diarrhea - if there is a hard poo that is not coming out then only the soft poo can get passed so if her poos are always soft or always little hard pellets (or a combination of both), I would say that she is constipated.

If there is nothing in her nappy when you check it, but she is really straining, there is a good chance that she is constipated as well.

Having said that, lots of babies grunt and groan when they poo. They can be quite entertaining to watch.

And I think it is very cute if she is growling and screaming for attention. I love that they know they are the centre of the universe at that age. They act shocked that mummy would actually want to spend time doing anything other than doting on them ... it's a gorgeous age!

LOL! yes she is very cute and its very amusing when she is doing poos :P

Since starting her on solids they have become more solid but they are usually always soft. But most of the ones she does when shes been straining for so long they are runny and shes doing about 2-3 a day now.

with all the straining, it is possible to have runny, diarhea poos around a chunk that is stuck in the bowel, it's called overrun. when she poos and they are runny, are they still a relatively thick consistency?

I would say that it is quite possible that she is constipated then ... usually it is only the runny poo that can get passed if she has something blocking her up. Unless it comes out, the poo in her intestines that is not coming out will just get harder and harder.

I don't really know how to deal with constipation in a baby under 6 months, but since it has been going on for a week, I would probably suggest seeing a child health nurse or your GP and see what they suggest. I think it is probably worth getting it checked out. They can often tell by having a little feel of their bellies to see if you need to do anything to remedy it. They would be able to give you the best advice in your circumstance. I am going off a lot of assumptions so I would hate to tell you to treat her for constipation and it turns out that she is not.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful but because she is so little, I think that you might need some proper medical advice. I hope it gets sorted quickly.

Try cycling her legs and massaging her tummy a few times a day, see how that helps. Also warm baths can help with constipation. Sounds like constipation to me :)

My DD did the same thing for a while ... from about 4 months through to 6/7 months.

Initally I was worried, like you, and then was told by several people (medical people included) that babies often make grunting noises just because they can. As adults we think the constant making of the noise would hurt their little throats, but no, it appears to be a really big game with the under ones!

When DD got the noise going EVERYONE would say 'Oh I think she's doing a poo' ... and we'd run in and change the DRY nappy.
I got that sick and tired of telling people 'Oh no, it's just a noise she likes making' I started to agree with them and say 'Oh yeah she might be doing a poo, can you change her for me' ... once they'd changed several DRY nappies they soon stopped commenting on the sound.

I guess it's just another part of odd baby behaviour - but yes, they do grow out of it.
DD is now almost 10 months and no more grunting.

A good trick for constipation in little ones - told to me by several maternal health nurses - is a small bottle of warm water with a little (1/2 tsp or so) brown sugar dissolved in it.

It has a natural laxative effect and is harmless.

Best of luck

n2l

Maybe she is letting you know she needas to go...pop her on the loo and see what happens? This is how we got DS1 TT from 8 months!
Hope she isnt constipated poor baby :hug: x