Why does the baby cry when defecating?

Generally speaking, when taking care of babies in their daily lives, more careful parents will find that many babies often cry when they have a bowel movement, and this happens almost every time the baby has a bowel movement. It can be seen that there are certain reasons why babies cry when they have a bowel movement. So, what is the reason for babies crying when they have a bowel movement?

Newborns have more frequent bowel movements than older children, and their bowel movements are looser and softer. People say that "newborns are straight-forward," which in medical terms is called "gastrointestinal reflex." They tend to defecate immediately after feeding. Generally speaking, it is normal for breastfed babies to breastfeed within 4 to 5 times a day, and for babies fed with cow's milk or formula, it is normal two or three times a day. If the baby breastfeeds more frequently and the milk is thin and watery, and appears to be gushing or spurting, and the baby cries a lot, it is neonatal diarrhea and you should see a pediatrician. What is mentioned now is that in addition to the above-mentioned diarrhea, the child cries every time he defecates, and at the same time eats poorly and has a fever. A careful mother will carefully see a small nodule around the anus, which will make the child cry even harder (in pain) when touched gently. Sometimes the red and swollen nodule ruptures and pus flows out. This is an anal abscess, and the child cries every time he defecates because of this disease.

This disease is more common in newborns and infants aged two to three months. Why is this?

1. Newborns have delicate skin and frequent bowel movements.

2. Some use rougher diapers or non-breathable diapers.

3. The most important thing is the structural characteristics of the tissues around the anus of newborns and infants, that is, there is a bag-like structure above the anus, with its mouth facing upwards, around the rectum above the anus. In most cases, it is closed, but sometimes it is open. This bag-like structure is called the "anal sinus". Once the stool is loose and frequent, the stool residue can enter the anal sinus and cause inflammation. The bone behind the rectum is called the ischium, and there is little soft tissue between the rectum and the ischium. After the inflammation spreads and becomes purulent, it becomes an anal abscess. Sometimes the abscess breaks and enters the rectum, vagina, and perineum. Because the stool has to be discharged every day, many times a day, fecal juice continuously enters the abscess cavity, forming a difficult-to-heal fistula called "anal fistula". Therefore, for perianal abscess, be sure to see a pediatric surgeon as soon as possible, otherwise a minor problem will form a fistula, which will cause big trouble.

From the above, we can see that the crying of babies during defecation is actually related to the presence of perianal abscesses and diarrhea symptoms. In most cases, when babies show symptoms of crying during defecation, parents must pay attention to observe their stool symptoms and the situation around the anus in order to find out the real reason for their crying during defecation in time.