The reason why your baby grunts and strains all night is often due to grunting baby syndrome which is common in newborns and babies under 9 months of age.
The grunting and straining your baby is going through all night is often due to their normal development of their digestive system and respiratory system.
Although if the grunting and straining are excessive or accompanied by other symptoms or seems concerning to you then you may want to have the baby see their pediatrician but in most cases it's normal and will go away as the baby develops.
Grunting baby syndrome is a common and only temporary condition in which babies, especially babies under 9 months of age, appear to struggle to poop.
When a baby is going through grunting baby syndrome the baby often strains, grunts, will cry, turn red or even squirm while they are trying to poop.
Although the baby struggles to poop and strains during grunting baby syndrome, the poop is often normal when it comes out.
Grunting baby syndrome is not constipation, but instead it's simply an issue with muscle coordination as babies are learning to coordinate their muscles for having bowel movements.
Grunting baby syndrome is also known as infant dyschezia.
It's basically just a temporary phase and a learned reflex as the baby develops the necessary muscle coordination to poop properly.
The grunting baby syndrome can last for 10 to 20 minutes when it occurs and it often goes away within a few weeks as the baby learns to coordinate their muscles.
No treatment is needed or recommended for grunting baby syndrome as it's simply a normal part of development.
The only thing that is needed for grunting baby syndrome is to simply let the baby learn to pass their poop by relaxing their anus while pushing.
It will happen eventually through trial and error.
Some doctors also advise parents to stimulate their newborn's anus to help them pass the poop more easily.