Grunting noises

[AlexasMom]

My daughter is now 9 days old and seems to be doing okay with the breastfeeding for the most part. She is still occasionally getting too much milk and then coughing or choking. Now when we put her down to sleep after nursing, she will turn her head from side to side and make grunting noises. Sometimes she will then fall to sleep and at other times she will get really fussy and we will have to pick her up and start the soothing process again.

I am worried that she is either having a breathing problem or some kind of gastric/too much gas problem. Any suggestions??

--Meredith

[@llli*bee]

those grunting noises drove us NUTS in the beginning!! first because we were worried something was wrong and then because we couldnt get any sleep....they were Loud!!!! our lo was diagnosed reflux and put on zantak which i quickly stopped giving him....anyway, he grew out of it....cant tell you for sure its all fine, but just wanted to let you know what we went through with the grunting!! also, i just recently read another post with lots of people saying it was normal...

[@llli*ooakbabysculptor]

Hi Merideth,
My dd did the SAME thing when she was around your dd's age. We used to call her a baby dino (dinosour) because she would make this little "roaring" sound in her sleep at night, but wasn't really in pain/or upset at the time. She wouldn't do it during naps during the day, it was only at night. I looked up "infant grunting" on the internet and could only find info on reflux, which didn't really apply since she didn't spit up or cry often,etc. along with the sound. Anyway, the grunting sort of stopped pretty much around the time I stopped worrying so much about it (maybe around 1-1 1/2 mos.?). I am sort of assuming it had something to do with such a tiny and new digestive system. I did also notice along with the grunting that my dd would pass a lot of gas in the early hours of the a.m.. Do you notice gas along with her grunting? Hope this info helps or at least makes you feel a little better
Take care

[@llli*lsksam]

a couple other threads on grunting:

http://forums.llli.org/showthread.ph...ighlight=grunt

http://forums.llli.org/showthread.php?t=12545

[divinedimension]

Originally Posted by AlexasMom

My daughter is now 9 days old and seems to be doing okay with the breastfeeding for the most part. She is still occasionally getting too much milk and then coughing or choking. Now when we put her down to sleep after nursing, she will turn her head from side to side and make grunting noises. Sometimes she will then fall to sleep and at other times she will get really fussy and we will have to pick her up and start the soothing process again.

I am worried that she is either having a breathing problem or some kind of gastric/too much gas problem. Any suggestions??

--Meredith

My baby does this. Sometimes he does it just because of his reflux and he is in pain after eating, but at other times, when he does this in combination with sucking his fists vigorously, it means he is still hungry. Ask your doctor, but it sounds like reflux. You mentioned that he is choking on his milk a lot....overactive letdown causes reflux sometimes so I'd have him checked out by a doctor. He will be soothed more easily once she gives you some tips on feedings and perhaps prescribed some meds to help ease his reflux.

I suggest holding your baby upright for half an hour after her meal. Try putting her in her swing, or bouncy chair, or just rock her or hold her for that amount of time after the meals. Then, put her on her SIDE when sleeping. This helps my baby a LOT. I brace his back with a pillow or against the side of the crib or bassinet. This really has helped dramatically. Sometimes, when the reflux is worst, the only thing that will get him to sleep is nursing him to sleep in the lying down nursing position (both of you on your sides). This is bad for reflux but the best thing for soothing your baby!

Hang in there!

Pamela