My grunting newborn

[mamapajama]

Anyone have any insight into this?
My ds #2 is two and a half weeks old. He spends all night long, starting around 2am grunting and straining like he is trying to poop. He does this all night until about 7:30 when he then sleeps happy and comfortable until I wake him. I just don't know what to do about this, and the fact that I am not sleeping isn't helping anyone in this family. Anyone experience this with their babies? Maybe something I'm eating? My (gasp, please no) morning cup of coffee?
Thanks, Michelle

[Ex Libris]

Michelli, my babe was a grunter, too. I just figured he was trying to pass gas or poop but didn't know how to use his muscles yet. It'll get better when he learns how. Try lifting his legs and jiggling his butt a little, or bicycle his legs, to see if it's a gas problem. But I wouldn't give up that morning cup of coffee just yet, unless you use a gallon of milk in it, which might very well cause gas! Good luck!

edited--forgive the typo on your name . . . my fingers are faster than my brain!

[oceanbaby]

nak

another nightime grunter baby here. drove me crazy, but he outgrew it fairly quickly. now at 7 weeks it only happens periodically.

[Galatea]

Yeah, ds grunted when he was that little. Drove DH and I nuts b/c we couldn't sleep through it! Don't think it had to do with pooping, though. He doesn't do it anymore - it passed quickly. Good luck!

[chersolly]

I had a grunter too, but it went away with time. I kind of miss it now.

[hrcmom]

My ds was also a grunter from birth through about 8 weeks. He'd grunt and stretch any time he was awake. I don't think it was related to pooping though, and he definately wasn't in pain. He's 14 weeks now and still grunts a bit, but mostly coos and babbles. I, too, was worried, but realized it was just his form of communication. He was 5 weeks premature, and his doctor indicated grunting was more common in pre-term babies.

[Sarah'sMama]

Add my dd to the grunter's list. Started around 5am, and I called it the Grunting Power Hour. Lasted around an hour or so. I'd bicycle her legs, because she usually had some gas trapped in there from not-so-good nightttime burping.

[monkeysmommy]

Mine was a grunter, too. I was so excited about our decision to co-sleep, and then the grunting started, and I thought, "Oh my gosh, how am I supposed to sleep through this?" She grew out of it around 8 weeks. I read once that newborns are always in one of several "states" and one of them is "active sleep." The active sleep stage is the one where they are asleep, but they may be grunting and flailing their legs and arms all over the place. I think it is normal for them to spend a stretch of the night in deep sleep, and then small stretches of active sleep. I think I remember reading that active sleep helps their brains develop. Hard to sleep though when you are tuned to wake up at every little noise.

[Brandi]

DD is 2 1/2 weeks now too. I'm pretty sure she grunts for the same reason-trying to poop. She only poops once a day. I bicycle her legs which seems to help some. The dr. suggested cutting out milk (although not other dairy products like cheese) from my diet for a week to see if it helps. They said to do it for at least a week because the proteins hang around that long.

They also said that little babies just don't have coordination down - that they tightn in the wrong places to poop. It will eventually will work out. It's nice to hear that maybe around 8 weeks or so, this might not be a problem anymore.

[veggielover]

My dd was a grunter, too. It started almost immediately after she was born. Sometimes she would spend an hour or so grunting- almost non stop! For the most part, it did stop; although she still grunts a little at times even now, at 11 mos. old. It's adorable (well- sometimes!) especially when she scrunches up her nose at me when she does it. I think it's just part of her "unique" personality. She used to "growl" at me and her daddy alot, too. LOL.

[happay]

I have an 8 week old grunter. It has gotten worse lately and he has started adding squeals to the end of the grunts. I think he squeals when he has to pass gass but can't because sometimes a short loud burst of air will come with the squeal. It is getting a little annoying because he does it all day and all night long! I hope it stops soon!

[dukeswalker]

Oh My Goodness!! Did we have a grunter!! All night long she would wiggle and squirm...grunting the whole time. Drove us nuts! But - it did stop...and believe it or not, looking at her little 3 yr old self, I miss that!