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Behaviour/development

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Grunting, kicking and head shaking whilst asleep?!

5 replies

chellenemily · 09/07/2011 14:54

Hi, I'm aware sleep problems must be a frequent topic, but I've trawled through the site and cannot find anything that answers my question!

My DD is 10 week old tomorrow. She has a feeding pattern of 3.5-4hrs every day, and takes on average 20-25oz daily. She cries each time she wants feeding. I have been getting her into a bedtime routine which consists of bath at 7.30pm(ish), in pjs, and then a last feed around 7:50 before bed at 8pm. She is generally very good at this and will fall asleep almost straight away, though sometimes she will stir a little and kick about before she nods off.

Then she wakes, usually between 3-5am. The problem is, she does not wake crying! Instead she kicks her legs about, makes a kind of grunting noise, moves her head side to side, but all with her eyes closed. I am unsure if this normal and if she wants feeding or not?

I usually give her a dummy which will settled her and all the movement stops. When the dummy falls out she will fall asleep for 30mins-1hr, but then wakes again. Eventually waking every 5 mins or so. Each time, she does not cry and never seems fully awake.

If I get up to feed her, she usually opens her eyes when I get her out the cot to take her downstirs, but sometimes falls back to sleep when I am preparing the bottle! Even after feeding her, when I put her back in the cot to sleep, she continues doing the same, but wide awake!!

Is she stirring because she's hungry? Or is something babies just do during the night?! To be fair, I've never left her without giving her a dummy because the noise disturbs me so much and I cannot sleep through it! If I did maybe she would wake fully and eventually cry? I try to avoid letting it get to that point as the OH is awake early for work! I have thought of putting her next door in her own room but I feel she is too young for this yet.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
chellenemily · 09/07/2011 15:03

Oh also, I don't think this is wind. She burps (and bottom burps) frequently. She doesn't pull her legs up to her chest, just kicks thems about!

OP posts:
Grumpla · 09/07/2011 15:37

So she's ten weeks old and sleeping from 8pm to 3am? Bloody hell. My DS never slept more than 4 hours at a stretch until he was about a year old!

Sounds like she is hungry? Rooting / grunting is what babies do when they are looking for a bottle / boob. Dummy will prolong the inevitable but tbh I'd just give her a bottle (dream feed if nec) and get back to sleep rather than lie there listening to her!

Timeoutofmind · 09/07/2011 20:22

My DD used to do the same thing at about your DDs age. I put it down to hunger because she never really cried from hunger so I thought that because she seemed to be rooting it was hunger. Anyway feeding her seemed to calm her down and I think she grew out of it at about 3mo.

If I were you I would consider introducing a dream feed at around 11pm, this may solve the problem

chellenemily · 10/07/2011 20:48

Hiya, thanks for the replies! I thought it was hunger too, but when she was falling asleep waiting for it and still kicking after being fed, I began to doubt it! I tried dream feeds when she was younger but she continued to wake at the same time. Plus I always felt guilty doing it, kind of like I was forcing it on her.
I guess I'll continue to keep feeding her and hope she grows out of it soon!

OP posts:
Emmak20 · 25/07/2020 08:35

Hi, was just wondering if you are still on here chellenemily as I would like some advice please.
My baby does the exact same and worried she’s not getting enough sleep because of it.
She rubs her eye and forehead so much as well when doing all the grunting, thrashing of the arms and legs etc

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