Snuffling and grunting at night - how long to leave her?

[toomuchtooyoung]

My 6 week old breastfed dd will sleep anywhere from 2, 3 or 4 hours between feeds. When she starts snuffling and grunting at night I don't jump out of bed immediately, and sometimes when I have gone to feed her she is making lots of noise but eyes are shut tight. Other times she takes about 5 mouthfuls and then falls asleep again, and is impossible to wake up

I could do with some more sleep myself so wondering what all the snuffling, grunting is about, and how long is reasonable to leave her?

no advice but have exactly the same issue! Its frustrating isn't it because I feel she could sleep for a much longer stretch! I tend to leave her for a bit, until its obvious she wants food or she does a poo!! Have you tried just 'shushing' or patting her to see if goes back into a deeper sleep?

Unfortunately as soon as someone interacts with her she's wide awake

I've got the going to sleep sorted would just like her to sleep a bit longer! Not going to move her out of our bedroom this early, but would like a bit of extra kip as I can't get much during the day

And what is she snuffling and grunting about??

DS used to snuffle and grunt in his sleep, really irritating as I would get up to go see and he would be fast asleep. I found raising the end of the cot helped a bit and he's grown out of it now, 17 weeks.

Same here! Our 4 week old DS is ff and the same; sometimes he makes an awful lot of noise. He was napping in his pram earlier and actually had a bit of a squeak, but his eyes were shut. I watched him from a distance for about a minute and a half I guess and he suddenly stopped on his own. Really weird! I think he's dreaming, because if I pick him up or pat him he looks totally wrecked and tired and looks at me as if to say 'what are you doing here?!' if he does it tonight, I'm going to stand a few feet away from his cot and wait a couple of minutes to see if he goes quiet again.

Well last night dd managed two 4 hour stretches between feeds, but she was making such a racket I didn't get any more sleep, just lay awake waiting gor the noise to change to i'm awake come feed me now. dh always sleeps through the whole thing, bah

Maybe in time I'll just get used to the noise and be able to sleep through it until she needs food

I can but wish....

sounds like my baby is very similar with the grunting and lots and lots of fidgeting after the early hours feed - driving me nuts and mentioned it to the health visitor and doctor today at her six week check. they seem to think she may need extra feeding but she seems like she is sleeping one minute (still) and the next she will move loads and comes out with the most weird noises and grunting!! I will try feeding her when it wakes me up as they told me to and see what happens.... anyone else experiencing this? She does it for hours!!

I remember this so well - I was anxious and wired so slept hardly at all. When I got desperate I moved his mosesbasket away from my bed and for a few night put him in the corridor outside my door - door open! This really did help. It's so hard for new mothers to relax I think.

Extra feeding? I would if I could get the milk into her. She went from 9-2am last night then had a feed but it was all I could do to get her to stay awake to take it. Stripped her to nappy the lot but as soon as she had bit of milk she conked out, hence then awake again at 5 and 7 as she wasn't full.

Wondering whether to try a bottle for the nightime feeds. I am expressing but can't get enough for a full feed per day so it would have to be formula. Don't know where to start with that, or how much.

Hi again,

Just remembered that DD1 was like this too and I lasted until she was about 5 months before I moved her into her own room - simply to get some sleep. I think when you are not right next to it, it makes a huge difference because as dycey says - its hard to relax. Maybe just try to ignore the noises as much as humanely possible!!??

I'm not sure its more feeding, I think its just different stages in their sleep cycle - not sure formula or extra feeds will help with that. I do sympathise with not being able to express a full feed though - I am in the same boat and was considering the same as I really need DD2 to have a bottle for when I go back to work but I can never get a decent amount of expressed milk to try!!

My husband tells me to try to ignore it, we have swapped sides in bed to see if that makes a difference to me as then she is not next to me in the bedroom. It hasn't really done much, I just think that since she has been born, I have not slept like I used to and now sleep lightly so her noises, grunts and movement always wakes me up guaranteed.

Was aware of it last night at 3am and got up to feed her formula, she managed just over 1 ounce, then flaked out again so put her back in basket. Not long later she was doing it again and tried again to feed her but she was just too asleep and not even putting her flat on the bed woke her up. So put her back down again and later on, she just did the same thing until I got up at half seven to give her her next feed. I'm beginning to think I have a baby who just does one of these things during her sleep and I might just have to accept it as part of her sleep pattern but as long as she is not in any discomfort or anything, as this is something I am not sure of. It is like there is one massive build up to fully waking up and then properly crying but this build up just seems to last for hours. The HV also mentioned she could be a colicy as this pattern seems to happen the same period during the night. She is on Infacol now and has been for a few days but not making much difference to the disturbance in the night. We have started a bedtime routine with her and she goes upstairs by about half seven and this first part of the night is fine, she sleeps soundly. It always seems to be after the next late night feed that is eventually starts - I am at a loss and just want someone to give me an explanation!!!

I think the snuffling, cheeps, chirps, grunts, fast breathing, heavy breathing, hiccups, lip smacking and random mewls are all normal. I think they are all part of a newborn's REM sleep.

Apparently the snuffles and grunts particularly are a baby clearing their lungs from mucus build up from the in utero fluid. I have read that all the noise is cause for many a parent to prematurlely move their LO into another room.

I couldn't co-sleep with my DD as on top of the noise, the frequent startles make me startle!

Both my DSs have been grunters - one made goat noises, the other sounds like a pig or a turkey!!! It's totally normal, if a little annoying, especially when you need every second of precious sleep! I thought it was weird at first - had never heard anything like it - but now know that it's really common.

Try to ignore it if you can, I can just about sleep through it now and only pick him up to feed if he cries. Not sure if this is the right way to do it but works for me!

Obviously it does get better as they get older and once they're in their own room you won't even notice it! Until then, I'm afraid there's not much else you can do apart from try not to worry!

goandshowdaddy - goat noises here too! They last at least the first month or two.

I think I'd recommend ignoring grunts and snuffles unless your DC is actually crying.

DS (5 months) is now waking anything between 4 to 8 times a night and I'm convinced it's down to me 'training' him to wake up by constantly trying to settle him when he didn't really need it.

I wear an ear phone in one ear (works like an ear plug) which blocks out the worst of the snuffling, so i only wake up when she is really ready.