To wake or not to wake - FTM help please!

[FlipperyGibbet]

FTM to 8 week old who was born via CS 3 weeks early due to suspected low gestational weight and static growth (stopped growing at 36 weeks). So although 8 weeks old, corrected she's more like 5. Not sure if this is relevant in case we're experiencing developments a little later.

She is now doing around 4 hour stints at night, having her last feed at 11ish and waking up around 4ish for a feed. She will burp relatively quickly and go back down but is VERY crackly / snuffly once back down. She also grunts loads and loads, but seems to be sound asleep whilst doing both these things. She's not like this in the day as tends to contact nap and therefore isn't on her back.

My question is: would you use saline drops / snot sucker / burp again even though she seems happy asleep? The mucus is throaty so not sure a snot sucker would even work. Saline drops would startle / wake her, but the crackling and grunting sounds so bad! Is it harmless and one of those things she'll work out of her system?

Thanks!

Personally if happy asleep and just a bit throaty leave her… have you got a humidifier that you can put in the room to help the stuffiness

Awake next to my five week old who is EXACTLY the same :)

Shes like this most nights and after having asked midwife and multiple friends / Google I’ve just been getting the snot out daytime and leaving her be at night.

Shes very noisy and grunty at night generally, but not when on her back in the day.

My second DC was like this as a newborn too. Babies are generally very noisy and grunt a lot, you can try burp again but if she’s content I would try get some sleep. Your doing good 🙂

I personally wouldn’t wake a sleeping baby! Babies are super noisy especially at night, we used to joke about the “dinosaur noises” with both of mine!

I also have an 8 week old born at 37 weeks who is a noisy sleeper although she was and remains massive which may make a difference.
If she seems able to sleep even if noisily, has no underlying conditions, and has been gaining weight well - I'd not wake her and try and fuss as little as possible in the night. If she's not been gaining weight or seems distressed then I'd probably fuss a bit more with the snuffles.
Good luck

Most babies grunt and make strange noises at night just leave her she sounds fine if she's still asleep 😁

Thank you so much everyone. Feel like I'm flying by the seat of my pants every day as I have no clue what normal newborn behaviour is. You've all made me feel so much better and so reassured!

My LO was like this too. Loads of grunts and noises… think it’s worse for CS babies as vaginal birth babies have mucus pushed out of them at birth. It sounds weird and can keep you up but is normal and will clear eventually!