Grunting - i can't bear it anymore

My 7 week old son has always been a noisy sleeper...I often say he makes sounds that sound like a billy goat or horse, but today I actually watched him sleep and make the sounds...he grunts (i.e., makes billy goat sounds), but his eyes are closed and he's moving around alot, even in his swaddled..head going from side to side and smacking his lips. I put the paci in and he stopped....but he'll spit the paci out and will do this again...this happens more often than not. Eventually, he'll get to a quiet sleep, but it takes a long long time. I feel aweful and don't feel he's getting good sleep.

I first noticed this at about 4 weeks, made nothing of it really...but now I'm beginning to wonder if it's "something".

Also, about 50% of the time, bottle feeding him is a struggle....he'll fidget like crazy, fling his arm aroud and bat the bottle out of his mouth but then cry for more.

I'm not sure if it's reflux because he doesn't spit up alot....just normal baby spit up. But wondering if he have reflux or soemthing else that is causing all the grunting but not be a big spit uper?

Any advice?

 

It could be reflux. I don't have much experience as our girls' reflux was mild. I know there is such a thing as "silent" reflux. Is there every any back arching during/after feeds or hiccups right after? I think those are signs too.

Talk to the pedi if you are concerned.

 

The symptoms you describe while he is trying to eat, it very well may be reflux. I would put a call into your ped. My sons arched their back and cried while eating and after eating. My sons had reflux but rarely spit up.

My one son also had something called larynxgomalaysia. At 4 months, I brought my son in to the ped for his grunting noises. It had been going on prior to the 4th month but that is when I brought him in. We went to an ENT specialist. He was diagnosed with larynxgomalaysia. It is simply a condition where his larynx is soft/immature. Children grow out of this by one year but my son actually grew out of it by 6 months. With this, there were no other signs...just grunting.

 

My boys had silent reflux. Ryan choked on his once and Jake would spit up every couple of feedings but it wasn't much. They weren't bad enough to need medicine, just had to had rice cereal to their formula. It's well worth a call to the pedi as it is a long process to get things just right.

 

My girls grunted at that age. So did my son. It was just a phase and they grew out of it. I couldn't get ANY sleep. It will probably pass, but always bring up concerns with your dr.

 

This is very common of reflux babies. They are so uncomfortable with the process of eating that they fidget and scream and arch their backs. But cry because they are hungry.

Definitely call your Ped. Babies do not have to spit up to have reflux. They can have silent reflux which sounds exactly like you are describing.

 

I would also suggest talking to your ped about reflux. If he seems uncomfortable while eating, that may be the cause even if he isn't spitting up. :hug:

 

My son has done this since we brought him home. At about 5 weeks we changed to formula and that didn't help. About 6 weeks we started on Zantac for reflux. It was like he was a different baby. He was extremely fussy and would sleep like you described and didn't seem to get enough good sleep, and rarely spit up. After the Zantac he rarely grunts and sleeps much more soundly and for longer periods.

 

One of my sons grunted like crazy. It was so loud we could hardly sleep. We actually videotaped it it was so crazy. Then one day it just stopped. I think around 8 weeks. Now he chirps, squeaks, and "talks" constantly, but sleeps quietly. Can't speak to the formula since they are EBF, but he does have mild reflux. Maybe your son doesn't like the taste or temperature? Have you tried adjusting the nipple or flow? We used a slow flow but they got very frustrated with it and would do what you describe until we switched bottles- now they just turn their noses up at the yucky taste of the vitamin .

Good luck.

 

My girls too grunted like crazy from the day they were born. My mom who worked at a day care with infants said she never heard babies grunt like they both did. We would ask the doctor everytime we'd see them and they'd say it was fine. I think mine too grew out of it around 8-10 weeks. now my one snores a little and the other sighs in her sleep sometimes.

 

My boys grunt all.the.time. The billy goat is the best description we have come up with too! In fact, we joke and say that we sleep in a barn because of all the noises they make.

ANyway, I have heard that this is a normal thing in preemie twins (even as "preemie" as 37 weeks - don't know when yours were born) and that they will grow out of it. Some BTDT twin moms have called it the "preemie goat grunt" when I have asked them about it!

Good luck to you (and me, too! :FIFblush: ) Someday we will miss these noises!

Meg

 

My boys both did the grunting thing and the squirming while they were eating. I called my ped and we started a reflux med called Axid. It has really helped both boys.

 

Add me to the silent reflux guess. My twin dd had it, the grunting could be the acid backing up in their throats and they are trying to swallow it down. She didn't spit up much, but when she did it was thick and chunky like cottage cheese, and smelled like soured milk. Zantac didn't work for her but prevacid was a miracle med! I would talk to your dr too! :hug:

 

My little one grunts all night, too. But not during the day when he sleeps in his bouncy chair. So now we elevated the head part of his crib hoping that'll help him.
I don't think he has acid reflux disease, but this topic made me think about it and I will give a call to his pediatrician.
I had no idea this was so common.