Newborn/premie Grunts

My five week old grunts and squeaks throughout the day, as did my first child. It's completely normal.

Congrats and good luck!

I never had this with any of my kids, but one of my nieces and one of my nephews did this when they were newborns. Neither one of these kids had any problems with digestion, etc. It disappeared when they were 2 or 3 months old I think.

hi mary,
my son was two month early and he will grunt everytime he poops but also when when he is trying to relax. My other son did the same thing when he pooped as a infant and he wasn't early.

I actually had a 6 week early preemie and he grunted ALL the time. He is now a healthy growing 2 year old. Don't worry about it!

This is normal. Infants grunt, snort, sneeze a lot, etc. They are very noisy! They stop doing this around 2 or 2 1/2 months.

Hi Mary, I have a beautiful baby boy who was born 5 weeks premature. He grunted a lot until he was about 3.5-4 months. Being a first-time mom, I was worried and did a lot of research to only find out that it is very common among newborns to do so. In some rare cases it may result from breathing issues.
I would call your pediatrician and get their opinion, but try not to worry, because most probably it is completely normal.

M.,
Is your pediatrician the same doctor who saw your baby in the hospital? If not, I would definitely get a second opinion. It could be nothing. Do his nostrils flare out when he is breathing? This , along with grunting, can be a sign of breathing difficulty. Also, watch his chest as he breaths...does it look normal? I always think it is better to be safe than sorry. You could always call the special care nursery unit in the hospital where he was at after birth and ask them for advice. As a mother, you have to go with your gut. If you feel something is not right or seems odd question it and get a second opinion to be safe. You can always take him to a pediatric urgent care where he will most likely be examined by an emergency pedicatrician. My sister and I took her daughter when she was about 2 weeks old to the ER because of the same thing. Luckily she was fine and they checked her oxygen level. The doctor reassured my sister that everything was OK. I have 2 boys and have called my pediatricians office with many many questions. If you feel like your pediatrician's office is rude to you when you call with questions...find a new pediatrician who has a nurse practioner. Good Luck and enjoy your little angel!!!

My daughter was born 13 weeks premature & I had agrunting problem for the entire NICU stay & about 6 months after her due date--she was diagnosed with something called laryngealmalacia---which is structural & babies can grow out of--fast forward to my pediatrician asking for a second opinion & I went to a specialist at Luthern General who took all of about 10 minutes to do an exam & tell us she had reflux--(which by the way she didnt seem to have any digestion issues outwardly--she was exclusively breastfed for 15 months--I used a pump)he perscribed zantac liqid 2 x's daily if memory serves me correctly & just like he said she would get through this in about 3 months & that is the exact amount of time it took. The doctors name was Dr Whalner & her works in the Northwest suburbs & out of Rush University Medical Center. My daughters sounded like a cross between grunting & snorting. Feel free to contact me with any questions or if you need the doctors number.

My daughter was 6 weeks preemie also, I know they told me to expect the grunting but I do not recall hearing it ever... or maybe I just do not want to remember it! lol But I do know they told me it was to strengthen the diaphram for breathing. One of my friends daughters- 3 months premature- did the grunting til she was about 6 months old and occasionally still does it but more when she is sick with a bad cold...she usually ends up on breathing treatments when this happens to her.

Here is a link to explain the grunting and some of the causes. It may help you to decide if it is normal or something that warrants another trip to the Dr.
http://www.drhull.com/EncyMaster/G/grunting.html

Please note that it is unlikely that it is an emergency and is probably just normal. I am giving the site so this way you can see how it is normal and unless your child is showing signs of being ill- fever, blue lips, obvious distress, irritability etc.... I would not worry about it!

I hope you find the answer you need! I wish you and your son many blessings!

All newborns grunt alot, but yours being a preemie probably will do that more often, seeing how his digestive system is even less mature than a full term newborn. Even full term babies the digestive system is immature. I am sure he will outgrow it.

Hi mary, I had twin premies about the same prematurity. How is the baby eating? Is the baby breastfed or formula fed?

1 poop a day sounds like a formula fed baby. If the child is breast fed, I think the baby should be pooping more.

It could be the baby is just catching up, doing things like eating before the baby's little body is truly ready to eat. It is tough work and the baby is just working hard.

I think you are okay, but trust your gut instincts. Call tehe the doctor if it gets worse.

Good luck!!

K.

My son was 5 weeks early and came into the world at 4lb 15oz (4'9 when we brought him home) He was a grunter! All day long he would grunt. During the day, it was fine, but at night, oh my lord. He sounded like he was gurgling and having a hard time breathing. He had reflux, that the doctor gave him medicine for. He said most premies have reflux. You might want to check into that. I don't think I slept the first 6-7 months of his life! Also when he slept at night, I had him sleep on an incline, a cool mist humidifier in his room and a vapor plug in. (that can be a little overwhelming, so I would plug in for about 1/2 hour and take out and then a while later plug in again for little bit) He just turned a year on Sunday and is doing FABULOUS!! Like I said, 6-7 months was the turning point and I realized, he isn't grunting anymore! YAY!!
Good Luck! If you want to talk, please don't hesitate to get in touch!
K.

Not sure if you are bottle or breast feeding, but my daughter grunted all the time and she ended up being allergic to dairy...it was a protein allergy passed on through my breast milk. after i eliminated milk from my diet the grunted stopped! she did have other symptoms as well, such as a rash.

My son was 6 weeks preemie and grunted non-stop. He did end up having reflux issues, so that could be it. When we did get more of a handle on the reflux, much of the grunting stopped. Watch for those signs. If you would like to talk further, let me know! I know it can be scary having a preemie!

B.

Hi Mary,
My daughter was a little early as well - 4 weeks. She also grunted and snorted her way through the days and nights. As I had her the week before we were signed up for our parenting class, I had no idea that babies grunted at all. I was expecting these soft little coos, so I was quite surprised when she started sounding like a constipated old man all the time. I used to call her Snorty McSnort. I do think it is normal though, some of the other mothers in my playgroup have mentioned it. She grew out of it around two months and transitioned to cooing. Since your son was born a little earlier it might take him a little longer. It never hurt my daughter, and it even got us all laughing after a while.
Congratulations, enjoy!
Mary-Claire

Hi Mary, Both of my kids were grunters. My son was much gruntier than my daughter, but I think it is totally normal. Cheers, S.

Hi Mary,

First of all.... welcome aboard! Mamasource is a great place to get ideas and share with other moms. Also congratulations on the birth of your son.

My twins were born 9 and a half weeks prematurely. My daughter did not have any grunting. A bad case of colic... but that's another story :) However, my son did grunt for I'd say.... 7 or 8 months. He did it mostly while he was sleeping. I just wanted to tell you that with his particular case he is doing just fine. He is now a happy, healthy 6 year old boy.

Take care,

J.

My little boy grunted loudly and often as a newborn. It was actually kind of funny hearing such a big noise come from a little guy.

I also babysit for a little boy, and I've had him since 8 weeks. He was a grunter, too.

I think it is pretty common in newborns.

yes your child has a GI issue despite what yoru dr says. Please watch for furthers signs of milk, lactose,soy , wheat allergy ect.
good luck and congrats!
J.

hi, i just had my baby 2 weeks ago and my son also grunts a lot throughout the night. i just thought that he did that b/c he would also stretch but now that i've read some of the responses i will call his doc. tomorrow and let you know what he says as it has now become a concern.

I could be totally off, but newborns who grunt sometimes are having breathing issues. I would talk to the dr again.

Mary,
Congrats to you on your new bundle of joy! I, too, have a newborn that was 5 weeks early. She grunts all the time too. It is normal and I understand how you feel. My son did it as well but not as much. I hope everything goes well for you. Take care.
T.

Both my babies were big time grunters. The first night in the hospital with my second I didn't sleep at all because I forgot how noisy newborns are even when sleeping. I woke up with every grunt and squeal. The Pediatrition thought it was really funny. Neither of mine were premies, though both were born at 37 weeks, (my second tried to come at 33 weeks, but the doctors were successful in their intervention.) I have been told that wearing them all day helps with this, though never really tried it because I wasn't really that bothered by it. As long as he's eating enough and not having trouble with gas or poop, I wouldn't worry. He's just getting his system under control. He will be fine. Also, you have a boy...think of this as preperation for his childhood. Boys(ive noticed) between 8-15 seem to exhibit caveman like behaviors by grunting in response to questions rather than using verbal communication. My husband still grunts rather than uses his words. LOL! I constantly tease my hubby that without women men would still carry around clubs and live in caves shouting Uga Uga.
Congrats on your son! and Welcome to the mommy community!!!!!

My 5-week preemie was such a grunter at that age!! My dad decided when my son was born that he wanted to be called "grumps" instead of grandpa, so we always joked that the two of them together were "Grunt" and "Grumps." Your doctor is right - he should just outgrow it. My son has had zero issues of lactose tolerance and he's almost 2 now.

My second son grunted a lot but mostly at nighttime feedings He eventually stop. We discovered he had reflux but I'm not sure the two things coincided. Maybe keep an eye out for other signs of reflux.
M. S

My little girl's nickname became "Grunty McGrunty of the McGrunty Clan" because she grunted so much!!! Don't stress it's perfectly normal.

My baby was not a preemie but she was pretty little when she was born (6 lbs, 2 oz) & she grunted A LOT when she was first born. She mostly did it at night but it was very disturbing so we asked our pediatrician about it. The doctor said her breathing seemed normal & she didn't seem too concerned but told us to keep an eye on her. My baby is now almost 6 months old & I am pleased to report that she did outgrow this around 3 months or so. Good luck!!

Listen to your ped. He knows best. Try not to read more into a situation or you'll drive yourself nuts...believe me.

Hi Mary-

I recently had a preemie myself (5 weeks early--now nearly 3 mos old) and she did the same thing. Still does occasionally but not quite as much. A good friend of mine has preemie twins and she said they are so loud they keep her up at night. So it seems pretty normal for preemies.

Good luck with your new baby!

D.

I have 3 grandsons who were born at around 6 weeks preemie and 1 niece who was on time but ended up in the neonatal ICU. Two of them had grunting that the neonatologists felt were caused by breathing difficulties. One of these was overlooked by a pediatrician. Neither of these issues was life threatening in the end, so please do not panic. They both had a condition called trachiomalacia (not sure of the spelling) that they did grow out of by the age of two, but had to be monitored carefully. I would agree with another response that you should get a second opinion, just to be on the safe side.

Hi Mary
Congratulations on your little miracle.
My daughter who is now 1 did the same thing. It seemed pretty frequent. She would sound like and old man which I too had never notice another baby doing. I can't really tell you at what age she stop but it seems like a while ago. The time has gone by so fast I don't really remember. Maybe she did it for just a couple months. I was more amazed by this than concerned. My advise is that you are Mom and Mom knows best. A doctor has medical knowledge but if you feel that something isn't right than I would definitely look into it more.
I hope this is helpful.
C.

I'm with you (literally). Five-week preemie, three weeks old, grunts all the time and MOSTLY at night. She's driving me NUTS. She also has a rattle in her throat and has some spitting up issues, so I will be getting her checked for reflux because my son (born at 32 weeks) had that issue but was diagnosed late. My son was also a really loud sleeper, but I don't think he grunts nearly as much as my daughter.

If he still does it in a few weeks, or if he's spitting up a lot, or if he has a throat rattle, then call your pediatrician again. Babies are louder than they lead you to believe, and it goes on longer when it's a preemie. This is where adjusted age really does matter!

My girl was born 2 weeks early and was the noisiest baby alive (or so I thought). My 2 yr old son was not noisy at all when he was born, with my girl, seriously the first couple of weeks I could not believe the sounds she made, especially at night. She is now 11 weeks and is much quieter :) Of course any nagging concern you should discuss with your ped, but I think babies can just be noisy little critters when they are first born.