Nighttime Breathing

C.,
It could be his tonsils. You should talk to his pediatrician. My brohter had a similar problem as a toddler and he had to have his tonsils out. But his problem was serious, because he'd stop breathing. He was born c-section, but so was I and I didn't have that problem. I don't thnik that has anything to do with it. You should start to note when he makes the noise, keep record of it and tell the doctor if it get worse. Keep in mind that babies make all sorts of noises. I'd be concerned only if he has real dificulty breathing.
C
PS congratulations!

Both of my sons were this way, and both born vaginally. The second (born very quickly) had audible congestion in his throat, but the pedi wasn't concerned. We elevated one end of the crib, and he slept a lot in the swing so his head was elevated. All of the sudden the congestion and grunting/groaning were gone around 3 months and neither have any persistent problems. I slept in their room until the worry passed.

Aloha C.,

Congratulations on being a first time mom! Parenthood is a wonderful blessing. Something that works most of the time is to have your baby actually sleep on it's side. There are little triangle shaped "pillows" you can get to propt up your back a little to the side.

Hey C.,
Although I have not had any children myself yet (our first is on the way), I did discover that they have a baby monitor at Babies R' Us that goes under the babies top sheet and monitors their breathing. If they stop breathing an alarm goes off in both your rooms. Other than that, the machine makes no noise, which will allow you a sound sleep with no worries. It got a pretty high rating from past customers although it is a little pricey.
Also, in much of my research, I have found that most of SIDS is a result of the flame retardant fumes in the mattresses. From what I have read, if you encase the mattress in a wrap of some sort and keep good circulation in the room (a fan) than your baby won't breathe in the fumes. They have virtually eradicated SIDS in New Zealand. For more info, Google the words "Babesafe Mattress Wrap".

We just had our second baby. It seems to help with breathing, congestion by using the nose aspirator to get the congestion out of her nose. Good luck.

My son was really loud and grunty when he was sleeping. I called him grunty boy! :) Babies make a lot of noises and he was so loud it kept me awake!

Hi C.,

My experience with this is that it's totally normal! Both my dd's were born naturally and they were very noisy sleepers. So much so that I could only sleep in the same room with them for a few weeks. Pretty soon I decided that I needed some shut eye and put them in the next room! Don't worry.

P.

Some babies are just noisy babies. My second little boy was that way. Does he cough? Is he horse (i don't know if that's the correct spelling for what I'm saying:).

It took me way too long to discover my second born (now 6 months) has GERD. It was atypical in that he didn't vomit, he swolled. He had a stuffed nose from birth, snored, progressively slept worse, lost his voice at like 1 month, etc etc. Your little guys is too little to just test medicines... I don't know what your doctor would recommend. Once my son got on the right medication (after a few tries) his stuffed nose, cough, etc etc were gone.

On the other hand, my first born had allergies to his environment. Our first apt, as it turns out, had mold. I didn't discover this until he was like 2. But I did buy him the top quality, no allergy, matress at about 2 months and a big part of the problem stopped.

Keep in mind that it's normal to check your baby's breathing. I think I got up every so often the first 6 months of my first born to make sure he was beathing. And, guess what, I'm doing it with my second. We worry, that's why we are parents. Keep an eye on him. Note the symptoms. Don't be afraid to call your doctor, or any other doctor for that matter, with questions. No one knows your kid better than you.

Oh, and the c-section. I'm in brazil, like a 80 to 90 % c-section rate down here. Crazy, I know. I doubt that's an issue. If anything, the fact that he was born early (depending how early) could mean that his sinus is undeveloped or something along those lines. At 3 weeks they are still figuring out the world outside. It's a bit bumpy at first. It'll all smooth out eventually. I know that seems like forever right now but it passes fast. Oh, and if you are breastfeeding, I have a norwegian friend who swears by dripping breastmilk in the nose in these kind of situations... never did it myself but doesn't hurt right. hehe

Babies do make lots of noise when they sllep, but if you are worried you should meet with your pediatrician, so you don't let somthing potentially serious go.

My son did the same thing, we thought he might have a breathing problem or was getting a cold beause it was all of a sudden. We got a humidifier and had him sleeping with his head elevated, and that helped us big time. But just check with the doctor, to be safe.

Hello, First of all, congratulations on the birth of your son. Four of our five grandchildren have all been born by c-section. Only two of them had breathing problems. This was noticed in the hospital. From what I understand, the baby does not have the opportunity to expel all of the fluids in the lungs when delivered this way. Some babies are effected by this. Some babies are just noisy sleepers and this could very well be what you are hearing. If you are concerned about your baby, don't hesitate to call your doctor. They can best decide if there is a problem. Don't ever feel that you are being too protective. It is your job and it looks as though you are doing a good one.
Good luck with your precious son.
K. K.

Other than what you're already doing, I recommend getting the AngelCare baby movement and sound monitor. It works similar to regular baby monitors for sound, but it also has a little monitor for checking the baby's breathing. It will beep if your child stops breathing for 20 seconds. Note: lots of babies have sleep apnea, and they stop breathing for little while and then catch up - BUT - this gave my husband and me peace of mind that something was up watching our son and would let us know if he had an issue.

Hi there,
My 4 week old is exactly the same way. We call them dino noises. This is our second so we know its perfectly normal, our first did it too.
It still doesn't stop me from check her all night when she gets particularly noisy, but it is normal for infants. They breath through their nose almost exclusively in the beginning (helps with breastfeeding), but since its all new, they don't do it so well. So hence the 'snoring', random loud snorting, and carrying on. :)

However, the nasal advise is right on, you what to make sure breathing is as easy as possible.
Check to make sure she doesn't have mucus or a booger up her nose. If its dry mucus, make sure you use saline drops before using the nasal aspirator thingy, we call it the booger grabber. I would use the saline drops regardless, the suction can sting otherwise.
BUT... your the parents, go with your gut. If it feels wrong and different than we are saying, I would see the doctor.

New babies make lots of noises at night when they are sleeping. If you are concerned give your doctor a quick call.

C., mother of 3, sleep consultant, sleep blog writer www.lullabyluna.com

have tou talked to his dr? what i would do is get a cool mist humidafire and keep him elivated in the positioner.

I'd try a couple saline drops, and suck out his nose. My ist was like taht-and I was clueless!

Your baby is just a newborn... so I would check with the Pediatrician, first.
Don't guess at it.

Next, newborns commonly have very tiny nasal passages... thus, anything can clog it, even a booger. So, look at his nose inside and clear it if there are boogers in there.
You can also use a nasal bulb aspirator... but make sure not to use it too much or it can abrade their noses.

But, check with your Pediatrician, you can even call them/page them if it is after hours. Pediatricians are used to getting called ANYTIME... day or night. So don't hesitate.

My kids were born by c-section as well, the first child being an emergency c-section and my 2nd child as well.

I also highly recommend the book "What To Expect The First Year", which you can find at any bookstore or online like at www.amazon.com
It is a helpful book for anything... and very useful.

All the best,
Susan

Talk to your MD doctor ASAP
B. v. O.

get liquid homeopathic remedy called Antimonium tartaricum 30C. give it to him straight on the tongue - just 2-3 drops at a time. Give every hour during ther first day, then at morning and at night. stop as soon as condition is improved.
Good Luck
V.

I would check with your pediatrician. My godson had issues when he was sleeping similar to your son and it turned out he had enlarged adenoids. He had trouble breathing when he slept. However, snorting during sleeping wasn't his only symptom. He also had issues with excessive drooling and with eating. As a result, he was the crankiest baby for the first year of his life. After more than a year, the problem was finally diagnosed and he had his adenoids and tonsils removed. He was a totally different baby...and happy too! Hopefully, what your baby is experiencing is normal and much more simple than what my godson went through. Best wishes.

miss C. ~
I daughter did the sames thing as a newborn. She was born naturaly through the birth canal, so don't beat yourself up for the C Section. Newborns tend to have lots of snorts because they still have fluid from being inside mommy. If you are truly concerned always ask your ped. It will give you peace of mind.

My daughter made all kinds of bizarre breathing/grunting/snorting sounds as a newborn and I can relate to how much worry this can cause! She was born "naturally" and was big and strong, so the professionals had no concern. I SO wanted to keep her by my side but eventually realized I was loosing my mind staying awake listening to her and that she needed to be in another room for MY health! Finally, I started catching some sleep. I woke up instantaneously when she cried, so that was never a concern. It was worth the effort of getting up to feed her in the other room for the sake of the real sleep that I got in between feedings. (I'm sure my husband benefited from this arrangement too, not that his needs were at the top of my list at this time!) Good luck with the newborn phase! Self-preservation is the key! Your hormones will ensure that that baby is taken care of, just don't forget about YOU! C