Should i wake grunting baby

Parents will often wonder if their baby is struggling to breath. You might just be surprised at how loudly or often they occur. The good news is, there are some simple explanations to common nighttime noises and squirms. The surprising baby noises often show up around the second week of life and can last until six months of age — when baby starts to spend more time in REM sleep. Infants experience many more sleep cycles per night than adults do.

Half of their sleep time is spent in REM rapid eye movement mode. REM is a light, active sleep during which babies move, dream, and make noise. Those dream phases might produce grunting while sleeping , along with fleeting cries, laughs, and other "sleep-talking" sounds. Babies also wake briefly at the end of each REM cycle and may make a bit of noise before settling back to sleep. As they mature, their sleeping patterns will too, with fewer REM cycles and more periods of deeper, quieter sleep.

It can be alarming for parents when they hear noisy or labored breathing, and they will often wonder if their baby is struggling to breath. Irregular breathing that may include short pauses and weird noises is rarely cause for alarm, but it can freak new parents out. Newborns are still learning how to regulate their own breathing, which can contribute to some of their alarming noises.

To put it in perspective, infants normally take about 40 breaths per minute while they're awake, but once they're asleep breathing rates can slow by half, or they can increase rapidly for seconds at a time. Anyone who spends time with a newborn can attest to the fact that there is a whole lot going on in the digestion department.

Babies tend to continue to eat and digest throughout the night, so what you might think of as strange sleep sounds may just be your baby digesting their food or soiling their diaper. You can encourage the continued development of healthy sleep habits in your newborn by:. Until then, if your baby seems stuffy or uncomfortable during sleep, you can:.

However, in most cases, you don't need to do anything at all as the mucus is part of a baby's healthy nose, keeping dust, lint, or other contaminants from entering the lungs. Discuss with your doctor if you have any concerns about your baby's stuffiness, breathing, digestion—or anything else.

Again, most baby sleep sounds are perfectly normal. Get help right away if you notice any of these breathing difficulties. Never delay calling if you suspect your baby is in immediate danger.

To minimize any risks, you should always practice safe sleep with your newborn:. Who would have thought that sleeping babies would be such noisy little creatures? Luckily, most of these noises are absolutely nothing to worry about—and sooner than later, your baby will start sleeping more quietly. Most of the noisiness begins to pass after the first month or so. As for when your baby will sleep soundlessly—and do so all night long—well, that could take another few months.

Sleeping through the night usually comes well after quieter sleeping takes hold, most often between 4 and 12 months. By that time, instead of a soundtrack of gurgles, grunts, and squeaks, your little one may be entertaining you with babas, mamas, dadas, and other first word wonders. Get it free when you sign up for our newsletter.

Children and Sleep. National Sleep Foundation. The development of circadian rhythms in a human infant. Grigg-Damberger MM. The visual scoring of sleep in infants 0 to 2 months of age. J Clin Sleep Med. Newborn Reflexes and Behavior. In other cases, the grunting can point to an underlying problem, and it is important to be aware of any other symptoms. The presence of these can help to determine whether the grunting is a cause for concern. Newborns tend to grunt as they get used to having bowel movements.

Doctors sometimes refer to this as grunting baby syndrome. To pass stool, an adult often relaxes their pelvic floor and uses the stomach muscles to apply pressure which helps to move the stool through the gut. As they exercise the diaphragm, it can put pressure on the voice box, resulting in grunting. Grunting baby syndrome is not the same as constipation. A newborn who grunts usually passes soft stools.

When a newborn is learning to pass stools, grunting is usually normal and does not require treatment. The grunting often stops when the newborn learns to relax their pelvic floor and the stomach muscles strengthen. This usually happens at a few months of age. If the baby seems to have trouble passing stool, rubbing petroleum jelly on their anus can help.

However, doing so too often can prevent the baby from learning to pass stool on their own. Irregular breathing patterns are not usually a cause for concern, unless the newborn shows signs of breathing difficulties.

A baby monitor can help a caregiver to check for indications of abnormal breathing when the newborn is asleep. Some people also use movement monitors, which sound an alarm if the baby stops moving for longer than usual.

If these home remedies do not help, the newborn may have a condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease GERD. You might also hear snoring or whistling while your babe is dozing. Smaller nostrils can also be blamed for snoring; most babies will grow out of it.

Brittney Dolinger, a mom of two from Mississauga, Ont. In most cases, if your baby is healthy, gaining weight and reaching milestones, there is no cause for concern. But there are some red flags to watch for: nostrils that flare as the baby breathes; a baby who is having trouble breathing or is breathing very rapidly; difficulty with feeding and not gaining weight ; and crying inconsolably. An alert and awake newborn should be taking 40 to 60 breaths per minute.