Grunting

I have a six week old son that I'm nursing.  I've cut out everything I can think of in my diet that might be irritating him. I'm not eating cheese, strawberries, drinking orange juice...  My diet is super bland.  I've been trying to pay attention to his diapers and make sure they're messy as well as wet - he's had three messy diapers in the last 18 hrs.  This child grunts and brings his legs in like he's in pain constantly.  He'll do this for an hour in his crib.  I'll feed him, burp him, he'll fall asleep on my shoulder, then put him down.  Of course the second his head hits the sheet - his eyes pop open.  I'll put him in the crib anyway b/c he should be drowsy and needs to learn to fall asleep in his crib.  So - with my mom in town - she was telling me, "He's not crying." so I'd leave him in his crib for no kidding - an hour - listening to this grunting...  Does anyone have any ideas about this?  We aren't scheduled to go back to the pediatrician for 3 weeks and I just keep hearing that he's fussy and a bad burper...  I try and make sure that when I put him down to sleep he's swaddled.  Just now - I had him fed and then swaddled, and asleep on my shoulder. I laid him down and with in five minutes - he's grunting and making noises...

Any thoughts/comments would be appreciated!

[mlb1234]

How old is your son??  Are his poopies liquidy/mustardy??  It sounds like he is having enough bowel movements.   I doubt that any food is causing him to grunt.  Others might disagree but I have been able to eat ANYTHING while nursing my daughter including curry without it bothering her (I know all kids are different though)!!!  Our ped said the food you eat is very unlikely to cause fussiness.  
As far as his grunting, I am thinking maybe your mom is right.  My daughter was  (and is) very noisy.  Some babies like to hear themselves.  She does kind of grumble and grunt still today when you put her down but if you leave her alone for a few minutes she eventually falls asleep.  They say it is OK to continue to nurse your babies to sleep. So you can try that is he is having problems falling asleep.  I still nurse my baby to sleep at 6.5 months but during the day when daddy is watching her she goes down without nursing but is grumbley like I said before.  As far as him lifting his legs, my dd did that for a month or two after she was born.  It was like they were more comfortable like that.  They are used to having them like that in utero (if he is still very young).  It might just be nothing if he is not all out crying.
BTW I am from St. Paul too (como area).  Your son is so adorable!!!  I wish I had more suggestions but I am guessing it is nothing to worry about!! :)  
(oh and also if you nurse to sleep then you know they aren't hungry anymore which may also be a cause for his grumbling.  I know if I stop feeding dd too early she will continue to grumble after I put her down.  Then I will feed her more until she lets off on her own and VOILA she will fall asleep!)  Good luck!

[mlb1234]

I also just want to say hang in there with the nursing - you are almost at the point where it gets much easier!!!  I had no idea if or how long I would nurse and we are still doing it today at 6.5 months.  

[mlb1234]

sorry - hello! - in the first sentence you said he was 6 weeks.  brains turn to mush as soon as babies are born!! :)

[Diane1003]

Thanks for the responses - his stool is yellow/seedy - so I don't think there are problems there.  I know he's not constipated.  Every once in a while he'll have gas and I can get him to fart a ton.  Haven't really been able to do that today.  We're thinking of trying formula for 24 hrs (and I'll pump) to see if that makes a difference...

[tiredbuthappy]

honestly, i think that he'd be crying if he were in pain.

my baby made all kinds of crazy noises for the first 2 months. and she did it for most of the day. like mlb1234, my lactation consultant told me that it's very rare that a child reacts severely enough to something mom eats to warrant stopping the breast milk. i would consult with the ped before trying formula, even for a day. their digestive systems are immature and breast milk is much easier to digest than formula.

around 6 weeks i videotaped dd's grunting, rolling, farting session. it's hilarious to watch. i'm glad i captured it because she stopped a few weeks later.

[Diane1003]

Yeah- thanks.  I'm re-thinking trying formula until we can meet with the Pediatrician.  The grunting sometimes is just really hard to listen to b/c it really sounds like he's in pain... He really hasn't been crying - actual crying much - but grunting just a ton!  Guess I'd rather grunting than tears!

[Diane1003]

Well  the night was rough- rather the morning has been rough.  We've switched to formula to see how Paul does.  He was given - or rather - offered a bottle of Similac Advance (I think it's called) and took a little over two ounces.  So far - not much difference.  I'm still going to pump and see how it goes.

[spade22]

One thing I wanted to add is that if a baby arches their back and brings there legs in and appear to be in pain, this could be a sign of reflux.  Does your baby spit-up much?  If this is the case, something like Xantax can help (prescribed by doctor).

Even if your baby isnt crying, since your instincts are telling you he is in pain it would be a good idea to call his pediatrician for advice.  While "grunting" can be quite normal in a baby it can also be  a symptom of something else so its best to get a professional opinion just to be sure.

[houseofgirls]

I agree that you should make an appointment with your ped...if you really think he is in pain, then he should be checked out.  One thing you can do is video tape him doing the "grunting" so that the ped can see what you mean.  Once you are in the doctors office, it never fails that the symptoms seem to disappear, lol!  If they have the video, they can see exactly what you mean.  Good luck!

Oh, by the way, my dd made all kinds of weird noises when she was a newborn.  It made it hard for me to sleep just listening to her!  She would make all sorts of squeaky, sort of grunting noises.  My first dd never did this, so I didn't know what to do!  She never seemed to be in pain, however.  So I never went to the ped about it.  She is now almost a year, and just fine!

[Tennesseegirl]

My lo is  10w and I have learned when she does that she has the smallest bubble and needs burped. its not big enough to cause pain, just for her to toss and turn, and GRUNT. smile.
sometimes I leave her be, and it works out, sometimes I pat her back and it will move to another spot. (shes on her side) but they are the hardest things to burp.and will take sometimes 20min to work up.
be careful with the formula.....it can cause bowl issues.

[loismwallace]

It's probably nothing to worry about.You might just bring it up at your next appt....My 2 mo old daughter makes the sweetest little whistle sound when she sleeps. I'm sure it's actually snoring, but for now it's cute....She went on for about an hour last night until I finally fell asleep. Good luck and let us know what you find out.

[Diane1003]

Well- rough days turn to good nights/days...  I was taking it pretty personally that we switched to formula and there was a potential problem with me or my milk I was giving my child.  My husband said he didn't notice a difference in temperment for the day yesterday - or evening when we'd given formula for three feedings - so we went back to breast milk at my request.  I want to continue in the manner we have been and wait until we go to the ped on the 25th.  So - for now anyway- that's what we're going to do. I feel bad for going to formula and back again b/c I know it could be hard on the little one's system.  Good idea on videotaping the grunting to take to the pediatrician.  I'll do that if it continues for a few weeks. I really think it is gas related.  He holds his breath and pulls in his legs when he's grunting.  I often can get some gas out of the bottom end by pumping his legs.  I'm always amazed at how much he farts!  I really try and do a good job of burping him but it never seems to be enough.

Thanks again for all the support and keep any thoughts/comments coming!

[Tennesseegirl]

yikes... I hear you on the farting!! mine will sound like a motor boat sometimes. Would really like for you to keep us updated on what the ped. says. Im courious. I too would of switched to formula and sometimes still wonder??? so I know where your coming from. my ped. told me it would just make matters worse...
mine is alittle older and able to handle the gas pains better.my first dd had colic so I guess I should just count my blessings.
Its just so hard trying to find out what the problems are, and by the time we do? its the next stage. teething, growing pains, night terrors.. etc. OH how they keep us on our toes. just wanted to let you know, your not alone and I too am at my wits end.

[houseofgirls]

Have you tried giving him mylicon drops?  I only gave it to my baby a couple of times, but it seemed to help at the time.  Some people swear by it.  

Also, you can find a lot of great information about breastfeeding from kellymom *******...here is a link regarding foods and breastfeeding.  
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-foods.html

[pgvm]

Hi Diane, I saw one of your posts from a a couple of years ago about your baby grunting all the time and you trying formula. I'm going through the same problem and don't know what to do. Could you please tell me what it was or how you fixed it? Thank you so much!

[Heatherm4]

My son did that very same thing as Diane's baby and he was just really sensitive to gas. For myself I actually had to end up cutting fresh dairy out of my diet once he almost started turning colicky. I took out all milks, cheeses and yogurts etc and it really helped him out a lot.
I think when they are so young, it is more difficult for them to get the gas out and hard work because of how their bodies are and not as developed. If it becomes a major problem and your baby is crying a lot while grunting and pulling legs up then it's time to figure something else out.

[pgvm]

Thank you for your response Heather. Me too, I had to cut out all dairy and soy from my diet since week 1. My daughter is 5 months old now (I'm still breastfeeding) but I thought that the grunting would go away by now. She doesn't cry or complain but she grunts for hours, especially at night.It's so frustrating. I just want to know if it's related to my milk and if it would help if I giver her formula instead.

[Heatherm4]

If she's grunting and not in any pain or anything like that then it must be just fine. It's odd but if there is no struggle then I'd think it's ok. Breastmilk is A LOT easier for babies to digest than formula and is metabolized quicker as well so if it's her grunting during digestion then she'd do it a lot longer after formula.
I'm not sure what I'd do in your situation....does she do it in her sleep as well? Or she like grunts herself to sleep? My son stopped most of his grunting after me stopping dairy but you said you quit that as well. hmmm...