3 week old baby!!! my 1st....... is this normal????

Question

Whenever he falls asleep....and mostly we notice this at night because it's quiet......he makes soooo many different noises, grunts and different breathing patterns and snorts and all sorts of things. Is this typical of newborns? And when do they stop doing this? Also he's been waking up at about 2am then 5am then like 7am.....then it seems he wants to eat like every 1 1/2 to 2hrs during the day. Will that ever end. Or am I offering him the breast too often? We do try everything else before that....then sometimes he only nurses for about 5 minutes......is he just a fast eater? His longest feedings only last about 15 minutes and only on one breast....he only does one at a time? Is that ok??? He's getting enough...his 1st appt. (the 2wk one) he had already gained 2pnds!!!! Any advice on all of this would help. Thanks!!!!!

Answer 1

He sounds like he is doing fine! It's normal for first time parents to run to the crib at every grunt (I did). Babies also eat every 2-3 hours until they are about 4 months old. As long as you hear him breathing, don't panic. He sounds perfectly healthy! Just remember that babies are human food garbage disposals! Expect him to sleep through the night once he doubles his birth weight.

Answer 2

Well he's gaining well so he's not starving that's for sure...The noises ...totally normal, after a few months they will lessen but most babies still do some noise in their sleep.
The frequent feeds will end after a while, cluster feeds are typical
(be thankful it's during the day and he does better during the night ) Growth spurts where they want to eat more often usually hit around 3, 6 and 9 wks....expect to feel like a feeding machine for a few months. This is their way of increasing your milk supply for their growing needs.
Is he falling asleep at one breast or is satisfied after one side ? If he's falling asleep, what helped me what undressing him before feeding, then changing diaper and re-dressing to switch and feed the other side. you could try a wet cloth as well to keep him awake. If he's satisfied and still awake one side then he's just an effective eater and is good to go for a couple hours. This young it's normal for some babies to eat every couple of hours and I know how stressful this can be, but please don't stress too much, it's something all of us breast feeding moms have to go through. You're doing great keep it up.

Answer 3

I have an eleven week old and he was doing the same things with the noises. He has stopped that now, but he would sometimes even screech in his sleep. It was actually kind of funny, but yeah, he doesn't make those noises anymore at 11 weeks. He does still wake at least every 3 hours to eat...he is on the breast only, no formula supplementation. He normally likes to eat more often than every 3 hours, though, sometimes at night, he goes for longer. Don't listen to everyone about trying to get him to eat off both sides, my little one doesn't. He did at first when I only had colostrum, but when my milk came in, he eats until he is full and that is usually just on one side. He sometimes eats for up to 30 minutes, but normally just 10-15. My baby had gained about 2 pounds at his first checkup, too. Breastmilk seems to really put it on them....He will be 12 weeks Thursday and already weighs 17 pounds and is very strong for his age. He has been holding his head up on his own since we brought him home from the hospital.

Answer 4

Breastmilk digests in a maximum of 90 minutes. So the rule is if the baby is hungry feed the baby even if it's only been 15 minutes.

Umm my 10 month old still eats every 1-3 hours night and day. If he is having a really good day he might go one 5-hour stretch at night. Now many breastfed babies to space their feedings out more early on. But all babies are different. Mine only ever fed 2-5 minutes TOTAL usually only one breast and he was 20 lbs at 4 months. Also I pumped a few times and judging by how hard to how soft my breast was my son could drink about 7 oz in 5 min. So he is probably just fine.

Just count wet diapers! Though with a 2lbs weight gain you have NOTHING to worry about on the breastfeeding front. 2lbs in two weeks OF COURSE he eats all the time! How much would you have to eat to gain 20% of your body weight in 2 weeks!

Answer 5

If he is he gaining weight he is getting enough. With breast feeding he will eat that often that is just the way it is until he gets a lil' bigger. The nosies are completely normal I use to panic about the breathing pattern of my son because it sounds like they forget to breath. The fact is is that they are learning to breath they do have a breathing pattern like you and I. It will come in time. My pediatrician said he is fine and not to worry it is unlikely that he will stop and not start again but I can completely understand all of your fears. My son was also my first and you freak out about everything. A friend of mine says that they make noises and smile when they sleep because they are dreaming about angels. Who knows but it is a nice thought. Just remember that he is as new as you at this and you both have a lot of adjustments to make! Good Luck. It will get easier. I promise, mine sleep all through the night now and he is only 3 months! and he started doing that when he was 2 months. You don't have long to go!

Answer 6

Congratulations on your new baby!

Everything you list here is perfectly normal! The longest DS went without nursing (during the day) was about 90 minutes up until 3 mos. For most babies though feedings will stretch out around 6 weeks.

As long as he is gaining weight just bf on demand and you'll both be fine. You cannot overfeed a baby (from the breast. You can overfeed expressed milk in a bottle).

At night we coslept which helped with nighttime feedings. Maybe look into getting an armsreach cosleeper.

HTH.

Answer 7

Congratulations on your newborn baby!

My little one just turned a year, and he was a very noisy baby. He made noises in his sleep and when he was awake from day one. His breathing was often fast and irregular. I asked the pediatrician and she reassured me that my little guy was perfectly fine, he just had what she called "noisy airways". My son still makes noises in his sleep and now babbles all day! His breathing became more regular when he was a couple months old.

As far as the nursing goes, at this age breastfed babies need to eat on demand. Sometimes, they may want a snack and other times they may want a full meal. Some babies eat fast, while others take up to 30 minutes or longer to finish one side. It is normal for breastfed babies to want to eat every 1.5-3 hours for the first couple of months. Their stomach is only the size of a golf ball so they need to frequently. As they develop and their digestive systems mature, they will be able to go longer between feeds.

It sounds like your little one is going through a growth spurt and when that happens they eat sometimes on the hour every hour
for a few days. I kept my son in an arm's reach co-sleeper for the first 6 months. It helped us both rest so much better especially during the growth spurts. The co-sleeper also put my mind at ease, because my son like yours had irregular breathing patterns and I was afraid to not have him close by in case he forgot to breathe.

It sounds like you are doing everything right! It is also really good that you let your son feed on one side first before offering the second breast. By doing this, your son will get fore milk (the first milk that comes out) and the hind milk (the nutrient dense milk that will fill your son up) . If an infant does not get enough hind milk, they are often very fussy and have lots of gas & spit up.


Keep up the good work and good luck to you and your precious newborn!

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Answer 8

You can not nurse too often. Breastfed babies are self-regulating.

Breastmilk digests in about 90 minutes. It is totally normal for him to need to eat every 1.5 to 2 hours at this age. Remember his tummy is only the size of his fist! He should definately be waking that much at night. He needs to eat around the clock right now. They are growing SOOooooo fast at this age and they need to eat often.

Also, he is is probably hitting a growth spurt right now. Growth spurts usually occur around 10 days-2 weeks, 3 weeks and 6 weeks of age.

You said sometimes he only nurses 5 mins.....how does he act afterwards? Is he falling asleep at the breast? If so, try to wake him by undressing him or wiping his face with a cool cloth or tickling his feet. Try burping him and then offering him the second breast when he comes off.

Sounds like he is growing well!

The site below is REALLY helpful!

Answer 9

Very normal to make strange sounds! You may want to consider reading a book called "Babywise" by Ezzo. In it they talk about putting your baby on a 3 hour schedule, an eat, play, sleep schedule. For the last 1.5 hours of every 3 hour period baby will be napping. This helps baby get all the nutrition he or she needs, and all the sleep he or she needs, to be a happy, well adjusted baby. It will also curb the "need" to nurse at odd intervals and only for 5 minutes at a time. Yes, you will have to wake baby from his/her naps to feed, but you will find that, once on a schedule, you will have a happy, fat, well adjusted baby.

Answer 10

Its perfectly normal for the noises and all and they eventually will stop, but babies make all kinds of noises and faces and movements all the time. Waking up every few hours and eating every few hours are common as well. And nursing for only 5 mins, you have to remember their stomachs are only about as big as their fists, it doesnt take much. You're probably just overwhelmed now, but eventually you and your baby will set into a pattern that will work for both of you and become very natural and normal. Hope this helps, but I dont think any of it is anything to worry about.

Answer 11

I have a 4 month old who was 9 weeks premature and is my first. My son also made all kinds of different noises at night after we brought him home from the NICU. So I think that they are normal. But if you are worried then you should talk to his doctor at his next appointment. My son also ate every 1 1/2 to 2 or 3 hours during the day. Breast milk is easier for them to digest so they eat more often. I too offer my son the breast often, for two reasons, its good for them lots of nutrients and stuff that they can only get from their mother, and two its a bonding experience for both of us. If he only eats at one breast at a time you should pump the other breast for 15 min. so that you don't get engorged or have any problems later on. Babies also nurse for other reasons besides nutrients such as comfort or they have a strong desire to suck.
You can search the Internet for more information on breastfeeding or ask your local breastfeeding support center they have lots of reading material and can answer just about any breastfeeding question.