What it is
Newborns do a long list of things that look alarming and are not. Hiccups, several times a day. Sneezing, which clears a tiny nose and is not a cold. Grunting and going red while pooping. Periodic breathing: fast breaths, a pause of five to ten seconds, then fast again. The startle, or Moro reflex, where the arms fly out at a noise. Swollen breasts and a bit of blood in a girl's diaper in the first week, from your hormones leaving her body.
What's typical
Hiccups and sneezes need nothing. The poop-grunting, called infant dyschezia, fades within a few months when the baby learns to relax while pushing. The startle fades by three to six months. Swollen breasts and the mini period are gone within two weeks.
What's known
The AAP and NHS list all of these as normal. Normal breathing is 30 to 60 breaths a minute and can be irregular. Working to breathe is not normal: grunting with every breath, nostrils flaring, ribs sucking in, or blue lips.
What helps
- Film the thing that worries you. A ten-second video answers the question at the visit.
- Hold the knees up while she pushes. The AAP advises against using a thermometer tip to help a poop out.
When to call someone
- Nowa breathing pause over 20 seconds, blue lips, grunting with every breath, ribs pulling in, or over 60 breaths a minute at rest.
- Todayhard pellet poops, a startle on one side only, or jerking that does not stop when you hold the limb.
- At your next visitanything that still bothers you, with the video.
Who helps
Tools: Postpartum Prep Checklist
Related
- Newborn breathing, congestion, and the noseBaby Basics
- When to call the pediatrician (and when to go in)Baby Basics
- Diaper counts and what newborn poop looks likeBaby Basics
- Reflux, spit-up, and feedingFeeding Your Baby
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Sources
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org — Newborn reflexes and behavior
- NHS — Your newborn baby: what to expect
- Rome Foundation — Rome IV criteria for functional gastrointestinal disorders in infants
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