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Every once in a while I will have an intake call with a parent interested in overnight newborn care and they will ask me if they can share a room with their baby while we are in their home providing support. My first response is to stifle a giggle and then to ask them what their experience is with newborns. 100% of the time they haven’t shared the night with a brand new baby. If they had, they would understand that babies can be LOUD sleepers.
On overnights, the main benefit of having in-home overnight newborn care [especially when breastfeeding] is that parents don’t have to have an ear out for their baby.
We know that babies cry, of course, but that is not what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about the grunts, groans, mewls, squeaks and plethora of other newborn noises that babies make when they may be perfectly content in their sleep. If you are reading this, it’s likely 3am and you are listening to your baby grumble like a grizzly bear and are googling “Is it normal for my baby to be this noisy?!” And in most cases..the answer is yes, it’s normal.
Why is causing my baby’s noisiness?
It’s usually digestion related. Your newborn has never digested anything before! And whether it’s formula or breastmilk, it’s all new to them. If your baby is fussy during the day and not resting soundly, you might want to read up on how you can “cure colic“.
If your baby is not fussy, noises don’t necessarily mean there is a problem! It’s 100% normal for your baby to be grunting and snorting. Unfortunately room sharing is recommended for new babies for the first 6 months, so for their safety you’re going to have to learn to tune some of it out [sorry!] Bringing this full-circle, that is why we recommend that your overnight Newborn Care Specialist or Postpartum Doula shares a room with your baby. You can rest peacefully in another room and your support person can be the one listening to the mayhem.
Scary noises in newborns:
Okay so what do you actually want to maybe worry a bit about. That’s why we’re all here right? To differentiate between normal newborn noises and potentially dangerous newborn sounds.
Newborn breathing rate:
Did you know that newborns and toddlers breathe faster than adults? A normal breathing rate for a newborn is 30-60 breaths per minute. More or less than that and you want to give a medical professional a call. A newborn’s breathing patterns might not always be consistent. They might breathe a few times fast and then pause, they might take one big intake with a couple of mini breaths, they might sigh, they might even not breathe at all for a beat or two [ahh]. Count for 20 seconds and x3 to get the rate, and you might want to repeat a couple of times to confirm.
Breathing too slowly or too quickly is a cause for concern*
Whistling noise in a newborn:
If your baby is making a “whistling” or squeaking noise when breathing, they might have something called a stridor. This can be dangerous if it is sudden. A stridor can be from an illness and indicate that your baby is having difficulty breathing. If your baby always makes this noise, it’s likely from Laryngomalacia, which is a condition that babies are born with and grow out of it over time [typically with no complications]. A stridor will typically sound more intense during/after feedings.
Stridor can sound REALLY scary, and you want to make sure that there is no underlying concern.
Gurgle, gag and a scream:
Okay maybe that doesn’t do it justice. As someone that has worked with lots of newborns, I can identify refluxy noises from listening, but if you don’t know what “normal” newborn noises, many parents are not always able to differentiate just from listening. Reflux is when your baby’s stomach contents come up into their throat. It’s not just normal spit-up. They are basically bringing up acid and it can feel uncomfortable and make your baby cry out. If your baby cries when they are laid on their back, spits up frequently and often, often gets the hiccups and has a dry cough like they are clearing their throat and are generally unsettled during feedings you might want to talk to your pediatrician.
Other not scary infant noises:
Infant gas:
This one you DON’T have to worry about! Toot squeak. If your baby is gassy you definitely want to troubleshoot how you can make them more comfortable. Unfortunately sometimes they are just figuring out how to digest stuff! [And that takes time and practice]
Infant Grunting:
Reiterating that this is typically digestion related. Your baby is typically loudest and proudest between 3-5am when most of their digestion is happening.
Crying out:
Sometimes your baby will cry out in their sleep. They often will return sleeping if you give them space. We call this the “pause”. Newborns don’t dream necessarily, but they are processing data from the day or they might be cycling through sleep cycles. Your baby might cry out for 5-20 seconds and then resume sleeping as if nothing ever occurred! N-O-R-M-A-L.
