Periodic breathing: You may have noticed your baby sometimes breathes rapidly followed by a pause of up to ~15 seconds, and then gasps for air. This phenomenon can be very scary to watch but is actually very normal. Newborn brains are processing so many things at once that they actually have to “think” about certain body functions- one of which is breathing. This improves as their brain matures and typically resolves around 6 months old. No intervention is needed unless there is associated color change (blue or purple) or the pauses last longer than 15 seconds.

Acrocyanosis: This is the fancy way of saying your babies hands and feet turn blue/purple. This most often occurs when the baby is cold and typically, once the extremities are warmed, the skin comes back to pink. This happens because the tiny blood vessels in the extremities are brand new and not very good at regulating temperature. This is a pretty common occurrence and most babies will grow out of in a few months. However, it is important to note that it is never normal for your baby’s lips or tongue to be blue/purple, and you should seek immediate medical attention for this.

Spitting up: Virtually all newborn babies will spit up after a feed from time to time. They have never had to digest anything before; and their sphincter muscles, the bands of muscle that allow food in and out of the stomach, are not very strong yet. If your baby is gaining weight well and is what I like to call a “happy spitter,” then this is a laundry problem; and you should feed through it. Keep the baby upright after feeds for 15-20 minutes, give smaller volume feeds more often, and use a slow flow nipple to help regulate/slow down the flow. If you are worried about painful spitting, back arching, or excessive fussiness associated with feeds, you should discuss this with your doctor. Some babies do benefit from antacids, but not every baby that spits up needs to be medicated.

Straining with stools: Believe it or not, straining and turning red in the face when your baby has a bowel movement can be very normal. Your baby has never had to coordinate a bowel movement before, so it may take some time to figure it out. As long as the stool is nice and soft when it comes out, no need to worry.

Moving or making noises while they sleep: Babies are very active sleepers and tend to move around and make noises while they are in REM sleep. Periodic breathing is also pretty common to see during this phase.

“Nights and days mixed up”: Babies are not born with an established circadian rhythm (sleep-wake cycle) which means they are not able to fall asleep as easily as we do. We can help them set this rhythm by making it nice and bright and noisy during the day, and making it very dark with consistent white noise at night. This will work itself out around 2-4 months old.

**Doctor Schutt’s blogs may include some affiliate links through trusted companies like Amazon. Purchases made using these links may earn Doctor Schutt a small commission.  She uses those small commissions to create content like this to help with her mission in growing healthy children and empowering parents in her community and nationwide.  She donates a percentage of this commission to organizations that share her mission and values.