Babies Making Funny Faces While Sleeping
If it's 3:30am and you're googling "why is my baby gasping or sobbing in her sleep?" DO NOT PANIC. It's probably normal.
If your baby is making a sound like she had been crying hard but she's completely asleep, you probably don't need to worry.
My daughter did it. Let me walk you through it.
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Toot has been doing this in her sleep since she was still in a bassinet next to my bed. I've freaked out many times, frantically googled, and called the nurse hotline at 2:00am.
I was ever vigilant about her breathing because I thought she would just randomly stop and that would be it. Motherhood has turned me into a constant worrier.
Turns out I had nothing to worry about, and you probably don't either.
What happens?
It sounds like the baby is sobbing. You know that kind of sob right after she has a big crying spell but she's 100% asleep? It sounds like that.
She gasps or kind of hiccups for about 5 to 20 minutes. It's like a quick sharp inhale over and over.
There's no change of color. She doesn't turn blue. It doesn't seem to bother her at all.
If you wake her up, she just stops like it never happened.
It just sounds scary. The technical name for this is periodic breathing.
Why does it happen?
Babies will sometimes have irregular breathing patterns because their lungs and airways are still immature and basically still learning how to function.
Periodic breathing usually happens in the deepest of sleep which is why you don't see them doing it during naps.
It mostly happens in the middle of the night. Prime freak out time for new moms like me.
It's in the same realm as hiccups. Just kind of annoying but fine.
My pediatrician assured me that it's completely normal, and she'll grow out of it. He said there's no definitive answer to when babies grow out of it.
Toot is 15 months old and had an episode the other day. It doesn't happen as often as it did when she was younger, though.
It was most frequent when she was about 3 to 6 months old. That's about when she was sleeping through the night and probably sleeping more deeply.
Update: Toot is now 3 years old and has grown out of it. She only did it a couple of times when she was two.
When to worry
If your baby is turning blue around her lips or face: call 911. She's not getting enough air, and it's an immediate problem.
If your baby snores a lot or stops breathing for more than 20 seconds at a time, call your doctor because this may be a sign of sleep apnea.
Talk to your doctor
It's always a good idea to let your doctor know that your baby is having periodic breathing spells while sleeping.
You can mention it at your next well-baby visit or you can call the office anytime.
Most pediatricians will want you to call with any questions or concerns. They get that you're a new mom, and they just want to help.
Most pediatrician's offices have after hours nurses on call. You just have to call and get transferred to the right place. It's usually a call center.
The nurse line is great. If you don't know what to do or if you should go to the ER or wait for the doctor's office to open or just let your baby rest at home, they'll help you figure it out.
If you call your local tele-nurse hotline, the call center rep will ask for symptoms and have the nurse call you back once they look over your baby's medical chart.
Your doctor's office or local hospital should have a number for after hours calls. It's good idea to program it into your phone so you don't have to look for it at 3:00am.
Have you noticed your baby sobbing or breathing weirdly at night?
Let me know in the comments below!
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Source: https://www.tootsmomistired.com/why-is-my-baby-gasping-or-sobbing-in-her-sleep/
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