Category Archives: Baby Sleep

Common Freaky Newborn Behaviors NOT to Worry About

Baby Sleep, Breastfeeding, Infant Health & Safety, New Moms, ,

Normal newborn behavior can seem concerning and sometimes alarming to the uninitiated. Is she eating enough? Is she eating too much? Why is she crying? Why won’t she sleep? How much spit up is normal?  With so much to worry about, it might be refreshing to learn about some newborn behaviors that often make parents wonder, but are usually nothing to worry about. Of course, if you like to worry, here are Freaky Things Parents of Babies and Toddlers CAN Worry About.

Don’t worry (much) about…

  1. Breastfed babies over 1 month old that don’t poop every day, or even every few days. As long as they’re eating well and wetting plenty of pee-diapers, poop will happen, eventually – Probably requiring a full bath and several changes of clothing. Some dramatic babies poop only once or twice a week (but continue to eat and urinate as usual).
  2. Happy babies that spit up a lot. Whether it’s a lot of milk or a little, if the baby is otherwise happy and thriving, consider spit-up a Laundry Problem, not a pathology. If milk’s been down less than an hour, it will look and smell like milk. If it’s been down there longer, it will probably look and smell like curdled cottage cheese. Normal.  Spitting up – even 20 times a day –  is a normal baby behavior, and some healthy babies spit up far more than others.
  3. Infants who love the pacifier (once breastfeeding is well established). Give it or don’t give it, as you see fit. Don’t stress and agonize too much. It’s a just little piece of plastic, not crack cocaine. If it works for your baby, go with it. Around six months, your baby will begin to learn to self-comfort herself by sucking her fingers or thumb, and you can remove the binky altogether if you desire. If you choose to keep the pacifier, begin to restrict use to the car and crib once your baby is mobile.
  4. Occasional random projectile vomit. Yes, Exorcist Baby just likes to keep you guessing. And mopping up. As long as baby seems comfortable and is able to later eat normally without further projectile vomiting, just shrug it off  and mop it up. Repeated projectile vomiting, when milk seems to “shoot out” with volume and force, means a call to the pediatrician but a one-time occurrence doesn’t have to mean anything.)
  5. Sneezes and snuffly noses. A baby’s nose is a (mostly) self-cleaning device. Babies produce lots of thin mucus and a have reflex which causes them to sneeze a few times in a row when you step out into bright sunlight, essentially causing them to “blow” their cute little noses. Thin clear mucus, sneezing and snuffly sounds are normal for infants and are not the sign of a cold.
  6. Babies who spit up through their nose. Rarely discussed in baby books, and very normal (albeit kind of freaky). It must not be too comfortable for your baby, but there’s not much you can do about it. Remember when your friends made you laugh while drinking Pepsi and it would come out your nose? Yeah, like that. It’s all connected back there.
  7. Newborns who fall asleep but forget to shut their eyes, leaving only the whites showing. You can gently close their eyelids, it won’t bother them. They’ll grow out of this one fairly quickly. Thankfully, right? Looking for things to worry about? Here’s some Freaky Things Parents of Babies CAN Worry About.

How to Nurse Side-Lying

Baby Sleep, Breastfeeding, New Moms, , ,

sidelyingYou can nurse on BOTH SIDES lying down, without needing to roll over yourself and move baby! Here’s how:

You’ll need 3 pillows and a rolled up receiving blanket. (Oh, and a baby).

Place one pillow under your head, one pillow between your legs, one pillow (preferably a body pillow) behind your back.

Have your baby on his side, facing you, and use the rolled up receiving blanket behind him to keep him from rolling toward his back once he is latched on and sleepy – you could get sore if he slides down the nipple but keeps nursing.

Nurse on the bottom breast by rolling yourself slightly back onto the pillow behind you. Tuck your baby’s bum either nearer or further away from your tummy to get his head in the right position. (Think of your baby’s body like a “stick” in this position. If you want his head closer to you, move his bum slightly away. If you need his head a little further from you, bring his bum in closer to your tummy).  Nurse! You can use your “top” arm to position your baby and/or your breast. For women with very large/soft breasts, a rolled or folded washcloth under the breast can offer support and bring the breast to a good level for the baby to nurse. Your “bottom” arm is often most comfortable tucked up by your head, (though some people like to have it cradled around the baby). The arm kind of gets in the way.

Now, to nurse on the TOP breast. Shift your hips way back, and roll forward away from the back pillow. You’ll appreciate the pillow between your legs now. Adjust/flex your hips so you are supported rolled forward toward your baby comfortably. Roll your baby slightly more onto his back, using the rolled receiving blanket to keep him at the best angle, halfway between his side and his back. Nurse! Your bottom arm might be most comfortable under your head. Your top arm usually drapes around the baby.

Practice side-lying nursing during the daytime when you’re awake and can see what you’re doing, then you’ll get good at it and can nurse this way at night when the lights are low.

Note: If you’ve just had a c-section, place a folded or rolled towel against your incision area so baby’s feet don’t “kick” a sensitive area.

Note: The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that “Infants may be brought into the bed for feeding or comforting but should be returned to their own crib or bassinet when the parent is ready to return to sleep.”