Parents have many concerns about newborns. One of them has to do with your breathing and if you do it correctly. Above all, fear arises when it comes to leaving him asleep due to the dreaded sudden death syndrome.
Then we will talk to you about a series of curiosities about the breathing of babies so that you remain calm.
Babies' breathing is irregular
It is normal for the baby to breathe irregularly during the first weeks of life. You should not worry about it since with the passage of time the breathing will become regular. At first, breathing will be faster than normal and then the respiratory system matures until it becomes somewhat slower.
Babies only breathe through their noses
The Babies They only breathe through the nose and never do it through the mouth. It is therefore not worrying to see that the little one breathes only through the nose since through it he manages to regulate the humidity and the air temperature. From 6 months of age, their respiratory system has matured enough to start breathing through the mouth as well.
Breathing is faster than in adults
Surely you have noticed how your baby breathes much faster than adults. Specifically, they usually do 40 to 60 breaths per minute, while an adult does it about 20 per minute. If the baby is also nervous and crying, it is normal for breathing to increase significantly.
There are pauses in breathing
It is quite normal that while babies are asleep their heart rate and breathing slows down, causing various pauses in one's own breathing.
That is why newborns stop breathing for a few seconds, returning to breathe later. This act of stopping breathing for a moment is known as periodic breathing.
Having pauses when breathing is something natural that must be differentiated from the so-called pathological apnea. It is a disease in which the baby can stop breathing for about 20 seconds.
It is common for babies to snore
If your baby snores frequently, it is almost certain that he does so because he has a cold. Once the cold clears, the baby will stop snoring. For this it is good to clean the nostrils with a little saline and keep the nose as clean as possible of mucus.
If the baby snores and does not have a cold, it is very likely that he has a serious respiratory disorder known as sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome. It is a serious breathing problem since apart from the snoring of the baby, the little one has serious problems when it comes to breathing well, getting to stop breathing for a few seconds.
Signs you should be concerned about
There are a number of cases in which parents need to be concerned regarding their babies breathing:
- In the event that the baby stops breathing for more than 20 seconds.
- If you notice how the baby's lips or tongue turn blue.
- If the child's breathing is too fast, reaching more than 60 breaths per minute.
- In the event that the baby breathes with some difficulty. It is not normal to hear noises when breathing or certain gasps.
- Drowning while breathing is also not normal. In this case, it is very important to take him to the pediatrician to examine him since he could have some serious and important pathology.
In conclusion, breathing in babies is totally different from that of adults. Over the months, the respiratory system begins to mature and the baby begins to breathe normally.