Common New Parent Questions About Newborn's Health

Ashanti W. Woods, M.D., board-certified pediatrician with Mercy Family Care Physicians, recently responded to questions from Cradlewise.com newsletter regarding a variety of “common newborn queries” from parents.   

Why is my newborn breathing so fast?
Babies have variable or periodic breathing. This means they alternate between normal breathing, followed by rapid breathing, followed by pauses in their breathing. Babies will alternate through these patterns throughout the day. If a baby has rapid breathing that last longer than 20 minutes, that is a reason to see the pediatrician. Also, if the baby’s breathing is mainly pauses in breathing, that too, is a reason to follow up with the pediatrician. As a baby gets older, their breathing becomes more steady.

Why is my baby’s poop green?
Green poop is normal baby poop. It’s just a healthy digestive system. Babies could also have brown or yellow or even black or dark green poop—also referred to as meconium. This meconium poop usually resolves over the first few days of life and then turns to green or yellow or brown.  Parents should let their pediatricians know if the baby’s poop is bloody, has a lot of mucus, or remains black after the first few days of life.

My baby's fontanelle is pulsing—is that normal?
Yes, a pulsating fontanelle is completely normal. This is reflective of the blood vessels underneath the baby’s front soft spot. Babies also have a soft spot in the back of their head called the posterior fontanelle. The posterior fontanelle is less likely to have pulsations visible. The anterior fontanelle closes for babies at 18 months of age, but is not very visible after eight to nine months of age. If a family feels like their baby is irritable and the fontanelle is bulging or popping out like a balloon, then the pediatrician should be contacted.

Should I wake my baby to feed at night? 
Babies should be awakened at night every two to four hours to feed, especially over the first two or three weeks of life. After a baby has his or her weight checked (often at the second appointment), a family could receive guidance from the pediatrician on how often to wake the baby. Some pediatricians use a goal of one hour of sleep per a baby’s age in weeks starting at three weeks of age. This means a four-week-old baby sleeping four hours at night and then being awakened for feeding. This may not work for every family, so consultation with the pediatrician is recommended. 

Why does my baby pull their hair when going to sleep? 
Babies may pull their hair or pull out their ears when trying to go to sleep as a form of soothing. This is completely normal and is like a baby sucking his or her fingers.

Why does my baby spit up after every feeding? 
Many babies spit up after each feeding due to normal reflux or food (milk) coming back up from the stomach after it was recently eaten. This often has to deal with a baby having a short esophagus, which is the tube that takes food from the back of the throat down to the stomach. As babies get older, the esophagus lengthens and the valve at the bottom of the esophagus, called a “sphincter,” becomes more mature. Reflux disease, on other hand, is due to an accumulation of acid, causing irritation in the stomach, esophagus, and back of throat. Babies who are suffering from reflux disease are often very cranky and will experience back-arching when they are vomiting. They should be evaluated by the pediatrician. Lastly, some babies may throw up after every feed due to milk intolerance. If the baby is breast-fed, the baby may have an intolerance to dairy or another food product that mom is consuming. If baby is formula-fed, the baby may have a form of allergy to the milk that they are on. Consultation with the pediatrician is recommended.

Why do babies cry so much at night?
Babies cry at night for a number of reasons. It could be due to there being no additional stimuli to distract the baby, thereby allowing an infant to concentrate on their stomach pain if they are gassy. Some babies cry at night because they are naturally more active at night from when they were in the womb, and therefore, the crying is a sign of wanting to be held or stimulated. The crying may also be due to colic, which is a condition where babies cry for an unknown reason (although many cases of colic are thought to be due to some form of abdominal discomfort). This may peak anywhere from four to eight weeks and start to extinguish around 12 weeks of age.

Dr. Ashanti Woods treats patients from newborns to adolescents. A recognized medical consultant for various media outlets, he is a community leader and has received awards for his medical care, including being named a “Top Doctor” by Baltimore magazine. He is also a clinical instructor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.