New Baby: Gurgles, Hiccups and Sneezes
What noises does a new baby make - and are they all normal?
From what a new baby really looks like to how your new baby's senses allow him to interact with his new world, the first weeks of your child's life will be full of wonder for him and for you.
Over the coming weeks, you'll quickly begin to understand your baby's cries – when that cry is telling you he is hungry, tired, in pain, needs changing and so on. You'll even notice that your baby's poo can show you how healthy, hungry or unwell your child might be!
But what about those gurgles and other noises that you hear from the cot?
Baby sneezes
Despite sounding tiny by comparison to ours, a new baby's sneeze will still most likely cause him to convulse his whole body. However, unless his sneezes are accompanied by a runny nose and a raised temperature, your child is unlikely to be suffering from a cold.
Instead, a sneeze or even an outburst of a few sneezes in a row, will most likely be caused by dust or bright light (just as our noses are sometimes irritated) or, in the earliest days, still just a way of your baby clearing out those fluids from being in the womb and from birth.
Hiccups
There is nothing more cute than seeing a tiny baby hiccup - it seems such a mature motion for such a new baby!
You may have noticed your baby having hiccups in the womb and now he is out in the real world his experience is unlikely to change. In the early weeks hiccups can be a sign that his muscles are beginning to help him breath more deeply and are still getting used to working in synch.
'Snurgles'
Small babies can easily get the snuffles – light colds and nasal blockages that are not serious – and these can make your baby's breathing sound much noisier, especially when feeding. Again these are just a regular soundtrack to your first few months with baby and should not be anything to worry about, but you can read more about them here.
(If your baby's breathing sounds noisy for long periods and your baby's chest appears to be visibly straining when breathing in and out, consult your GP.)
If you are concerned about the noises your baby makes which are regular, even if they don't seem to trouble him and he does not appear to be ill, make sure you use a monitor when he is napping, and do ask your health visitor about your worries, if only to put your mind at rest.
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