Weird Things Newborns Do That Are Completely Normal

I remember taking my son home for the first time and all the emotions that came with it. It felt so surreal to finally be bringing him home. We had a baby! I remember feeling so excited yet so incredibly nervous. We were on our own. No nurses to hold our hands. Baby’s don’t come with a manual so it’s up to us new parents to figure it out.

I had no idea what to expect, what was normal, what to be aware of, etc. Let’s just say every little thing that Luke did…I was on my phone on fellow mom boards and reading mom blogs to see if it was normal and if their babies were doing the same thing. I had a giant list to bring to my sons doctors appointment with all the first mom questions I’m sure they get all the time.

You try your best to prepare yourself for a baby when you’re pregnant but as a first time mom, you really can’t prepare completely. There will always be something you miss. It’s a learning curve for sure.

What I wish I would have read up on is newborn behavior. There are so many things that newborns do that are weird and make you a little scared but are completely normal. Had I known that before I had Luke, it probably would have saved me a lot of stress, worry, and time.

Since I am five weeks away from getting to snuggle my second little man, I felt inspired to share with all you expecting mamas what weird newborn behaviors you may encounter that are completely normal. That way you can put more time focused on enjoying your baby rather than being up all night figuring out if what your newborn is doing is normal.

DISCLOSURE: I am not a doctor nor am I a medical professional. I am just a mama sharing my experience about my newborn. If you have any concerns at all about your baby’s health, please contact a physician.

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Constant Sneezing:

This was one of the first things I noticed with my son. It was actually the first night in the hospital. He was constantly sneezing and I was perplexed as to why. I finally asked the nurse when she came in because I was sort of concerned. She told me that sneezing is completely normal and it is because he needed to clear on the gunk out from birth. She also told me that baby’s nasal passages are super sensitive when they are newborns.

Jerky and/or Twitchy Movements:

Luke would jerk and/or twitch all the time. It freaked me out at first. I did what I shouldn’t have done and googled it which freaked me out more. Don’t google mamas, it wrecks havoc on your mental state every time.

Anyways, it was a twitchy movement mainly when he slept that was almost shaking at times. It would happen in his arms, legs, and sometimes his whole body would twitch.

After all the research I did and then consulting his doctor, the reason is because newborns nervous systems are still developing. The nervous system is immature and just needs some time to adjust. After I learned that, I was very relieved and tried not to stress as much.

Newborn Breathing:

This was another scary thing that newborns do that I had absolutely NO idea about. Newborns do this thing called periodic breathing. What that means is they will breathe super fast then really slow and sometimes even pause for a few seconds and then breathe again. Talk about freaky but apparently is completely normal.

I just remember watching Luke closely while he slept on my chest and that’s when I noticed his breathing was strange. It was just all over the place from fast to slow breaths to not breathing for a few seconds then deep breaths. I was a hot mess trying to figure out if he was struggling to breathe or not. But the nurse assured me that it was normal.

What signs could indicate difficulty with breathing in a newborn:

• Flared Nostrils
• Grunting
• Blue Color
• Wheezing
• Sucking in the skin above the collarbone, or between or below the ribs.
• Consistently Fast Breathing

If you think your baby is struggling to breathe even if they have none of the symptoms above then take your baby in to the doctor just to be safe!

Baby Acne:

I remember Luke breaking out all over his face with teenager like pimples . He also had a lot of little bumps on his face as well. You always hear that babies skin are so soft so it might come as a shock when your baby breaks out in acne. But it is completely normal and common.

I didn’t have to do anything special. It didn’t stay for too long and eventually went away on its own.

Newborns Eat A LOT:

I had no idea how frequently I would be nursing my little man. I was nursing him every hour pretty much when he was a newborn. There were days where I literally nursed ALL day. I am not joking. I was concerned he wasn’t getting enough milk from me. But it is completely normal.

Babies need to eat frequently. Their stomachs are super small so they get hungry more frequently. If you are breastfeeding, breast milk digests way faster than formula which also contributes to frequent nursing.

More On Feeding:

What I wished I knew about breastfeeding before I had started

How to know if your baby is getting enough breast milk?

Breastfeeding essentials that made breastfeeding easier

Your newborn can lose weight right after birth:

Luke lost a couple of pounds by the time we left the hospital. I was so worried it was because he wasn’t getting enough from me. However, the nurse assured me that it was completely normal. As long as he was back up to birth weight by his two week follow up then all is well. He ended up gaining it back at two weeks so I had nothing to worry about.

Yellow Eyes:

This definitely freaked me out. Luke developed slight jaundice when he was born which is pretty common in newborns according to my sons doctor. Of course that bit of news really didn’t make me feel better (first mom problems). But thankfully, we had a follow up within a few days from the hospital and weekly follow ups to make sure it wasn’t getting worse.

About a week later, I noticed his eyes were yellow. The doctor assured me that it was a symptom of jaundice and should clear within a month. My doctor told me that even after the jaundice clears, it can take awhile for the eyes to go back to white. It did take some time but eventually it went away.

Newborn Poop:

I had no idea just how weird newborn poop is and all the different colors newborn poop can be. Let’s just say I never knew I would google newborn poop ever to know whether Luke’s poop was normal or not.

If you are breastfeeding, there is a vast range of normal for breastfed poop. Breastfed poop is typically yellow, soft, and seedy. But it can be slightly green, orange, and/or brown depending on what you eat. It can also resemble diarrhea and be normal. Breastfed poop is typically on the more watery side.

Also, Luke basically had poop in every diaper we changed during the newborn stage which apparently is normal and a great indicator that he was getting enough to eat.

Oddly Shaped Head:

Luke’s head was cone shaped pretty bad after birth. The doctor said it was because his head was positioned in my birth canal for so long. He was still so cute of course but his head was pretty large…poor guy. But the doctor reassured me that his head will return to his normal shape. Luke still has a big head (thanks to his parents) but it definitely is no longer cone shaped.

Cradle Cap:

This is basically like baby dandruff. But I noticed Luke had it when he was around a month or so. It’s not the prettiest looking but it isn’t bothersome. It’s pretty common. They say it usually clears within a few months but Luke still has it.

I have learned not to pick at it because that makes it worse. I have also learned that coconut oil helps keep his head soft. I’m hoping he will grow out of it soon!

That is about all I can remember (mommy and pregnancy brain) from the newborn stage with my son. In about five weeks, I will have a newborn again (so excited) so I will be updating any weird but normal thing I may have missed. Meanwhile, if any experienced mamas have anything to add then please comment below. 🙂