Life
Babies are adorable bundles of joy during their waking hours, which are admittedly few and far between (in the beginning). When they sleep, however, things can get a little strange. You'd be surprised how many creepy things babies do while sleeping that are normal, thank goodness. Whether it's their breathing, the weird sounds they make, or any other number of bizarre things they do, you might catch yourself wondering if you're in some kind of horror movie once that squishy baby of yours closes their eyes.
I, personally, was not the most relaxed new mom. With my first baby, I was probably in the "normal" range for checking on my baby while sleeping, but when my postpartum depression and anxiety hit with my second, things got a bit out of control. And when I say a bit, I mean I was waking up hourly to check on my son and make sure he was still breathing. For weeks. Apparently babies are programmed to sufficiently freak the hell out of their parents, while sleeping even, for the few months of their lives, and when you're suffering from postpartum depression and anxiety, that freak out can feel a million times worse.
So, if you've had a few of those moments when you wonder if your precious baby was replaced with a creepy horror movie prop, rest assured that whatever creepy thing that's happen is, (more than likely) perfectly fine, and they will go back to being sweet and cute when they're awake. Seriously mom, the following seven creepy things your baby does while they sleep are totally normal. I promise.
They Sleep With Their Eyes Partially Open
This is creepy and doesn't have any real medical explanation, but is totally normal. My son did this quite a bit in his early days, and even now, at two years old, he does it occasionally.
They Flail Their Arms Suddenly
Known as the Moro, or startle, reflex, it often happens to babies when they're sleeping and not swaddled, and can even wake them up. They look as if they've been scared by something, but it's just part of the acclimatization process babies go through after they leave the quiet safety of the womb.
They Laugh
Most new parents are looking for the smiling and laughing milestones to show up by the four month mark, so it can be surprising (and generally delightful, rather than creepy) to see smiles and giggles in a newborn. They totally happen, though, and are completely adorable.
Their Extremities Twitch
Seizure-like twitching in babies is always a scary thing to witness, but if it's only happening while they are sleeping, the chances are high that it's something called benign sleep myoclonus. If you're unsure whether this is what you're seeing in your baby, definitely take them to a doctor, though.
They Stop Breathing For What Seems Like Forever While They're Sleeping
Apparently, babies have breathing cycles when they sleep. Babies breathe between 30-60 times per minute, but those breaths don't come at regular intervals, which means they can go five seconds (or longer) without breathing at all. This will scare the sh*t out of you, but it's 100 percent normal.
They Snore, Snort, and Snuffle
You'd think that snoring was reserved for moms and dads, but the reality is that there's a lot of gunk (that's my technical, profession term, people) in a baby's lungs that they need to get rid of, especially after breathing amniotic fluid for the nine months they were in the womb.
They Make Weird Groaning Or Grunting Sounds
It almost seems like they're dreaming, when they make these noises, right? I have to warn you, though: these sounds are adorable during the day, but at night, they may wake you up. I have a friend who had to move her son out of their bedroom because the sounds he made were freaking her out so much. Understandable, dear friend. Understandable.
