Does anyone's baby breathe harder/faster during and after feeding?

[Genehuntssexyhands]

I'm a classic first time mum who is obsessing over everything.
My DS was early, and is now nearly 4 weeks old, but I've noticed that during BF and formula feeding, he breathes a lot heavier than usual, and afterwards for a while and then it settles down completely and goes back to normal.

I've taken a few videos of it incase I need to show the doctor, as it looks like his head moves ever so slightly when he does the harder breathing, although we have looked at 'head bobbing' videos online and it's definitely not exagerrated like that at all.

He's happy (aside from when he's got wind!), sleeping, alert when he's awake and eating LOTS. Plenty of wet and dirty nappies aswell, so no other signs of anything being wrong.

I know periodic breathing is a thing, and I wondered if this was it - hard and fast, and then looking like he's barely breathing! Newborns are scary aren't they?

Just wondered if the feeding was a bit tiring for him and that's why it crops up around then.

I will take him to the GP if it continues, I've shown a video to midwife and she said it's nothing to worry about, he was doing it when health visitor was here too and she said it's just newborn breathing pattern, but I guess I just wanted to ask the wisdom of mumsnet too.

Sounds normal to me. My not-quite-but-nearly 2 year old definitely breathes faster when he's feeding even now. Until he falls asleep anyway.

I think feeding can be quite hard work for them when they're little. The suck/swallow/breathe thing seems straightforward to us but it involves quite a complex sequence of muscle movements that babies haven't previously had to make. My DS (8 weeks) does similar to what you describe and I assumed it was the exertion of feeding.

Thinking about it, I do the same if I'm really thirsty and down a big glass of water. Does your DS tend to "guzzle" his milk?

Newborns breathe really erratically. Periods of really quick breathing, periods of complete silence where you’re constantly checking them. I remember filming my youngest and I was sure there was something wrong. She grew out of it and when my second was born it was exactly the same but I was a lot calmer about it!

If you’ve shown the midwife then you’ve done the right thing and hopefully she’s put your mind at ease a bit. Enjoy your baby.

ah thank you so much for the quick replies, I've been driving myself insane with anxiety about it.

Yes @jonnypocketrocket he does tend to guzzle a bit when he gets going (to the point he sometimes coughs on his formula top ups, which I think I've sorted by changing the angle I feed him at and using Dr Browns bottles)

@howcouldyoubelieveme my phone is full of videos of him breathing at the moment - I think it's even more noticeable because he's tiny, he was under six pounds when he was born and has just got up to six now, so every movement looks bigger, IYSWIM.

@divgirl it's exactly that, he's sleeping next to me now and I can see him breathing but it's nowhere near as exaggerated as it is after feeding

I would ask GP for a referral to an infant feeding/dysphagia Speech and Language Therapist to get it checked out.

Do you have experience of it @littleducks

I'm a SLT. Not saying your baby is sick, I would not want to try and make guesses online but if your child was referred to me I'd want to cast an eye over to be sure.

Oh okay thank you. I’ll be honest I hadn’t heard of that kind of therapist.
I guess with breathing things you can’t be too careful, which is why I keep worrying. It’s hard because I don’t really know what normal newborn breathing is like.
It’s not all the time either, he often breathes very quietly so I’m checking on him to make sure he still is! He’s got a bit of a snuffly nose at the moment as well which I think is making it (the louder/faster) breathing worse.

I think I might try and get a GP appointment this week just to put my mind at rest

I have videos of the breathing that seems louder/faster so I can show the GP those

Newborn DD’s breathing used to sound like the grunt like a piglet while rooting for my nipple. She also sometimes baa’d like a lamb when she moved her head and breathed out while sleeping.

Newborns make all sort of weird breathing sounds and noises - they’re still learning to ‘human.’ If your midwife wasn’t concerned, please don’t be. See your GP to put your mind at rest

grunt of*

Yes I hadn’t realised how noisy they could be! He’s so quiet now, so I wonder if it is just the periodic breathing and the effort of feeding as he’s so dinky but I will still see if I can get a GP appointment and mention it to my midwife again

I think, after keeping an eye on it, that it’s periodic breathing and sleep cycles as he does it when he starts stirring and starts rousing from his deep sleep and after feeds he zonks out and sleeps.
However I am still going to make a GP appointment as it doesn’t hurt to be safe and I could do with the reassurance

Ask your health visitor. It's what they're there for, honest!

Can he get the milk out easily? I remember waking up in the middle of the night just to check my baby was still breathing etc
Panicking all the time!
If he’s got a cold and his nose is a bit stuffed he definitely will make little piggy and gulping noises. Perhaps try a vapour bath gel, Vicks on his feet? Check the vicks though as he may not be old enough yet. The HV will let you know what’s normal.

So my 2.5 week old does the same! He's my second, DC1 is 5 now so it's been a while and I really can't remember if he did this too.

But yea I've noticed the heavy breathing usually after a feed, he's bottle fed if that makes a difference? I wasn't sure if I should be worried or not as most of the time the breathing is normal

@Sadiee88 I think so, it seems to come out pretty easily although he does stay on for a while so maybe it’s a lot of effort for him.
I’m seeing my midwife again tomorrow so I will
Mention it again.

I always worried about flow, switched to a teat where it flowed out easily and she hated it! I’m sure he’s fine, I think they enjoy the sucking! Hopefully MW put your mind at rest

Thank you :)
He's a bit of a guzzler, with formula top ups he really goes for it and ends up coughing sometimes so I have to sit him up, I've switched to slow flow teats which seem to make a difference most of the time.

@pinkstar01 I'll report back on what the midwife says, previous midwife has said it's wind.

Sounds pretty normal. DS was either very quiet (I still poke him to check he's breathing now) or sounding like a warthog.

Thanks
He’s also pretty windy he gets that grey tinge around his mouth so maybe that’s got something to do with it as often after he’s burped he settles down and sleeps and his breathing calms

I think I’m going to get him checked out tomorrow again. I took him to the gp Thursday and they said all fine but he seems to be fast breathing all the time now since this morning :(
He does have a snuffly nose still and his abdomen isnt pulling in around the ribs, neither is his chest, his throat is a little (the little triangle bit) but i showed the GP a video of him doing the same thing and he wasn’t worried.
He’s sleeping now, lovely and pink in colour, perfectly content and his breathing isn’t particularly noisy but his chest is really obviously rising and falling. He is also doing the thing where he stops breathing for a few seconds then starts fast again.

I think he’s got a touch of reflux and have been told this can cause the harder breathing so I think I’ll take him in tomorrow morning and get him checked out again.

I had no idea being a new parent was this stressful!

By all means go and get your DC checked out but I think you should have an honest chat with your GP about the levels of anxiety you're experiencing too.

Thanks @DivGirl it is a little out of control, I’ve got a referral for the mental health midwife
We ended up at hospital today as DS had tracheal tug and chest recessions, he’s got mild broncholitis and silent reflux which are both contributing to the breathing. He was thoroughly checked over and we have some infant gaviscon so I feel much better now