New parents often worry about their newborn's breathing rate. The irregular nature of most babies' breathing patterns can confuse parents and leave them wondering what is normal and what might be a sign of a medical problem in their new baby. It should reassure parents to know that there can be a wide range of normal breathing rates in newborns and that most things which seem concerning are actually fine.
Awake
An infant who is awake can have breathing patterns that vary throughout the day. At some points, she may be breathing up to 60 breaths per minute. This is common after the baby has been crying or otherwise worked up. A normal breathing rate for a calm infant is about 40 breaths per minute, according to MUSC Children's Hospital.
Asleep
During sleep, a newborn's breathing rate slows to 20 to 40 breaths per minute. According to Baby Centre UK, the sleeping newborn often exhibits periodic breathing, a breathing cycle quite different from adult breathing patterns. During periodic breathing, the newborn will start out with breaths that get faster and deeper and then cycle back down to shallower, slower breaths before taking a pause from breathing altogether. During periodic breathing, the baby stops breathing for up to 10 seconds at a time. Although this often sends new parents into a panic, it's perfectly harmless to the baby.
SIDS
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a concern for most new parents. Because a newborn's breathing is so irregular, parents may worry that this is a sign of potential SIDS. But irregular breathing in infants is normal, and has not been linked to any increased risk of SIDS, so parents need not worry.
Concerns
There are some circumstances when parents should be concerned about a newborn's breathing rate or pattern. If the baby stops breathing for longer than 10 seconds or starts to turn blue, parents should call emergency services immediately and bring the baby to a hospital. Even if the baby begins to breathe again after such an incident, he should still be brought to a doctor to make sure there is not a problem that could make him stop breathing again later. At the other extreme, a baby should not maintain a breathing rate over 60 breaths per minute for long periods of time and should be seen by a doctor if his normal rate frequently exceeds this during calm periods.
Observations
New parents concerned about their baby's breathing may weigh the decision whether to wake their newborn to check on him or let him sleep. However, there are a few ways to check and make sure he hasn't stopped breathing without waking him up. Putting your ear next to his mouth will often allow you to hear, or even feel, his breaths. Also, the movement of his chest as he breathes should be visible if you watch closely.
