Weird newborn
things you can
safely ignore

The full narration of the video.

A baby boy, three days old, and his chest is swelling. You're changing him at midnight, feel two little lumps, and want to rush to the hospital. Hold on. Lots of newborn quirks look scary, but need nothing from you.

Think of your baby as a brand-new home, just handed over. The utilities just came on, so pipes knock and lights flicker; and the last owner left a few things behind. Those two lumps are what got left behind.

During pregnancy, the mother's estrogen, a hormone, crossed the placenta into the baby. Boys and girls alike: the chest puffs up, and some even leak a few drops of milk. A baby girl may even show a little blood in her diaper, like a tiny period.

Once mom's hormones clear out, it all fades on its own in two weeks to two months. Your only job: don't squeeze. Grandparents may say you should, but squeezing can cause an infection. Now the knocking pipes. Baby's parts just started working on their own, so there's noise.

After a feed, hiccup after hiccup. That's a thin sheet of muscle between chest and belly, twitching. It's called the diaphragm. It doesn't hurt or bother the baby, and it stops by itself. Sneezing isn't a cold either: the nose is tiny, dust and milk get in, and a sneeze sweeps it clean.

And the flickering lights? Mid-sleep, both arms suddenly fling out, as if startled. That's the built-in startle reflex. It fades by three or four months. There's something left in the mouth too: tiny white dots on the gums that grandparents call "horse teeth."

They aren't teeth, just little bits of leftover skin, gone in weeks to months. Never pick them with a needle or rub them with cloth. Break the skin, and germs get in. Still, a few noises in this new home can't wait.

Asleep, a baby may take a few quick breaths, pause five to ten seconds, then go on. That's periodic breathing, and it's normal. But a pause over twenty seconds, or lips turning blue: call an ambulance right away. Yellow skin comes in two kinds. About six in ten babies turn yellow on day two or three, clearing in about two weeks. Yellow on day one means the hospital, that same day.

And under three months old, a temperature of thirty-eight Celsius means don't wait at home. Most newborn quirks are a new home settling in, not illness. When unsure, ask your pediatrician. Of these, which one did you think was a sickness?