Is your newborn foaming at the mouth while sleeping? Learn the reasons in this informative article and how to fix them!
Newborn Foaming at the Mouth While Sleeping
Do you find your baby foaming at the mouth while they are sleeping? As a new parent, it will be a sight of horror to see your baby foaming while sleeping in the middle of the night. But did you know that not necessarily is this a sign of an emergency, and it is common among babies? Being a new mother, you may not know what to do when you come across such situations. Therefore, keep reading to find the reasons for your newborn foaming at the mouth while sleeping!
Reasons
There are many reasons for the baby to foam around the mouth while sleeping. Usually, it looks like milky white bubbles or clear bubbles accumulated at the corner of the mouth. Some of the common reasons for newborn foaming at the mouth while sleeping is:
1. Overfeeding
The milk tries to escape through the mouth if you feed your baby excessively. This escaping milk looks like foam at the corner of the baby’s mouth. In bottle feeding, if the hole of the nipple is too big, the air trap will be more which might lead to foaming. In the case of breastfeeding, you should limit the time to 10mins for each breast.
2. Burping
If the baby is not burping, this might be a reason for the foaming. There are many ways to burp a baby. The most effective of them is to hold the baby facing towards you with the head along your shoulder line and the baby’s stomach on your chest. Gently massage the back of the baby to induce a burp.
3. Amniotic Fluid
Sometimes the amniotic fluid remains in the newborn’s stomach, and they will have to expel it out. This is done by spitting it out of the mouth. This can look like foaming and will mostly be relieved by 2 to 3 days.
4. Reflux
In the case of acid reflux, the milk that the baby is feeding on tends to come out. And the baby might spit out more milk than they usually do. This happens because the baby’s digestive system is not yet fully developed. As a result, the undigested milk tends to start foaming at the corner of the mouth. To fix this, you can make the baby sleep on their side; holding them upright will reduce the chances of reflux.
5. Infection
In case of a disease like pneumonia and bronchitis. One of the symptoms seen in babies is foaming at the corner of the mouth. In this case, the baby will also look sick, puffy with increased body temperature.
When to Worry
Foaming due to any of the reasons mentioned above need not be a situation to panic. It is quite normal and you can treat them then and there. But Sometimes, it might be a situation that needs immediate medical attention. As a parent, you should keep watching the baby and check out for the symptoms. If the foam is yellow, green, or orange, it might signify illness.
When to See a Doctor?
It is always advised to have a word with your doctor to find the actual cause of the foaming and rule out any underlying conditions. Especially along with foaming, if the baby shows signs of crying, restlessness, choking, fever, immediately consult the doctor.