Newborn Sounds

Newborn sounds abound. Often newborns surprise their parents with the amount of noise they make when they breathe, particularly after eating.

Dr. Greene’s Answer:

Kare and Robert, your daughter is beautiful! Often newborns surprise their parents with the amount of noise they make when they breathe, particularly after eating. The cells which line the nasal passages make a similar amount of mucus as they would in an adult, but the surface to volume ratio of the nasal passages is much larger. Newborn sounds abound. Proportionally there is much more mucus in a newborn than in an older child. This is why it is completely normal for newborns to sneeze frequently.

Because the passageways are so flexible and narrow, air coming through them often makes a snorting or gurgling sound. This will be particularly evident when your daughter is lying on her back, or after she nurses, when she has not cleared the mucus for a long time. In addition to the extra mucus, she may get some milk in her nose as she feeds.

Gurgling is a normal part of being a baby. In some babies though, the trachea or windpipe is too floppy. If the noise you hear is primarily when she is breathing in, or if she makes a crowing noise, let your doctor know. There are a few conditions where the structures of the nose, mouth, or throat may not have formed completely. This is correctable if noticed, so here are a few things you might look for:

  • your baby turns blue or white during feeding or gurgling
  • your baby is not gaining weight well
  • your baby develops a significant cough
  • your baby cannot cry
  • your baby does not seem satisfied after feeding

If any of these occur you should see your doctor to determine the cause of the gurgling. Otherwise, relax and enjoy the magical time when your daughter is so small. In only a few months she will have doubled in weight and these precious newborn sounds will be a thing of the past.

Photo credit: Michael Pettigrew

Dr. Greene is a practicing physician, author, national and international TEDx speaker, and global health advocate. He is a graduate of Princeton University and University of California San Francisco.

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  1. Kashmir needs attention

    i am a Father of 3, younger one is 2 weeks 4 days old boy.. yesterday i heard sound in his throat ( sounded Mucus in his airways of throat…i gave it time to clear but after 16 hours it was about the same..like he needs to cough and it will be out of his chest. before going for hot tub..we fed him formula, he was trying to sleep but the throat was bothering him a bit..at last he went to sleep after 15 min of struggle .soon he went to sleep a wrapped blanket around him and made small cup shape of the blanket in front of his tinny face so it can create a hot air cup in front of him so he can inhale the hot air back in his lungs..i was sitting next to him working on my laptop and i heard him wants to cough out ..he did a little bit and the mucus melted down his way to stomach.. why i tried this because it worked for me for runny nose and chest congestion for my older ones but with Baby vicks..this was no baby vicks just the hot air, my little Tiger was inhaling in and out and his own hot breath helped him..hope it helps moms and pops..cheeers…!!

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    • Thanks so much for sharing this great tip! Power to the parent!!!

      Best, @MsGreene
      Note: I am the co-founder of DrGreene.com, but I am not Dr. Greene and I am not a doctor. Please keep that in mind when reading my comments and replies.

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  2. Melanie

    Hi my baby is 3 weeks and 5 days
    My concern is i heard some noise on her nostrail when she breathing! It sound like she having hard time to clear her nostril! She also doing sneeze often and she cough sometimes! Do i need to worried about this?

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  3. Peggy

    Why does my seven week old soundmlike a bleeting goat?

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  4. Freewill

    Hi i have 5 months old baby , when ever she breastfeeds she breaths like the nostrils are not clear (noisy)
    Please what can i do
    Thanks.

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    • VR

      Hi I have a 6 week old with the exact symtom. She does not have fever or coughs except for this noisy breathing at night. Did you have any success as yet?

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  5. Amanda Tinkler

    Hi I have a almost 2 month old and he’s constantly making throat clearing noises and was wondering if it’s normal or should be worried, he does this through out the night and every time he sleeps and it’s quite frequent.

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    • Hi Amanda,

      That could be normal, but it’s worth bringing it up with your son’s doctor. Does he have a well checkup scheduled soon?

      Best,
      @MsGreene

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  6. Dala

    Thank you so so much for this post!! Feel tons better now .. And thanks for the encouragement to just enjoy this time:-)

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  7. ailyn grace

    Greetings! I have a 4 weeks old son. I’m a first time mom and I’m so concerned with how he breathes when he is feeding. He is not latching on very well so I decided to pump. I noticed that he is having sounds like crackles in his throat during feeding and it seems that he is gasping for air. He is feeding well with the bottle. I even use the slowest nipple because I’m afraid he will aspirate. This is happening only when he is feeding. Thank you very much.

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    • Peggy

      Hi, second time mom baby might out grow it try Dr. Browns bottles and get swallow test done if the baby has more systems could be a milk allergy will need be tested for that with milk allergy its the milk protein they allfic too even with that might be temporary cause they usely out grow it about age 3 or 5

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