Between the time my daughter was born and the time she turned six months old she was the poster child of red flags. She arched her back in her sleep and even rolled over as a newborn. She had persistent eczema. Rashes sprang up and disappeared just as fast. Her stool was mucousy (what does that even mean!?). “The Witching Hour” extended well beyond the typical 3-4 months.

And yet, we thought she was just a sensitive baby. We had no context for what was normal and what was concerning. Her pediatrician and the nurses at the office expressed no concern for her symptoms.

crying sleeping baby, infant witching hour, infant wakes frequently, sleep and diet

Finally, at six months, something clicked for her pediatrician. She said to hold off on feeding any of the top allergenic foods until we could take her to see an allergist for testing. Low and behold she has a tree nut allergy. I immediately cut all tree nuts out of my diet and her symptoms somewhat improved over time, but didn’t completely resolve. Another round of testing suggested more allergies. Months later, we found her baseline. We eliminated the allergy inducing foods and found a place where she no longer had any signs of a reaction.

This is the point where sleep really improved.

I try not to dwell on “what could have been” if we had learned of her allergies earlier in her life. Maybe, if we had a diagnosis earlier, I wouldn’t be doing this today. I wouldn’t be sitting here advocating for you and your baby. I wouldn’t be teaching you gentle, responsive methods of supporting your babies sleep while supporting their development and health. As hard as those first six months were, I know they led me to become an infant sleep specialist and postpartum doula, and this is where I am meant to be.

mother the mother, postpartum doula in the puget sound, hold the mother not the baby

Now, let’s get into the nitty gritty. What signs should you look out for?

Mouth breathing
Snoring
Back arching in sleep
Hourly or more frequent waking
Eczema or frequent rashes
Mucous in stools (seriously, it looks like mucous. It’s stringy and more fluid than soft)
Thrashing during sleep
Head turned to one side
Reflux
Painful latch

These symptoms may be common, but they are not normal. They all signal a need to seek support from a healthcare practitioner. You can find support from a pediatrician, IBCLC, ENT, allergist, dermatologist, nutritionist, or other appropriate provider.

At 12 months pediatricians should screen for anemia by drawing a small amount of blood to check iron stores. Low iron is extremely common in infants and can easily be addressed by adding iron rich foods to your baby's diet if they are six months or older. Iron supplements should only be administered to infants under the guidance of a pediatrician.

Giving any foods or liquids other than breastmilk or formula before 6 months of age is not recommended. This includes gas drops, rice in formula, adding water to formula, and adding prune juice to formula.

baby in a diaper, baby frequent waking, mucous in stool, mucous in diaper, poopy diaper

If your baby is experiencing any of these symptoms, but you aren’t sure where to start, reach out. Let’s talk about where you can go from here. You don’t have to continue to struggle with your baby’s sleep and troubling symptoms like I did.