What is the respiratory rate per minute of a newborn baby?

From birth, every movement of a newborn's body has attracted the attention of parents. Many parents will find that their children breathe faster than normal people. Some children will gasp like asthma when sleeping or feeding. Many parents will worry whether there is a problem with their children's respiratory system. In fact, parents don’t need to worry too much. Let me tell you, what is the correct breathing rate per minute for a newborn?

The normal respiratory rate of a newborn is faster than that of an adult, reaching 40 to 60 times per minute. If a newborn baby's breathing rate exceeds 60 times per minute when in a quiet state, then the child can be said to be short of breath. The more common causes of shortness of breath are:

(1) Amniotic fluid inhalation during birth affects normal gas exchange, and the newborn has to rely on compensatory breathing to make up for the deficiency. Another type of so-called neonatal wet lung refers to the temporary increase in breathing before the fluid in the lungs during the fetal period is completely absorbed at birth. It usually disappears on its own within 2 to 3 days.

(2) Congenital malformations can affect gas exchange and insufficient oxygen supply, causing shortness of breath.

(3) Dyspnea syndrome is more common in premature infants born by elective caesarean section. Most of them experience progressive, paroxysmal dyspnea within 12 hours after birth, with inspiratory retractions between the ribs and under the xiphoid process, followed by apnea and irregular breathing. The disease is associated with immature lung development and has a high mortality rate.

(4) Neonatal pneumonia is different from that of older children. Neonatal pneumonia often does not cause coughing or fever, but is mainly manifested by shortness of breath. Severe cases may also include nasal flaring, nodding breathing, and cyanosis.

Both adults and newborns have normal breathing conditions. The reason why the normal breathing of newborns is faster than that of adults, reaching 40-61 times per minute, is because the child's cardiopulmonary function, absorption is vigorous, the respiratory system is relatively fast, and the child comes to the outside world for the first time and has not yet adapted to the surrounding environment.