The 'is this normal' at 3am panic spiral

Dec 7·1 min read

Just spent 45 minutes at 3 in the morning googling whether my 2-month-old's slightly irregular breathing pattern is SIDS. He's fine obviously. But my brain does this thing where I notice something totally normal and convince myself he's dying before I can rationalize. I didn't sleep for like 2 hours after that. My wife said I should stop reading Reddit but that's rich coming from her who googled "baby poop color" 47 times last week lol

5 comments148 views

Comments(5)

JJames H.RegularDec 8

This is so relatable it hurts. I once spent 45 minutes convinced my 3-month-old had a weird rash that was definitely something and it was just... a wrinkle in his skin from his sleep position

KKenny W.RegularDec 8

lol "obviously" like yeah but in the moment at 3am nothing is obvious. New parent exhaustion hits different. Hang in there man

CChris P.RegularDec 10

2 months is peak anxiety time honestly. Your brain is literally in survival mode and every small thing feels life-threatening. Does it get better or do you just get better at ignoring it?

PPete D.RegularDec 10

The 3am brain spiral is real. You're aware he's fine but your body is just running full fight-or-flight. Have you tried like... putting the phone down for those spirals or do you just power through to exhaustion?

VVic G.RegularDec 7

The slightly irregular breathing thing is SO common at that age and your pediatrician can 100% confirm this at the next visit instead of you dying at 3am. Just tell them that's your specific panic and they'll reassure you