Decoded: The First Year | Episode 54 | The Startle That Won't Settle | Dr SCL

Decoded: The First Year · Sep 9, 2026 · 7m

You've probably been told the startle reflex is "just a normal newborn thing" — and technically, that's true. But what happens when it's not settling into background noise, and it's still hijacking every nap, every transfer, every quiet moment, weeks or even months in?You've been told it'll pass. You’ve been told to swaddle. You’ve been told to rock them to sleep. But you're the one living inside the loop of startle, cry, resettle, startle again — and "it's normal" doesn't help you right now, doesn’t explain why it's happening so much, or what to actually do about it.