You can tell when your baby doesn't feel well, and it's even easier to tell when your baby is having breathing difficulties. She could have an upper respiratory infection, a viral infection or another type of medical condition. It is important to have your baby's pediatrician diagnose her to determine the best treatment.
Symptoms
When your baby is having breathing problems, she might wheeze, have a stuffy or runny nose, experience chest congestion, have a cough, or take rapid, shallow breaths. Her chest and rib cage might sink in deeply, then protrude outward with each breath she takes. She might experience a fever, depending on the underlying cause of her breathing difficulties, or have a decreased appetite.
Significance
If your baby is not getting enough oxygen, his skin will turn blue in a condition called cyanosis. This means your child isn't getting the oxygen his body needs to function properly, and requires immediate medical attention.
Causes
Your baby might have difficulty breathing because she has asthma, a condition that affects more than 6 million children, according to KidsHealth. An asthma attack can happen at any time. She also might have an upper respiratory infection, such as respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. RSV is spread through mucous secretions from coughing and sneezing, but the virus also can live on surfaces of tables, doorknobs and telephones. If she was born prematurely, her lungs might not have fully developed, which can lead to a breathing problem called neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, or RDS.
Considerations
Unlike bacterial infections, which can be cured with antibiotics, viral infections have limited treatment options. For instance, medication can be prescribed to help expand your child's bronchial tubes, but if your baby suffers from asthma, your pediatrician might prescribe an asthma inhaler, depending on your child's age, or steroids to help open his lung passages. While breathing treatments via a nebulizer or inhaler are used, it can take many treatments before a significant improvement is seen.
Prevention/Solution
To avoid spreading germs, wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap and consider using a hand sanitizer before preparing your baby's bottles or holding your baby. Keep your child home from daycare if you know she's having breathing problems to give her a chance to get well.
