Due to concerns about sudden infant death syndrome, parents often watch their baby's breathing patterns carefully. Although it can be alarming for parents to observe, shallow, rapid breathing occurs commonly in newborns, and especially in premature babies. It usually doesn't indicate illness or put your baby at a higher risk for SIDS or other complications.
Significance
In contrast to adults who take 8 to 16 breaths a minute, MedlinePlus states that infants can take up to 44 breaths a minute. This number can vary considerably and they might breathe more than 60 times a minute after bouts of crying or excitement, according to Dr. Steven Dowshen, a medical editor at the Kids Health from Nemours website. Although these breathing patterns can be normal, contact your doctor if your baby exhibits rapid breathing accompanied by a fever, cough or chest pain since these symptoms can indicate some type of respiratory illness.
Identification
If you suspect respiratory illness in your baby, watch carefully for signs of labored breathing that can indicate respiratory distress. You will often see nasal flaring and retractions--a sucking in of the chest and neck with each breath--in babies struggling to breathe. You might also hear a wheezing or whistling sound accompanying the breaths. Your baby might also refuse to eat and appear especially irritable. Seek urgent medical attention if you notice any signs of respiratory distress in your infant, especially if you notice a blue tint to her skin.
Considerations
Periodic breathing--in which your baby stops breathing for a few seconds during a sleep cycle--occurs commonly in both premature and full-term newborns. After the pause in breathing, your baby will usually take several rapid, shallow breaths and then resume his normal breathing patterns. Although the periodic breathing might frighten you, Dowshen offers reassurance that it usually causes no health problems in newborns.
Prevention/Solution
SIDS occurs when a seemingly healthy baby stops breathing during his sleep. MayoClinic.com theorizes that SIDS might have something to do with the way babies breathe while asleep and their reactions low blood oxygen levels. Taking steps to put your baby to bed safely can help lower her risk of SIDS. Always put your baby to sleep on her back. Keep fluffy bedding, pillows and stuffed animals out of your baby's crib. Keep your baby's crib or bassinet in your room for the first several months.
Warning
Bronchiolitis, a common respiratory illness in which the bronchioles--the air passages leading to the lungs--fill with mucus and swell, can cause shallow, rapid breathing in infants. The disease peaks at 3 to 6 months and primarily affects children under the age of 2. Although the illness can be mild, it can lead to serious complications in some babies--especially those born prematurely or with weakened immune systems--that sometimes require hospitalization.
