5 weeks old....bronchiolitis

[clairindespair]

My baby son was admitted to hospital last night with retraction

His sats, heart rate and overall self are fine, however he seems to be working hard to breathe and is now on CPAP after a night on optiflow

Any success stories as I’m so anxious and worked up.

Offering a handhold and some and a virtual

It's very stressful but he's in the best place possible, with constant monitoring. IME it's common for them to be hospitalised for several days and they won't let him home until they are happy he's all clear.

Try and get some rest if you can while he sleeps.

I’m just so so worried

There were lots of cases last year amongst our baby groups, all with hospital treatment and all successes. If you can try to rest but if you can’t maybe see if there’s a nurse free to chat about your worries.

The nurses aren’t helping me if I’m honest they’re just saying “we will see”

Does bronchiolitis get worse before it gets better or is that just them trying to be nice

My 6.5 month old has just got over this. So much of it about.
I'm so sorry your LO Is going through this and must be such a scary time for you. I hope your LO has a speedy recovery. He's in the best place.

My DN was 2 weeks old when he got it. He was on oxygen for a while and once he managed to breath a bit better on his own he got an oxygen box (head box). I think he was in there for about 1-2 weeks. He's now 11 and as stroppy as ever

FWIW my DS seemed to get a bit worse before he got better but that took 1.5 weeks to go in total

Forgot to add my DN got taken in an ambulance who blue lighted him to the hospital. He was really bad

We were blue lighted. He’s on cpap based on his carbon dioxide gas results getting abit worse

My DS got what I think must have been bronchiolitis when he was 1. He was wheezing and his chest depressed when he was breathing. It was just before Christmas and we were meant to be going to visit family for Christmas, about 400 miles away. He was only an outpatient at the hospital but they couldn't give us the all clear to travel until he was improved enough, which ended up being the day before Christmas eve, so we only just made his first Christmas with the ILs.

Sorry, probably not much use, but just to say I remember it being worrying and that I'm thinking of you and your little one.

Have you managed to eat anything yet? It's important to keep your own strength up xx

We were blue lighted

Oh my goodness, that must have been terrifying

Bless you op it’s so tough. My ds was in hospital with this a few times first time when he was a few days old. It’s so lonely and scary in the hospital caring for your little one.
He really is in the best place. If his sats and oxygen levels good that’s really positive. Make sure you are eating and drinking plenty especially if your bf op I kind of forgot this and it made everything much harder.
I know this is so hard right now but try and stay positive and keep talking here if it helps 💐

His blood gas results have improved so they’re happy

That's great news, really encouraging :)

I'm just off to bed, it's late! Is there anywhere you can put your head down for a bit maybe?

DT2 was admitted at 9 weeks old with what they thought was bronchiolotis and we spent 11 nights in HDU. He was tiny (about 5lb) and so poorly. For him it was actually something else but I saw a constant stream of babies with bronch during our stay - they were all in HDU for a few days until they recovered enough to not need the high flow O2, then they moved to the ward for regular o2 then went home. It’s horribly scary for us, but once they’re getting the support they need with their breathing that’s really all they need. They told us with this it gets worse over the first five days generally then starts to improve.

Try not to panic - paeds wards are so used to seeing streams of little ones with bronchiolitis so staff can sometimes forget how distressing it is for parents and seem a bit dismissive. The danger with it is them having to work so hard to breathe and that resulting changes in o2 and co2 levels which is why the optiflow is needed, but that’s really all they need until it passes.

Get as much rest as you can when you can, and try not to worry too much

Blue lighted here too, it is terribly scary but you are in the right place and they know so much about how to treat it effectively and quickly.

My three dc’s have been admitted with this. My oldest was 6 months and on oxygen and then had a feeding tube. He made a complete recovery, so much so that at 10 years old he has only been ill a handful of times.
My DT’s had it at 8 weeks, they were both admitted and also had the oxygen and feeding tubes. They spent their first xmas on a hospital ward. We were in longer with them, however they made a complete recovery as well and are now healthy 6 year olds who are running rings around me and fighting like cat and dog.
Thinking of you, it’s a difficult time, however if you feel like a chat or hand hold please just message me.

Handhold here. 🌷🌷🌷🌷

Still with you op xx bronchiolitis usually worsens until day 4 I was told x

Night 3 is usually the worst and then they get better. 5 weeks is super tiny so they always are more cautious with them and the babies always look like they are working so hard but they get better in a day or two and back to normal in a week or so usually so try not to worry! (Easier said than done I know)

OP it dies get worse before getting better. It's a horrible horrible illness, my child was hospitalised twice last year with it - but not as young as yours. Hang in there x

it does get worse before it gets better. If your on day 4/5 it's probably at it's worse. For healthcare staff we see it every year year in year out literally hundreds of babies, our ward is always busy with it in winter. Some babies are affected worse than others needing more help.

There's not much You can do for it bar oxygen and breathing support and maybe tube feeds if needed. The cpap will be giving baby a break and letting them rest while getting good breathing support. Sounds like it's helping after the blood gases too.

If no one is explaining properly ask more questions they won't mind, but they do have to let it ride its course and is monitored closely.

OP I have followed this link from your other thread which I read parts of. I’m glad you are in hospital and hope they can help him get on top of this.
My DS went into hospital a couple of times at 4 and 5 weeks. Suspected bronchiolitis but eventually diagnosed with whooping cough (this was before the pregnancy top up vaccine). He had oxygen, antibiotics etc.
There were some good things from being in hospital from one perspective which is of help to you and that is that I got ready made formula to give him and all meals are provided for you when baby is under 6 months. This helped me as I was exhausted and had an infection myself at the time.
I also found it a traumatic experience but I bonded with my DS through the trauma. We got through it together and I realised that I was what he needed and when he needed hospital care we bumbled through it together. We have had a very close bond ever since. I hope he gets better soon.

My prem twins had bronchiolitis lots. it's awful to watch them struggling to breathe and the cough is awful. My girls used to vomit with it too as no reflux gag, we had pead nurses visit us so much to check sats when at home. I used to dread October to February as I knew what would happen. It was just awful one virus after another, I felt like it would never end. I was reading one day and saw an article about a humidifier a vicks one so I bought on there and then and it was life changing. Up until that point we were literally housebound or in/out hospital. Any sign of a cough now and I put it on, they really do help x hope your little one improves quickly x