Chest retractions

[Stresshead101]

Hi everyone,

The other night I noticed my sons stomach pulling in when breathing under his ribs so phoned 111 and got told to take him to a&e .

They checked him over and said he was perfectly healthy and to only be worried if he develops other symptoms. He only has a congested nose but he’s had that since birth anyway.

Anyone else’s baby’s stomach do this? I’ve attached a picture of it pulling in!

He is 5 weeks old.

My DD had this when she had RSV / bronchiolitis aged a year or so. It’s really frightening to see them so small struggling for breath.

I do remember though that at that age, she used to do all sorts of weird belly breathing which I think is them working out how to breathe. She’d also snort and grunt a lot at night and sort of hold her breath. It lasted only a few weeks and is one of those things I couldn’t remember when it went.

If he’s been checked out and seems ok then it’s probably fine, but at that age you can’t be too careful so if it happens again and you’re worried, or he gets other symptoms then seek help. Things I’d be concerned about - rashes, lethargy, mottled skin, very high temp that doesn’t come down with calpol esp if with cold hands and feet.

He got checked on Monday and noticed today he is doing the same thing but it’s not constant.
He doesn’t seem to be struggling to breathe, ie no grunting etc!

Might ohone docs tomorrow just to ease my mind

@Stresshead101 how's your boy now? Mine is so similar - he's 10 weeks old and been constantly congested since he was four weeks. Recently it's got worse with the retractions, but all the doctors say it's ok and just keep trying to clear his nose with saline and aspiration where necessary - we spend our life doing that to try to keep him comfortable.

They said it could last months.

I can see no end, and I hate my boy being in distress so much.

It may just be idiosyncratic to him. Chest retractions are serious when the child is unwell and having breathing issues.

@username8888 it does seem to bother him. When even one nostril is blocked it starts flaring and the neck retractions start going and he seems agitated. When both nostrils are blocked he seems very distressed. I can see why - if you cover one nostril it feels quite unpleasant to breathe, and if you partially close off both it's very unpleasant. I find it very upsetting to think about.

When we manage to clear both nostrils well, he's such a happy, lovely boy - the way he's meant to be.

I'm having the same problem with my son. He's now 1 month old, he was born at 36 weeks gestation and he was admitted into the NICU for a day for grunting. I recently looked at the discharge papers properly and it said he also was experiencing respiratory distress, using extra muscles to breathe (chest retractions).
I didn't notice his chest much at the hospital, I spent 4 days there and his breathing did not seem to be an issue at all, the pediatrician even came to check him out and they didn't mention anything about his breathing. 2 weeks later, he starts choking after I change his nappy and I have to call 999 as he was struggling to breathe. The paramedics came and he started crying fully and they calmed me down as it was a good sign.. went to the hospital and they noticed how hard he was working to breathe.. they listened to his chest and he seemed to be satisfied that the chest was clear.. they did tests for cold and flu as my family all were Ill with a cold during this time and bronchiolitis and covid, everything came back negative but they diagnosed him with early bronchiolitis.
2 weeks later and he is still struggling and chest retractions still there. So confused on what to do and worried if there is another reason for his retractions.

He also has a lot of congestion snd struggles breathing comfortably, he gets so agitated.
At the hospital they checked his oxygen saturations and heart rate and everything was normal. We was on a virtual ward at home and everything was normal at home too. Stresses me out! I just want him breathing normally again. Hate seeing him like this

The congestion could be it. My boy was diagnosed with neonatal rhinitis in the end. I use saline spray liberally and a nasal aspirator that you suck through to clear his nose. At first it was quite traumatic for him, but he’s more used to it now he’s older. Plus, it has improved a lot by itself now he’s 8 months old and I only need to do it once a day.

If your baby is really struggling, try to get a referral to a paediatric ENT consultant. We were prescribed decongestant and steroid nasal spray to use in an emergency but fortunately by that point (4 months old) he was starting to improve and we never needed to use them.

It’s scary, but hang in there, and you’re baby should get better as they get bigger.

Healthier Together 0-18 is a great website with information that includes a traffic light system, e.g., red - call 999

www.what0-18.nhs.uk/professionals/gp-primary-care-staff/safety-netting-documents-parents/bronchiolitis