Newborn fast paced breathing

[misformegan]

Hello,

I’m seeking reassurance - had my 11 day old at A&E after I noticed his breathing was hitting around 80 resps a minute. He was reviewed by 3 consultants who all said he is a healthy baby boy, and the breathing cannot be explained other than it may be periodic breathing which should self resolve as he develops. He is a little better today but still fast breathing primarily after feeds or cries when he’s worked those little muscles.

do any mums have experience of this? He is 10lbs and we had him at 120ml feeds 4hrly, they advised reducing to small and often but this is outwith my formula guidance - their rationale is that the breathing could be due to an overly full tummy / difficultly digesting. Since reducing we have seen a VERY mild difference but we also now have an incredibly fussy baby who is screaming like hell as soon as the 3hr mark hits for the 90ml, I’m now worried I’m under feeding, and don’t know whether to increase out of fear of worsening his breathing. I am going to discuss with GP and health visitor but it’s a Sunday at the time of writing and I’m just looking for some peace of mind and advice from other mamas.

thank you x

My son is now 13 weeks but I've always found his breathing has been fast at times in the earlier days I panicked something wasn't right but when speaking to the health visitor/GP they said it was normal and it's the way they breathe at that stage. I looked for any other signs that he may be struggling/unwell but he was always fine in himself.

Thankyou so much jellyfish2 that’s really reassuring. We had health visitor today and she said he is a perfectly happy and healthy baby boy! His breathing seems to speed up primarily after feeds still but it’s able to regulate at other times which consultants say is in keeping with the “periodic breathing” that newborns do along with their breath holding! Has your little one gotten better with time / age?

That's great the health visitor said the same, I completely understand why you worried as I remember the first time noticing it I was nearly phoning out of hours until I contacted friends. And this is my second baby! It's amazing how much you forget. He's 13 weeks now and it's definitely much better. Glad everything is ok, it's all such a worry! 💗