tips for feeding a snotty newborn??

[ginger2000]

hi - my dd (5.5 weeks and breastfed)has developed a v nasty cold/cough. She is struggling to feed as is more bunged up when lying down - have got some saline drops but she is still finding it hard. Does anyone have any tips? She is struggling to gain weight anyway, I could do without her feeding poorly due to the cough/cold!!

Try a 4Little1 Baby Nose Clear Nasal Aspirator, in conjunction with the nasal drops - sucks out all the snot! We've used it a lot as for some reason our baby gets lots of bogies - this sorts them out and means she can feed better (when she's snotty she fusses around a lot at feeding time)

www.boots.com/en/4little1-Baby-Nose-Clear-Nasal-Aspirator_118420/?CAWELAID=334504111&cm_mmc=Shopping%20Engines--Google%20Base----_-4little1%20Baby%20Nose%20Clear%20Nasal%20Aspirator

I found a nasal spray worked better than the drops - drops just went near her nose, not actually in!

With the spray, you know it's going right in and normally a couple of minutes later a huge bogey would come sliding out

HTH

sit in the loo to feed with the shower running. the steam really helps.

Hand express a little milk and syringe a few drops down baby's nose (anti-microbial so will kill any bugs it comes in contact with and will loosen thick snot) then sit up right.

You can also put snuffle babe balm (a bit like olbas oil but for babies) on her bib or on a muslin (tie to cot bars out of baby's reach for night time relief)

Also try feeding her upright - you slightly reclined/upright with her legs straddling your leg on the side she is feeding off with your hands supporting her. She might be a bit young but if she has good head control it might work.

HTH and she gets better soon.

ooo - thanks all! Will pop to boots tom for spray and aspirator and do the shower thing too.

TruthSweet, will try that pose later as she has barely fed properly all day - 5-10 mins is all she is managing!

now - how can i shift mucus from chest so that she can sleep somewhere other than on my front tonight!!!!?????

You could try percussive back rubbing (I think thats what it's called. You lay baby on your lap face down and cup your hand. With your cupped hand you tap upwards on their back (i.e. going from small of the back to shoulders) repeat on other side. Apparently it helps shift mucous (paed on children's ward showed me how to do it with DD3 when she had bronchiolitis).

Just thought I'd mention if you have any concerns about her feeding and you think she's (getting) dehydrated please take her to Drs. Not to put the frighteners on you but DD3 (at 8w) had a 'cold' and wasn't feeding well. She quite quickly stopped feeding and stopped breathing properly (had been wheezing a lot but then started going grey) she had RSV which caused her first bout of bronch. She honestly wasn't much worse than a normal cold except for the feeding stopping so please keep an ear out for wheezing and/or baby stopping weeing/feeding.

Don't mean to scare you but I wouldn't have taken her to Drs except for the feeding (she started to go grey at hospital oxygen at ~82%)

oh agree completely about the doctors. we were told by our surgery that under 6 months they wanted to see us if our spider senses tingled even slightly. so the minute you think 'i wonder if this is serious enough for a visit to the doc' at that age, the answer is yes.

oh no - now I am worried! She has seemed fine when upright and has fed on and off all day (just not for very long!) She has been sleepy but i just put that down to a disturbed night!

Didn't really want to bother docs as have been there twice already since she was born (conjunctivitis and dodgy tum) but is looking like i should. When relaxed, she breathes easily and i can only hear the cough/rattle when she gets het up and cries.

thanks for your advice

I'd get her checked out if she's rattling. It is just probably 'upper respiratory tract noise' (get me) which is Dr speak for 'her nose/back of throat is whistling due to all the goo in her lungs'.

Please read this next bit as me not trying to scare you but as me hoping you avoid a major panic situation like I had.

If she is doing any one of the following go straight to walk-in/A&E (if most/all of them call 999 they won't mind I promise):-

Skin sucking in around her ribs whilst she breathes in (i.e. do her rib bones appear and disappear as she breathes). This is called intercostal breathing.

Is her skin sucking in under her ribcage? Also intercostal breathing.

Is her tummy puffing up when she breathes (will be a very noticeable line where her ribs end then her tummy flaring out) This is abdominal breathing.

When she breathes do her shoulders go up and down or does the skin suck in at her trachea (little dip at the base of her neck)? This is tracheal breathing.

How is her colour? Grey/purple around lips/mouth = 999

Does she get worse after/during a feed? The effort to bfed uses up more oxygen than being at rest. Sometimes babies can cope just 'being' but when they need to feed they run out of puff an struggle.

I really hope she gets better. I'm probably taking DD3 to hosp later as her inhaler's not coping with her breathing so I'm all sympathies.

TruthSweet - thanks so much for this. Looking at your list, she isn't doing any of those things - her breathing is not that laboured. It does sound like what you describe as 'upper respiratory tract noise'. Its so good to have that list though and will take her to the walk in if her breathing gets worse.

She is asleep (actually lying flat) again and has had a bit of milk, both from me and EBM - its going to be a long night I think!

and yes - she does get worse during a feed - hadn't thought of how much effort it might take! bless her. DH has asthma and eczema - just hope it's not going to develop here..

You could try a room humidifier as well, I got one when DD had a terrible cold at 6 weeks and it really helped.

even if you don't have a room humidifier, get a bowl of boiling water under her cot (if she has one) with some tea tree or smellies (not menthol if memory serves) in it. also have water on the radiator, so long as no other littlies in the house to knock it off.

Glad she's resting, you could try giving her a dream feed but keep it small and frequentish. Too much food in her tummy will put pressure on her diaphragm and make breathing harder. Can you tell I've done this before?

Was thinking of investing in a humidifier anyway (to help DH's breathing) - good to hear they work! Dream feed seems to be working too