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10-week-old has retractions, doctors say it's ok

2 replies

TheBerry · 26/11/2022 03:13

My 10-week-old has basically been diagnosed with a chronically blocked nose which we just have to wait out and treat at home with saline and aspiration where necessary to help him feed.

The thing is, he constantly has noticeable neck retractions and mild retractions around his ribs (not always noticeable). Every doctor we've spoken to at A&E, the GP surgery, the out of hours service, etc etc, says it's ok, we just have to weather the storm, and eventually as he matures his congestion will improve.

Everything I read online (I know, Dr Google...) says that retractions are an emergency and a sign of severe respiratory distress.

One time when it was particularly bad he developed noticeable retractions at his sternum, and he really did seem upset, but it improved once A&E cleared his nose. The doctors weren't concerned then, either, as his oxygen levels are pretty much always 98%+ even during the worst retractions.

I just don't know any other people with babies who are constantly congested and having retractions, and I feel really lonely and overwhelmed. All this has been going on for six weeks, and apparently it could last many more weeks. I was just wondering if anybody else had a similar experience.

OP posts:
TaylorR13 · 20/10/2024 17:16

Hello
i know this post was a while ago but I literally could have written it myself. Did it ever get resolved? Hope it did

TheBerry · 23/10/2024 20:51

TaylorR13 · 20/10/2024 17:16

Hello
i know this post was a while ago but I literally could have written it myself. Did it ever get resolved? Hope it did

Hi, yes, eventually the doctors realised he shouldn’t be having retractions constantly and we got an urgent referral to Birmingham Children’s.

He was diagnosed with neonatal rhinitis and prescribed steroids and decongestant.

However, by the time he was about 4 months it got a lot better anyway 🙂 he still had the rhinitis, but he could breathe through his mouth and because his nasal passages were bigger they didn’t get so completely blocked.

Hope you get resolution soon. If it’s constant and ongoing please keep pushing the GP, and ring 111 every time it happens (obviously 999 if they start going blue). But if it’s a similar thing it will eventually improve after a few months.

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