URGENTbaby breathing fast and has high temp - reason to panic?

[BunnyHem]

she has been off colour al day and is breathing rapidly - has done since bed time. Also quite hot - dh taking temp now - is rapid breathing a casue for concern

12 months

it can be yes... how is she in herself? aside from the breathing etc?

a little girl i used to look after started off like this and it turned out she had pneumonia. not meaning to worry you, but it can be dangerous...

does she have any other symptoms?

i would take her to a&e

she has been very whingy all day - i thought she was teething

Am not a medic but if she has high (or low) temp too I'd call NHS direct or yr Dr - whatever the cause they will be able to advise and if it's nothing (ie something bizarre like.... babies breathe more rapidly when they dream...?!) yr mind will be put at rest. sorry cxan't be of more help - good luck

I woudl ring 999
they will then come out an assess her, and if necessary take her to A&E

this happened to DD a few months back - turned out they suspect meningitus but was just baby convultion.....

not trying to scare you 0 just saying if you're worried, get ambulance.

what is her breathing like? is it laboured? or just fast?
does she have a cough?

Bunnyhem - my kids always breathe fast when they have a fever, but it's usually short-lived when the baby neurofen/calpol kicks in!

Have you given her anything?

I had dd (16mths) at the emergency doc last week for the same reason! But by the time we got her there the meds had kicked in and she was playing with the toys in A&E like nowt was wrong!

best be on the safe side though and phone NHS24.

get a doctor out or take her to a and e. Hope all is well- so scary when they're ill and you're not sure how much to worry.

I would remove excess clothing, give calpol to reduce temperature and phone gp or nhs direct for advice.

There are quite a few medical conditions that can cause babies to breathe 70 times a minute even when they are sleeping or resting quietly. These range from heart or lung problems to various kinds of poisonings. All of these conditions need to be evaluated by an experienced healthcare provider promptly, particularly if the child is having trouble breathing or looks blue.

If you have any question about whether or not your baby's breathing is normal, you should take her to her healthcare provider and have him look at her breathing with you. Don't be shy about asking what is normal and what can be a sign of danger.

Any time your child looks like she is having trouble breathing, she should be evaluated immediately.

You are her mum. You know her best. If you are worried please take her to A&E or get a doctor out. No decent doctor minds seeing an ill baby at night (and I used to be one - at least I think I was a decent one!)

I thought everyone breathed quicker with a fever though? Its another response that the body uses to reduce fever. Different if its wheezing or rattling.

Great advice from Twopenceworth IMHO.

If you've given meds and tried to cool her down, but she's still like that then thats different.

there are so many viruses going around at the moment. our ds was really ill last week, temperature, heavy cold, cough etc. throwing up too, in fact last thursday evening we were very close to taking him to a&e. he'd perked up by friday and is finally on the mend. as her mum, i would go with your gut instinct if i were you, you know her best. if you're really worried, go to a&e. or just get her temp down, undress her, give fluids/calpol/ibuprofen and maybe get her checked out at your doctors tomorrow, good luck and hope she's ok.

cheers everyone - spoke ot NHS direct and got same advice as here - remove grobag, give calpol and fluids, monitor for next few hours. thanks again. off to play nurse now

My DS, who is 5, always breathes faster with a fever.. and also with a cough. As I type I am watching him on a TV baby monitor and can see how fast he is breathing.. about 60 bpm, twice as fast as when he is well. He has a cough that sounds chesty but doc has confirmed it is just 'upper respiratory'. Some kids just do this.. breathe fast... neither of my others do. I have learned not to panic about the fast breathing.

It depends on the child. In a baby it's always best to get it checked, which in effect, you have done Bunnyhem, by talking to NHSdirect. Hope DD is back to her usual self soon.

SJ x

Is she any better today . Hate to say it but she sounds like dd did when she developed broncioliits. which is related to the common cold virus. Rapid breathing, temperature, cat- like cry, sicking back milk. It is very common among babies/toddlers but does need a medical opinion, in extreme cases it requires hosiptal treatment. If she is wheezing heavily sucking in under ribs, cold extremities and pale/bluish lips get her to A and E asap.

Hope she is already feeling better and that none of the above applies.

SJ and Lizs, thank you for your concern . Dd had a rotten night (we all did) but did get some sleep. This morning she has had some breakfast and is catching up on her sleep. Her temp is ok and her breathing back to normal. I'll keep a close eye on her and call the doctors if I am worried again. I hate hate hate it when my babies are ill, I get in such a panic.