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Original poster

4 month old struggling to breathe from birth. When do I worry?

57 replies

PipBeckett · 08/03/2004 11:16

My youngest was born at the end of November and ever since he's been having trouble breathing and is very rattly. I've had him checked by a doctor twice and she tells me not to worry. But a couple of times he's choked and I've needed to clear his air way. The GP said not to worry about it unless he stopped breathing. But I am worried. He sleeps a lot and I can hear his every breath it's that loud. Twice over the weekend I've had to clear his airway to stop him choking.

Any advise?

OP posts:

nutcracker · 09/03/2004 22:13

Oh no PB, so sorry to hear this. Hope everythings o.k.

Original poster

PipBeckett · 10/03/2004 00:43

It's 12.30 p.m. and I've just got back from the hospital. I've had to leave ds2 there with dh. Only one of us could stay and I needed to see to ds1.

I'm really worked up and writing this so that hopefully I'll let some of my anxiety go so I can get a few hours sleep.

ds2 was very distressed in the hospital and he had a raging temperature so I stripped him down. It was then that I saw the tell tale rash on his legs. There was no mistaking it. I always wondered if I'd know but I did. I called the nurse over straight away and she took one look and then rushed off to get a doctor. She came and had a look and then rushed off to get a more senior doctor. All the time myself and dh knew something was seriously wrong.

They whisked him away to a treatment room and explained to us that the rash was very worrying and they needed to take some blood. I had to hold him down while they put a drip in his hand and splint it. dh couldn't watch, it was breaking his heart so he went out but I couldn't leave him. They took lots of blood in little pots and then injected him intraveneously with three different things.

It was only then that the doctor explained to me that she thought the rash was more likely septecemia than menengitis. But to me, both were equally as bad as I'm sure you'll agree. They're going to give him IV antibiotics every six hours for the next forty eight and then blood cultures should come back and we'll know if it is septecemia.

Just before I came away one of his results came back showing that his white cells were low which she explained meant his body wasn't battling to fight off anything. She said it was a good sign but they needed to be sure before stopping treatment.

I'm wondering now if maybe his breathing has been so bad today because of this and I've just put it down to how he normally is. What if I hadn't gone to the doctors tonight? What if he hadn't had a screaming fit and the doctor hadn't referred him. This rash might not have been spotted as soon and would I have acted if I hadn't already been at the hospital?

I feel sick to think about all the what if's and dh keeps telling me to stop torturing myself. I can't help it. Especially as I've had to leave him.

So far they aren't doing to much about his breathing problem, they want to diagnose the rash. I'm praying it's nothing serious. I'm hoping that the hospital are just airing on the side of caution because he's so young. They have him on a special monitor which keeps a check on his heart rate and oxygen in his blood. His oxygen levels were fairly stable at 95%.

I'm going to go now and try and get a little bit of sleep. I can go back at 8 am.

OP posts:

Chandra · 10/03/2004 01:47

PipBecket I hope your baby is better now from the septicimia, I was about to turn the computer off when I saw this board and eventhough I have had no time to read through all the postings, I just wanted to let you know that DS also had breathing problems since he was born, with all the rattling and the eventual chockings.

The problem was the GPs never believed me because they never saw him while choking and they only said that I was over-reacting. One day we ended up in hospital because of a bad cold and they needed to check his air intake overnight during two nights, at the end they did an X-Ray and found he was born with a condition called laringomalasia which is a bit of extra cartilage at the larinx that makes them make rattly noises while breathing and causes choking from time to time. The good thing is that in most cases the condition disapears as the baby grows.

You can mention the possibility to your GP or even better to a pediatrician now that he is in hospital and surely checked regularly by one, he would be more familiar with the condition and would be able to refer him to an ENT doctor should he need it. If you want to contact me feel free to do so (clic "contact another talker" from the top of the page).

Many hugs to you and your family

Chandra · 10/03/2004 01:49

By the way, the rattly breathing is called "stridor"

twiglett · 10/03/2004 06:08

message withdrawn

motherinferior · 10/03/2004 08:23

Take care, Pip. THinking of you.

Marina · 10/03/2004 09:47

Pip, how horribly scary for you. Take care, we're all thinking of you all.

M2T · 10/03/2004 09:53

Pip - Just caught this thread. How horribly shocking for you to see 'the rash'. Fingers crossed everything will be fine. Let us know how the wee soul is doing.

{{{hugs{}}}}}

Copper · 10/03/2004 09:57

You did it right, you got him there, Pip, don't torture yourself. All best wishes for your little lad

aloha · 10/03/2004 10:05

How awful and upsetting for you PB - and for your poor little boy. I do hope this means they will take you seriously at last and sort everything out so he can be properly well. I hope your GP feels very ashamed. Good luck to you and your family.

juniper68 · 10/03/2004 10:07

(((hugs))) from me too hun xx

Janh · 10/03/2004 10:11

PB, even if you hadn't taken him to the doctor last night you would have seen the rash and known it was serious - please try not to dwell on it - as twiglett said you have done everything right! Thinking about you. XXX

Mum2Ela · 10/03/2004 10:12

Lots of from here too.

My brother has had meningitus twice (diff strains both times?) when he was 14 months and then 13 years. I remember how terrifying it was for our family the second time so I am sending lots of love your way for your little one.

Beetybeetybangbang · 10/03/2004 10:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Clarinet60 · 10/03/2004 10:35

Lots of love from here too, PB. So glad that he was in the best place when you found the rash, and it was your tenacity that got him there, so you should feel proud.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Bron · 10/03/2004 11:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

suedonim · 10/03/2004 13:39

Sending best wishes your way, PB, and please don't torture yourself about what might have been. Fact is - your mother's instinct told you that something was up with your little one, you did take him back to the Dr and he is now having the treatment he needs. Thinking of you, Sue.

nutcracker · 10/03/2004 13:42

So sorry to hear about this Pip. Hope your ds gets better really soon.

Original poster

PipBeckett · 10/03/2004 14:31

We've just got home and apart from being very sleepy from all the drugs they've given him, he's okay.

More of the blood results came back this morning and they were encouraging. He was very alert and even smiling and gurgling for the tribe of doctors all poking and prodding him. The consultant had a look at the rash again and it had faded a lot. He concluded that although it looked exactly like the suspect rashes linked to septecemia and menengitis, he didn't apear to have either.

The consultant spent ages discussing the rash with his students and took some pictures to send to the medical journal. He felt it was important that it should be documented that this rash could occur without any under lying cause. I disagreed whole heartedly. I wouldn't have wanted them to treat my baby any differently than they did last night. The wait and see aproach is far to risky and the three courses of IV antibiotics he's had should not do him any harm and nor will he remember spending the night in hospital and having blood taken. I will and I found it reasuring that they acted so quickly. As I'm sure any of you would if you thought there was something seriously wrong with your child.

We're still waiting for the final all clear from the blood cultures but the consultant was confident enough to stop treatment and allow him home. dh and I discussed whether we thought it was the right thing to do and I said we both had to agree. So we've brought him home but have direct contact with the ward for the next forty eight hours should there be any signs of anything being wrong. We can just take him straight back and it's only five minutes away.

As for his breathing problem, they want to review him again in another few months. The doctor thinks that the bridge of his nose is to flat and is what's making the rattle. Mucus is getting trapped there and then travelled down his throat and making him choke. The doctor hopes that as he get's bigger and his nasal passage grows the problem should sort itself.

I called ds1's school and asked the teacher to tell him that his baby brother was made better by the doctors and coming home. He's very sensitive and loves his baby brother to bits. He was devastated about him needing to go into hospital for his breathing problems. I'm just glad he's to young to know what we went through last night. Although in his mind, I'm sure he had enough bad thoughts.

So it's been a very stressful couple of days and we are both exhausted.

Thank you for all your support. It is very much appreciated and a huge source of comfort when you know people are thinking of you.

OP posts:

Copper · 10/03/2004 15:12

Really pleased that you had such a good outcome to this horrid experience - please let us know how things go

nutcracker · 10/03/2004 15:13

Oh good PB. So pleased he's on the mend

luckymum · 10/03/2004 15:29

Glad to hear he's on the mend Pip

suedonim · 10/03/2004 15:43

Thank goodness everything is ok, Pip. Be kind to yourself, too. When mine have been in hospital it always seemed to hit home with me, once the crisis had passed. Best wishes.

Mum2Ela · 10/03/2004 16:01

Thank goodness everything is ok.

Marina · 10/03/2004 16:01

Pip, thanks for updating us. What a huge relief, let's hope he continues to recover well. My baby dd has a big brother at school who loves her madly too - have to confess I was in tears at the thought of your little man being told everything was fine. I know how mine would have reacted.
As Suedonim says, be kind to yourself too.

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