pneumo-thorax at birth - anyone know anything about this?

[ionesmum]

My dd had a very difficult birth culminating in her oxygen levels becoming low. I've noticed on her notes in her red book that she had a pneumo-thorax at birth, which I believe is a collapsed lung, and her first photo taken in Nicu shows her with a tube going into her neck. No-one has ever explained to me what the implications of this might be and I'm beginning to worry about it - when we last went to the hospital they asked if dd had any breathing difficulties (she hasn't) and now think that she may be at risk of chest problems. Does anyone have any experience of this? Should I discuss this with our g.p.? Dd does sometimes sound very wheezy even though the g.p. says her chest is clear.

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Thanks, Robin. I tried to find info on the net but it all looked really technical and I couldn't understand it. Dd was overdue and they tried to induce me, and it was just as I was ready to push that they found that her oxygen levels were low so she was delivered by c-section under a g/a.

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Difficult to give advice here Ionesmum. Pneumothorax is not a rare occurence in babies but I do not have experience working in the special care baby unit to be able to give you much info. I do not believe that your dd will have any lasting problems since she has recovered uneventfully. There are various tubes and wires babies have in SCBU such as heat probes and heart rate monitors which may look like tubes. It may possibly have been a chest drain to allow her lung to reinflate.I will ask someone from SCBU about such things when I am next at work.

Thank you Robin and Mears, you are both so kind. I realise I'm probably worrying over nothing but that seems to be how I react to everything atm.

My DS1 was born at 36 weeks and when he hadn't fed in his first 48 hours he was taken to SCBU where it was discovered that he had a collapsed lung and a chest infection. The lung re-inflated with a bit careful positioning, some oxygen pumped into the incubator and physiotherapy and his chest infection was treated with antibiotics. Although he did seem to suffer quite a lot of chest and ear infections in the first 18 months he has certainly not suffered any long term effects as a result of his early problems. I never knew that it was called a pneumo-thorax!

Thanks, Pam.

Hi Ionesmum,

I spoke to one of the SCBU staff today. Pneumothorax happens in a term baby usually because of over vigorous resuscitation at birth when trying to get the baby to breathe by using a facemask with a bag attached to it.
Sometimes babies are found to have a pneumothorax when they are X-rayed for other reasons, without any symptoms at all. In term babies the lung usually reinflates itself in the way PamT described. Once reinflated there are usually no further problems. The baby is not prone to incraesed infections or chest complaints.
Hopefuly that will help put your mind at rest.

Thanks, mears. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you asking for me. When I think of what my little one went through at her birth, it seems to explain why she cried continuously for so many weeks' afterwards!