8 day old....I think baby might have a cold?

[theresaplaceforus]

My daughter is 8 days, she’s not really breathing totally freely, she sounds very congested and bit chesty. I don’t know if this is normal but I do worry about her, we’ve not long been home as she got readmitted for jaundice.
She’s feeding normally and doing her normal nappies which she wasn’t before the jaundice.
What do you do if such a young baby has a cold?

There’s very little you can do, I think you can take them into a steamy bathroom but that’s about it.
When mine were so tiny I always called the GP for advice.

Speak to 111 or GP. Especially about the breathing. Just to be sure. Who is she seeing to catch a cold (relatives?) Have any relatives got a cold? Just make sure it is a cold especially because of jaundice.

To be clear I am not a doctor, this is just what I would do. I wouldn't wait but check it out.

Whilst it may be a cold, I think it's also normal for babies in the first few weeks to have a bit of mucus still sitting in their noses!

I remember my DS sounded really nasally for a few weeks and it was just a lot of mucus from the birth still sitting in him. I used saline nasal spray before bed and it seemed to ease it.

If he is snotty and lots of runny nose etc then it's more likely a cold. Try snufflebabe on the chest?

Newborns can be pretty snuffly at first.

If you are at all worried, even if you think you're over reacting, then get some medical advice. No doctor will mind seeing a newborn ever.

I took ds to out of hours when he was 5 days old as I thought he had diarrhea. He didn't, it was just because he was getting a lot more milk by then. The doctor was absolutely lovely and didn't make me feel silly at all.

Snufflebabe is recommended for baby's over 3mo. I believe their nasal drops can be used from newborn though.

@Italiangreyhound no one outside our household has held her, we haven’t been anywhere except for 2 walks and the stay in hospital we’ve spent more time in hospital in the last 8 days than out.

Was she a c section delivery by any chance?
Only reason I ask is it’s common for section babies to be a bit more bunged up / congested as they’ve not been squeezed down the birth canal!

I would phone your midwife for some reassurance or your GP if you’ve been discharged. Alternatively there should be a duty health visitor phone number in her red book.

Congratulations!

@Brunt0n no c section but she was delivered with forceps - does that have the same effect?

[quote theresaplaceforus]@Brunt0n no c section but she was delivered with forceps - does that have the same effect?[/quote]
I’m not sure to be honest! It was just something my midwife told me after my DD was born (emergency c section)

You should still be under the care of the community midwives. Call the number that they have given you and ask if one of the team can pop by on her calls today and check baby for you. It’s unlikely (but not impossible) that baby has caught a virus at 8 days old but as pp have said newborns can be quite snuffly and mucus-y at first while they clear everything out of their systems.

[quote theresaplaceforus]@Brunt0n no c section but she was delivered with forceps - does that have the same effect?[/quote]
No, it won’t - she has been squeezed through the birth canal, whereas CS babies aren’t.

[quote theresaplaceforus]@Brunt0n no c section but she was delivered with forceps - does that have the same effect?[/quote]
It doesn't have the same effect but my DS was forceps and mucusy for about 3 weeks.

But as others have said, if in doubt, call your HV or Community midwife x

At that age and sounding chesty, I'd get her checked out, just to be sure. GPs will always see tiny babies. If she runs a temperature too, that definitely needs checking.

How's she doing now?