Newborn Allergies

Hi S.,
When my son was born he was also congested all the time and nothing seemed to work. After a few weeks we had his poop tested and he was allergic to his formula. We switched him to Similac Allimentum and he started breathing normal. I think that any soy formula should be fine as well.
Hope this helped.
~Pam

Hi S..

I am no expert in this subject at all but I do have a thought for you. While I was pregnant I did a lot of reading (as we all do). I got really interested in chiropractic care for overall wellness in babies. I read an article about how Babies that are born by C-Section could have some side effects to their spine. I guess that part of the process that comes along with a vaginal birth is that the spinal cord in a sense gets "popped into place" as the baby is born. When babies are born thru C-Section they do not get this opportunity.

With this being said; I have seen a Chiropractor since I was a teenager and I love it! I do know that a simple adjustment to the spinal cord can free up the nasal passage instantly. This is just a thought for you, I do know that Chiropractic care is not for everyone and it is somewhat controversial. If you’re not interested in it now, keep it in the back of your mind, you may use it later.

Good luck!

B.

My son was delivered c-section also. He was very lethargic and slept about 23 hrs. a day the first week. He was re-admitted to the Special Care Unit at 8 days old due to excessive lethargy and was unresponsive and could not be woken. After 5 days, he was discharged. Two days later he started rectally bleeding severely and was sent to Boston Children's Hosp. Emergency Dept. He was admitted and given an endoscopy. That revealed a multitude bleeding ulcers in his colon (then diagnosed w/ colitis). The colitis was caused by an allergy to cow's milk protein (dairy) and soy. He was getting dairy and soy through my breastmilk. Once he was put on formula (Nutramigen) the bleeding stopped and the lethargy lessened. It was a long haul, but after 12 months, he tested negative for both allergies. The bottom line, the answer to your question is - YES - babies CAN be born with allergies! Good luck!

Hey S., I just wanted to respond because I went through a lot with my daughter at a young age and one of the things was a cold after just a two weeks old- the congestion lasted a while so I started thinking that it was allergies or a sinus infection but they told me that neither were possible since their sinuses were not fully developed yet and they supposidly don't have allergies until after a year or two. I was not sold on it but the congestion did clear up. I would just say to keep up with the nasal drops and using the bulb boogy sucker to clean him out. That is super important because it can lead to ear infections if you don't. I pray all works out well!

you can try raising his head when he sleeps. put blocks or something under his crib or even a folded blanket under his mattress.. he may slide down, if he does, roll a small towel and place it under his legs..

I found this and i think it may help.

How can I tell if my baby has allergies or just a cold?
Because the symptoms of nasal allergies (also known as allergic rhinitis) are much like cold symptoms — runny nose, watery eyes, cough, nasal congestion, sneezing — it can be tough to tell the difference. There are some telltale signs of allergies, though. Ask yourself the following questions:
• Does it seem like your baby always has a cold? (Colds usually wind themselves down in a week to ten days; allergies don't.)

• Is your baby's nose always stuffy or running?

• Is she constantly wiggling, wiping, or pushing her nose up in what doctors call the allergic salute?

• Is the mucus that drains from her nose clear and thin (as opposed to yellow or greenish and thick)?

• Does she seem to sneeze a lot?

• Are her eyes itchy, red, and watery?

• Does the skin under her eyes look dark or purple or blue (doctors call these allergic shiners)?

• Does she breathe through her mouth?

• Does she have a dry cough?

• Is her skin irritated or broken out in an itchy red rash?

If you answered "yes" to one or more of these questions, there's a good chance your baby is allergic to something in her environment. Kids with nasal allergies are also more prone to ear infections, asthma, and sinus infections.

I had one of my children with lots of allergies at birth. Most of them she's grown out of as she's grown. but at first it was bad. She had asthma (the coughing kind, not the weezing) and was allgeric to almost all things she was introduced to food wise. so I wouldn't be suprised if your baby has similar issues.

Good luck. and talk to a doctor, not the nurse, a good pedi will catch the allgeries etc and help you through them.

Hi S.,

I have an 8 month old daughter who developed a cold when she was about two months old and just recently got over it. I kept calling the doctor because she had a runny/stuffy nose, deep cough, and occassional low grade fever. The doctor said that it is very common for infants to get one cold after another- at 7 months I actually got her some cough medicine and it has been cleared up ever since then. I would just watch it and it will probably go away. A great thing to do is run a humidifier in the house and the nursery. Hope this helps! GOOD LUCK!

Hi S.,

My daughter is a very congested baby too the dr told me when I asked about allergies that its to young to tell, also suggested saline drops and humidifier. Well last week it turned into a cold shes been to the drs twice they just told me to keep her head elevated by lifting her crib, saline drops, humidifier and also told me to give her some pedialyte between feedings. She was 8.7 when she was born now she is 16lbs and is 10wks old and the day she came out she was so congested that night I remember calling the nurse to my room so many times because I was scared but she said some babies are like this my other two werent so each baby is different. Good Luck and Take Care. J.

With the cough, I would think you may want him to get seen by your pediatrician. The drops are good, but I worry about coughs...they can turn into something more severe with the little babies. I wouldn't panic, but I would go in on Monday. As far as the allergies, I have heard that it is not possible for babies to have seasonal allergies. They can have food allergies though...but wouldn't necessarily cause a cough/cold symptoms. Since you had a c-section, he may just have extra fluid buildup that wasn't squeezed out...like if you had a vaginal delivery.