Sick 7 Week Old - Portland,OR

For me, the doctors recommended running a hot shower in the bathroom for a while, and then taking baby in to sit in the steam (make sure to close the door to catch the steam). If possible, try to water down his milk a little bit, be it breastmilk from a bottle or formula. Milk can contribute to phlegm and congestion. Ask your doctor about Pedialyte or something like it. He might be too young for that. And maybe let him sleep in a carseat or stroller so that his head can be elevated at night. That will help with congestion too.

Call your doctors office & ask to talk to a nurse OR your local Hospital as ask to get put through to the Nurses Help Line.

They'll be able to do a quick phone-triage and see if you should come in now or wait & be able to give you appropriate remedies for age/weight/etc.

My daughter got the flu at about the same age...it was really scary! She couldn't breathe and I was convinced she would get SIDS from not getting enough oxygen. Mostly I would steam her in the bathroom, a couple of times at night when she woke up to nurse, and during the day. I actually would hold her kind of upside down over the hot water running into the bathtub (where the max. amt of steam was) and then we'd hang out in the warm steamy bathroom while she nursed. I'd suction her little nose out (which she of course hated).
I also gave her small amts of a powdered Chinese herbal formula to help get rid of phlegm and clear the nose and lungs---I think I even just mixed it in w/ her formula or milk---the formula is Xiao Chai Hu San (Minor Bupleurum Powder). This formula is very safe and very good for almost all children's ailments, if you have a Chinese herbalist or very good health food store nearby. Give 1/8 or 1/16th of the recommended adult dose. Also, you could look into homeopathic remedies since these are quite safe and effective for children.

I would call or take him to the doctor. Sorry, I don't take chances with those little ones. If he is having trouble breathing especially. I have had an infant with pneumonia before... not fun and very scary. If baby is not so sick he needs antibiotics, your doc can recommend what has been proven to work clinically. If, after 2 weeks of illness, baby does not improve, they may put him on antibiotics because his little body can't fight it off. Good luck.

If he is having difficulty breathing. I would definately keep an eye on that. It is RSV season. If you are nursing, that will help quite a bit because of your antibodies being passed onto your son. Follow your mommy instincts too. If you feel that you need to take him in....by golly take him in. Good luck.

I finally tried homeopathics with my last (4th) baby--wish I had done earlier!!!

He went from borderline pneumonia to nearly recovered in one day and completely recovered in two days. You need someone to guide this--because every time their symptoms change, you have to change the type of homeopathic (eg, no more watery coughs, the color of the mucous changing ... these indicate different stages in the immune response, and need different homeopathic support).

My naturopath didn't think it would work ;), and prescribed antibiotics as well, but I didn't use them because the homeopathics worked :). Dr. Dan Sisco, ND, Alameda Clinic at 33rd and Broadway in Portland. (Also does great chiropractic on babies and children--presumably on grownups as well, but I still go to a chiropractor I've been seeing since I was a kid.)

First off 7 weeks is just barely past the newborn stage and should be checked up by a pediatrician. Babies with stuffy noses don't breath well, they are unable to breath effectively by mouth. To get his nose patent use saline drops to loosen secretions and then a bulb syringe to suck out his nose. Watch him breath if he has any pulling in between, below, or above his ribs or is using his belly when he breathes this are serious signs and he should be seen right away, if you can get in to be seen at the office go to emergency. A cold is a baby so young and be serious.

First of all...Congratulations on the arrival of your new baby!!!

Looks like you were given some good advice. We just got over a cold here...no fun to watch, I know :o( Here is what we did:
- Purchased the Vicks GermFree Humidifier (This particular one was about $90 but has 2 huge tanks for H2O which lasts all night and is very easy to work with).
- Purchased VapoSteam to use with the humidifier listed above. This puts camphor in the air to help with congestion.
- I also took the extra step of rubbing a small amount of Vicks Vapor Rub on baby's chest and back before laying him down to sleep to again help with the congestion.
- Raised the crib mattress by rolling up a towel and placing under the head of the matress. Note: that too much of an incline and the baby will slide off the raised portion :oP
- We too used the bulk to suck out the boogers
- Lastly I personally took vitamin C & zinc to help pass on the supplements to baby via breast milk since I nurse. Not sure if it helps but it was worth a try :o)
Good Luck!

Please take your son to the doctor. There are deadly virus's that affect newborns, preemies and/or very young infants; my concern is what you said about hearing his breathing difficulty, and the raspy voice- that can be so serious for one so young (fluid in his lungs)! I hope it all turns out well for you all, good luck. -T.

Johnson's Soothing Vapor Baby Bath works great for the little ones. It has Rosemary, Eucalyptus & Menthol, but is gentle enough for the little ones. When my boys were little and we both had colds (which was usually the case if one got it, we all would, I would take a nice warm bath with the vapor bath in it, and I could feel it clearing my congestion up as well.

The steamy room is a good idea also, as are the booger-sucker bulbs following either steamy room or bath, humidifier in the room at night, and propping up thew mattress a little. An alternative to propping up the mattress, since he's so little, is to put him on a firm wedge pillow if you have one with a boppy pillow or something similar around his bottom end so he doesn't slide down.

With the cough... if you've never experienced croup before with your older one, listen for a cough that sounds like a barking seal. If you hear that, take him in right away. (If you've ever gone through that before, you know exactly the sound that I'm talking about, as it gets seared into your brain forever) Honestly, if it were me and his breathing was sounding raspy, I'd probably take him in anyway. You're allowed to be paranoid and over-protective at this age :) The biggest thing you can do to help him feel better, though, is to just hold him and cuddle him as much as possible. It's amazing how far that goes toward making everything right in their little world.

Good luck, I know it's hard to see little guys suffering like that!

Humidifier. Perhaps some saline solution to help rinse the snot out of his nose and breastfeed as much as he wants to because it will help him fight it off.

Baby Vick's (Don't use the adult version it has an ingredient that babies can not have.) Slather it on the bottom of his feet and put on some warm socks. Put some on chest and back, not too much, just enough to help with breathing and put on warm pajamas. A humidifier works great. Nasal saline solution, he will not like it but it will help loosen up the stuff in his nose and then suck it out with the bulb. These helped us give our baby some relief so she could sleep. Lots of sleep is going to help his little body heal. Lots of milk, don't let him get dehydrated. Keep his head elevated he will breath easier, less coughing, and it might help keep the drainage from going into his ears (ear infection). Lots and Lots of love.

My son had several severe head colds his first 1 1/2 years with the same symptoms. First off, if you don't already have one, get a bulb (booger sucker). What i always did with him was put him in a little swing or baby seat or something of that sort and set him in the bathroom with the door closed while i took a hot shower. I would let the shower go a little longer and a little hotter than usual to build up the steam in the bathroom. then when your done, get the bulb and suck as much as you can out of his nose before you even open the bathroom door, you don't want to let the steam out. it will make to boogers soft and loosen up the gunk in his sinuses. I guarantee he will feel much better afterwards. I would also try propping up his mattress a little bit, that will help him breath easier while he is sleeping. if the steam doesnt work (which im sure it will) you can get "little noses" at the store (or just use a couple drops of warm water in each nostril, than use the bulb. a lot of the chest congestion and cough is probably coming from his sinuses draining into his throat and lungs. so sinuses would be the first place to attack!!

I have been told that if you hear any labored breathing or raspiness (in chest) that you should take the baby to the doctor. Is he running a fever at all? If so, definitely take him in. He is still very young and you don't want this virus moving into the lungs.

To feel better: humidifier in room; prop him up slightly to sleep (cheapest way is to put some books under his crib mattress at the head-end). Baby Vicks on the chest really helps too (ingredients are natural using petroleum jelly, rosemary, lavendar, menthol if I recall). I used to spray saline solution in baby's nose to help with congestion and then suck out the stuff. Keep him warm, but be careful not to bundle him up if he's running a fever.

often a vaporizer in the room helps with breathing ask dr if cool mist or heated is better

Yes, have him checked out at the doctor. Also get a humidifier which you can use all day, not just at night. I also have found non-medicated saline nasal drops to be very helpful for newborns with congestion. Avoid cold medications for babies! Last, but not least, make sure he's nursing frequently and if you don't breastfeed, be sure he's getting plenty of formula/hydration.

Hi R.,
I didn't get a chance to read all of your responses, but my baby caught her first cold at 3mnts & I freaked out. My naturapath gave me a tool that I use for myself and her whenever we get sick. It is called warming socks. What you do it make sure the body is warm from a bath, and get two pairs of socks, one cotton and one fleece or anything kind of thick. (for adults they suggest wool). You get the cotton socks wet with the coldest water you can get from the faucet, then ring them out as much as you can. Put them on the feet, then cover them with the dry thick socks. (they suggest footed pajamas over the two pairs of socks for the baby). I have found it works best at night time or just before a nap. It engages the white blood cells, and really helps to a speedy recovery. Best not to do it more than a couple of times a day. I have done it for myself, and the feet get really tingly and the socks do eventually dry. (you want to leave them on until they are completely dry. I like this method because there are no drugs or antibiotics involved. Hope this help. Let me know if you have any questions & good luck! -Brooke A
PS- Hope you all feel better soon.

Vicks (and a couple other brands) sell vapor plug ins. They work great for all those symptoms, and you don't have to give baby anything. Also, (and I know this sounds dumb, but I swear it works) generously spread Vicks on the bottom of baby's feet, then put on socks and a footy sleeper so he can't suck on his feet. Vicks on the bottom of his feet will stop the cough. You can also take a hot shower while baby sits in the steamy bathroom. To clear out his nose, drip saline in his nose and use a bulb syringe to suck out the mucus.

Dear R.,
My advice is to set up a cool-mist humidifier in his room and see if that helps. If that doesn't work, I think you should definitely take him to the doctor to get him checked out. He is too young to risk it. Good luck!
J.

Difficulty in breathing is nothing to fool around with. Children that age have a harder time expelling phlem. You can listen to the babies back for any raspiness, if you do, upper respitory infections can be a real possibility. Johnsons makes a very gentle vapor bath. Steam is always good. If baby gets a fever you may want to seek medical attention. Also if you are breastfeeding it is the best antibiotics baby can get at home.