1 Month Old Sounding Congested and Fussy.

Updated on December 30, 2008
A.H. asks from Copperas Cove, TX
19 answers

Hi everyone. I have a baby girl who turned one month old on Christmas day. She seems to be congested. When I listen I don't hear rattling in her chest but you can hear it when she breaths. She isn't running fever, but she is having a tad bit of trouble getting formula down. its hit and miss. some bottles she can get down no worries and others she gets down then spits up half of it and its very "phlemy". I was told to try a humidifier but which do I use? A cold mist or a steam? When she lays down flat its worse so she has been sleeping on daddy or mommys chest. I just want some relief for her and us. Any suggestions?
Thank you all in advance.

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J.L.

answers from San Antonio on

I don't want to sound the alarm, and as much as I like to stay away from the doctors,but it wouldn't be a bad idea to take her in to the Doctor. Only because of the phlemy throw up. You have to stay on top of it when they're that young. You'd know better then me though. Have you tried a bulb to suck out her nose? watch for other symptoms- like if she stops wanting to eat. I hope she gets better soon!

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S.L.

answers from Austin on

I know she is young, but have you had her tested for allergies? This time of year is really bad for cedar. My 2 year old and me are both suffering right now.

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H.H.

answers from Houston on

Cool mist is usually most suggested. You can also try running a hot shower, and taking her in the room with the door closed. Let her breathe in the steam for 15 minutes. I also use Essential oils in our humidifier. I buy a blend called Breathe Easier from the natural health store. Since it's just inhaled it would not harm an infant, but could help (though I would talk to the people that consult at the natural health store, as they are often trained in aromatherapy and I am not!). Elevation will help her too, as you and daddy have found. ONe of the best things for her is you using the bulb syringe/aspirater as often as you can to keep the mucous out of her nose.

**ETA after reading the other responses, I agree that it would be worth a call or trip to the pedi at this age. Without fever, she's probably ok, but I would want to know for sure.

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C.T.

answers from Houston on

My mother works for an allergist and they say never to use a humidifier.

I suggest giving her saline drops several times a day (almost every hour). Saline is salt water and will break up the mucous. It will take a few days but that is all I give my little one when she is congested. Also, if you here some in her chest, I give about 4 ounces of water a day. This will help break that up.

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S.G.

answers from Houston on

A. ~

I have a 7 week old little girl and at 5 weeks I took her to her pediatrician because she also sounded *wheezy* when she would breathe. I could hear the congestion and it worried me. Her doctor told me she had Bronchiolitis. He explained what it is and said I could "google" it to see what exactly I would be in for... basically, many hours of sitting and watching her breathe. He wanted me to see if it was becoming harder for her to breathe. He said to look for "pulling in" at the ribcage. You will know this when you see her do it.

I also noticed that when we laid her down at night she became worse. She has been sleeping in her swing at night. We have a Fischer Price Zen swing and the seat comes off so she sleeps in that during the day and we leave the base upstairs. (it is good for muti-level homes) This helps us not feel like we have to hold her all the time. We also have additional children (23 months & 8 years) so it is impossible to hold her all the time.

At 2 weeks out, she still has the cough, the congestion and is phlemy after she eats. We are using a "warm" humidifier recommended by the doctor and it seems to be helping. I believe she is having a hard time shaking it because her sister is sick also and they are passing it back and forth. It is contagious! She is no longer at the point where I am afraid she is going to "drown" while she is sleeping! I was afraid of this. I sat and watched her sleep many nights in a row... Now, she is better.

I hope this helps and your little angel gets better fast!

S.

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L.S.

answers from Houston on

I just went through this with my 2 mo old. I had great success with a cool mist humidifier, aspriating her nose after squirting warm saline drops in her nose (wait a few min for the saline to loosen congestion, then suck), and letting her sleep in a swing or carseat that is more upright. It is tough, but if I kept aspirating her every hour or so, she really started feeling better. It took about 5 days for the whole thing to go away! Good luck!

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J.G.

answers from Austin on

My daughter is always getting stuffy when the temperature can't make up its mind. The dry air one day and the humidity the next can make for some really runny noses but it's not considered a bug or sickness.

Try a cold mist humidifier in her room. The cold ones help keep icky bacteria from growing like on the warm ones. Also, you can try putting some Vics Vapor Rub on the bottoms of her feet and put socks on at night. I also want to suggest elevating her head by either lifting one end of her crib or bassinet or let her sleep in a swing, bouncy seat, or even her car seat if she is having troubles. She'll be fine sleeping in these seats for a few nights. The elevating can relieve the breathing and make it more comfortable to sleep. It can also help any extra drainage from their heads from going into their chests.

As for feeding her just be patient. She's probably not spitting up as much as you think. Watch and see if the symptoms worsen and if she starts dropping weight. Remember, you can always call the doctor just to make sure you're doing the right things and to help calm your fears.

Good luck!
Jen
http://www.mommysjoy.com

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A.M.

answers from Austin on

Our little one has nasty cedar/oak/goldenrod/etc, etc, allergies, too. (Year-round! Fun!) When she was about a year old, we started her on nightly Zyrtec, but yours is probably still way, way too young for that. Anyway, I would suggest a cool mist humidifier (the warm ones can get very hot - I've been scalded before, and I just wouldn't want one in the house). Close the bedroom door, and let it run for a few minutes before bed to get started on a nice fog. Don't bother putting anything in it - it just sprays w/ the water all over the room. However, the Vicks brand humidifier has air filters that will help clean the air up a little bit, so I'd try that. We've been happy with ours. Also, put either filtered or distilled water in it - the hard water in this part of Texas will leave a calcium deposit film all over everything that is just annoying to clean up, if you go straight from the tap. (It won't hurt anything, just spray a nice, even whitish film.) Also, roll a towel or blanket and put it under her bassinet/crib mattress, to elevate her head a bit. She may still spit up from the sinus drainage, but she'll breathe, and sleep, better. Hang in there, mom.

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L.B.

answers from Corpus Christi on

It sounds like your child may have some drainage because of an allergy. You can use a vaporizer to help break this up and if it keeps up take her to the Dr. Good luck.

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T.E.

answers from Houston on

Take her to the doctor about it. This is the season for RSV. My daughter was born in december and got it from her brother at 3 weeks. just to make sure it won't get any worse.

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C.M.

answers from Houston on

You can just steam up your shower with hot water and then stand in there with her once the water is off. You should also suction her nose like crazee to remove all the mucus before you feed her and then a couple more times a day. At one month old, there is not much else you can do. Make sure you keep the musuc moving out... that will prevent her getting an infection. The humidifier/steam will help loosen all the gunk so it comes out easier. I'd say a warm/hot humidifier works best, we used the shower technique and humidifier later in my sons room.

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J.T.

answers from Austin on

Yes, you should get a humidifier for your child's room or your room (whichever she sleeps in). I would get the steam one with the Vicks liquid. It really does help.
Fold a towel and place it under the part of your baby's mattress where her head would be so that she will be lying at a slant. That will help w/ drainage issues during the night.
It's good to hear that she still has an appetite. I would feed her slowly. Try an ounce at a time. Take a break for a minute and gently burp her. Give her time to make sure that went down okay. After a minute or so has lapsed, give her another ounce or two and stop again. Hopefully, the slower you allow her to eat, the easier she can digest the formula and keep down most of it.

Hope this helps!
Jen
P.S. Once she is a few months old, ask your pediatrician if you can give her a tiny dose of children's benadryl. That works wonders, especially if given approximately a half hour before feedings and just before bedtime.

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S.S.

answers from Houston on

My little girl had the same problem and she is 2 months old. My pediatrician says what I was hearing was mucus trapped behind the nasal passage. Babies are born without openings in their sinus cavit. he suggested not only a humidifier but also 1/4 tsp. of Childrens mucinex a day and also she sleeps laying with her head up either in a carseat or in her boppy at night. This has really seemed to work for us. I hope these ideas work for you I know how difficult it is to get a good nights sleep worrying about your baby.

M.B.

answers from Beaumont on

Mine would get that every year at Christmas and I finally figured out they were allergic to our "real" Christmas tree. Could that be it?
We finally had to go to a fake tree and no more Christmas sinus infections.

K.N.

answers from Austin on

If it was my 1 month old baby, I'd take her into the pediatrician as soon as possible simply because of the phlemy, rattling sound in her lungs. Infants are particularly vulnerable to bronchiolitis and pnuemonia. You need to be vigilant (as in, paranoid!) whenever you think congestion has moved into the lungs.

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S.O.

answers from San Antonio on

Put her in a bouncy seat or car seat on the floor of the bathroom. Run the shower on hot - full blast. Close the door and let the steam fill the room. Let her breathe it well for about 10 minutes. You can also make sure she is in there when you take showers to help with steam too. This will help loosen up flegm. You can also put Vicks vapor rub on her chest. Use a humidifier for the house/room to help out. But, the shower method will be intense treatment. You can also lay her down on your knees and pat her back to help loosen it up as well. Let her sleep upright but angled, like in a swing or car seat. If she's on a mattress, raise one end of the mattress up about 6 in higher and place her on her side (not back). Use a sleep positioner to keep her that way.

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S.H.

answers from Houston on

I have a 3 month old. I felt like he had been congested since the day he came home from the hospital. It turns out that he is intolerant to milk. So, I no longer eat any dairy since I am nursing him. It took over a week of my not eating dairy for his congestion to stop.

After doing some research, congestion is one sign of having a dairy issue. Another is for the diaper so me very running and green.

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H.L.

answers from Houston on

I would definitely take her to the pediatrician asap. My boss just took her son to the ER because of similar symptoms that suddenly got worse. Turns out it was RSV, which is very serious for infants. Better safe than sorry!

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C.S.

answers from Houston on

A.,

I would take her to the pediatrician today. This is prime-time for RSV.

Good luck,
C.

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