2 Month Old with Severe Congestion

Hi!

With my baby, all I do is a good humidifier. That really does help a lot. Also that little nose squeezer thing. Even if he eats for a minute it is something. It will pass though, and things will get back to normal. Good luck!

MJM

I agree with Valerie. Definitely nose drops and bulb suction. Sounds like his nose is draining considering the clear mucus, so the drops really help to moisturize and rinse the nose, and soften any debris. But definitely be gentle. Depending on how long his nose continues to drain, he could be allergic to something in the air. He's pretty little and is still extra sensitive. When our daughter was congested at about 4 months they also recommended letting her sleep in her carseat to elevate the head. Just strap him in. That helped so the drainage from her nose did not pool in the back of her throat from lying on her back. The cool mist humidifier is also great too.

Hi L.,
My son had his bad congestion when he was ten months old, but he also had trouble nursing - in fact, every time I tried he would have a go, not be able to breathe and so bite me! I expressed and fed him with a sippy cup until the congestion passed. Perhaps your little one would manage a sippy if you held it and him? Good luck!

Hi L.!

My son had the same thing when he was 4 weeks until he was 9 weeks old. I took him to the doctor every week, because he was not getting better. The doctor kept brushing it off as a cold, allergies and then he had the nerve to say I was just being a paranoid mother. Finally at nine weeks old I went to visit my mom in Texas and brought the baby with me. Into the second night we were there, My son was having a real hard time with his breathing. Just like your boy my son had stopped eating. We got up and rushed him to the emergency room. The head nurse took him in for an x-ray on his chest and found out that my son was drowning in his own fluids. His lungs were full of fluid. They did a spinal tap because I told them that he had been like this since he was about 4 weeks old. She thought he might have menongitis, because of the fluid being in there so long. I was so scared. All I could do was cry. She told me that she was so angry at the doctor I had gone to and trusted, She said that she was going to call the board of health on him. And she also called him personally to let him know of my sons condition. And that it could have been avoided by just being checked over by a simple xray and antibiotics. She also said if I would have waited just a couple of more days he would have died from drowning in his own fluids. I was so mad and sad all at the same time. I started to blame myself for not being more persistant. And not going and getting a second opinion. But the good news is he stayed in the hospital for almost 2 weeks. They gave him antibiotics through the I.v. and breathing treatments. After the second day he was already eating and by the third day I couldnt get him to stop eating. That boy drank so much formula. The nurses kept bringing me the 4 oz. bottles. I told them to start bringing me the 8oz. one and can you believe that boy was drinking every bit of them. He weighed 8 pounds when we went into the hospital and when we left 2 weeks later he weighed almost 14 pounds. Boy he was starving from not being able to eat because he couldnt breath. But long story short he is just fine now. He is 15 years old. And completely normal. But your story brought back the memory of my boy and I had to share it with you. Please take your baby in to someone else and get an xray of his lungs and sinuses. Dont go through what I went through. It was horrible. Write me at my email and let me know how things are. ____@____.com my name is D..

Good Luck and Take Care!

L.~

This contraption proved to be a lifesaver when our little one was congested with a lot of mucus and it works MUCH better than the old bulb syringe (sp)

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2585646

And look - it is on sale!!! Worth every penny!!!

T.

My son, now almost 3 months has the same problem. I have talked to the Dr. on several occasions and he continues to assure me that this is one of the most common complaints among babies. I take him in the bathroom with me everymorning while I shower so that he get some of the steam. Then, as the Dr. recommended, I put some saline solution in his nose. He really dosent like it but it loosens things up so it is easier to suction. If you just suction you can easily cause that tender tissure to swell. Along with this I have cut dairy out of my diet. All of this combined seems to have helped. Oh, I also run a cool air humidifier next to his bed at night. Hope this helps.
W.

L., I have so much sympathy for you. My 2 month old (now 4 months) had the same thing and I took him to the dr. twice and urgent care once before they finally determined that he had croup. Does he have a bad cough? or just congestion. My son never had a fever either and they kept telling me to just watch him, but all he would do was sleep and it just got worse. I kept taking him back in which is so not like me and they finally gave him a shot because his throat was really swollen so it was hard for him to eat and then gave me some medicine (Albuterol). It was so hard and scary, but I would say if it doesn't get any better take him back in and have him checked again. They originally just told me that it was a bad cold and that it would run its course and be gone, but he was doing the same thing...coughing up tons of phlegm. I was afraid that it was bad for him to swollow it, but they assured me that its not and it will just come out in their diaper! Anyways, good luck. My 4 month old is my 3rd child and has been my sickest for some reason. In fact we had him in the hospital for bronchiolotis on mothers day weekend. I hope the best for you guys - it is the worst to have such a small baby so sick. When I was in the hospital they told me that RSV season was officially over 3 weeks ago, but there is definitely something still going around because they have been much busier this time of year than they usually are. Good luck with everything L.. I'm a happy LDS mom too!

It's so hard when you have a very young baby that is not feeling well. Just be glad that he doesn't have a fever so it's likely nothing too serious. I was going to give you the off-label dose for Dimetapp from my pediatrician but then I saw that your baby is only 2 months which is too young even for that chart.

If there's mucous in the nose, try the bulb syringe. If the discharge is hard, you can put a drop of saline, which you can buy at the drugstore, into each nostril to soften it for easier suctioning. Just be cautious not to do too much because it can inflame his nasal passages. You could also try elevating the head of his crib slightly to help him drain. You can put a few books under the the crib legs or a pillow underneath the head end of the mattress. Maybe get a cool mist humidifier for his room to help him breathe easier.

I'd try to keep nursing him as frequently as possible to keep him hydrated and being close to you will help comfort him. Best of luck. I hope your little guy recovers quickly.

You could try a humidifer. Make sure you get the cool air one, not the hot/warm air one. You can also get Vicks things to put in it. Also try some vicks babyrub. That really helped my son. Good Luck.

Hi L.. We had this problem with our daughter and it ended up being a severe allergy to our cats. We had 2, found them a new home, and then our daughter was 100% better within 2 days. Before that, she could barely breathe.
They say kids don't get allergies (to environmental things...not food) till they are around 2 years old. But in both our kids, we found this to not be true.
Even if you don't have pets, look for allergens in the home. Things such as candles you regularly burn, perfume or even shaving cream with a scent can set off someone's sensitive allergies.
Household cleaners, dust, mold, laundry soap, etc should all be checked into. It's an easy fix if that's what it turns out to be.
Our daughter had congestion, etc from about 3 months till about 8 months when we finally figured it out.
You can also get a pin prick test for allergies, but I don't recommend it for such a young baby.
Good luck! It's hard having a little one with something wrong without a clue what it is!

My son had the same thing about a month ago he was also 2 months old at the time. My dr. Gave us some alburerol that we put in the nebulizer she had me do it three times a day it was awsome everytime he was done with a treatment tonz of mucus would just drain out of his nose. She also had me do salt water nose drops she perscribed me some little droppers with saltwater in them so it was easy to just squirt them in his nose but she said if i didn't have those use one tsp of salt to 8 ounces of water. It dosent hurt at all i tried it and it cleared his nose out immediatly. I would just squirt it in then wipe his nose over and over until it was all clear. I hope this helps i was so scared for my little guy not being able to breath well this worked so well.

Aside from the suctioning, I would recommend watching YOUR diet. My son was allergic to milk, and the foods you eat pass through your breast milk. Keep a log of what you eat and if his congestion.
Also, keeping a vaporizer in the room with baby helps keep it moist.
Good luck.

Dear L.,

LDS also. Have you tried giving him Pedialyte? It will keep him hydrated and his electrolytes balanced. More importantly, have you had him given a priesthood blessing and anointing ("Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths. [Proverbs 3:5-6). Listen to your doctor and monitor his symptoms, but remember, as his mom, you know best when something is not right so follow your heart. Best to you and may Heavenly Father bless your family.
K.

Try saline nose drops and suck the snot out!!! I would also suggest putting a pillow under his mattress. And try to space out the feedings to at least two hours between start times, for your sanity. Mother of 4~ 10, 9, 5, and 2, done it a few times myself!

I had the same issues with my little one. He was 1 1/2 months. He had congestion for days. We propped the bed up, got a humidifier, used saline nose drops/sucker. All we could....but, dr's said he just had a cold and to let it take its course. He had no fever, a little cough but nothing much.
I felt that there was something more....and if you do, listen to your mommy instinct!!
I decided to take him to another dr. at Phoenix Childrens Urgent Care (at night). This just helped me get another opinion.
In my case they did the blood test and he had RSV with no fever, and he didt have an ear infection. But luckily they didn't have to admit him to the hospital, just breathing treatments and antibiotics for the ear infection.
Hope you figure it out and hope it is just a minor cold.

I feel your pain. My daughter would wake up screaming because seh was hungry, but couldn't eat because she couldn't breathe. I got her a wedge to lift her head up a litle, instead of having her sleep flat on the bed. I have a humidifier in her room, and use a vicks plug in for her. Sometimes, I use the vicks baby rub. There is also saline.