1 Week Old Infant - Cold, Stuffy Nose

All babies are stuffy for a few weeks after birth. One of the previous posters nailed it; babies have a ton of mucus and fluid in their nasal passages from being in a liquid environment for so long. Let him sleep sitting up a little, keep using the aspirator...he'll clear up in a few weeks. It's scary, especially when you see him snuffling and snorting like that. But it'll get better.

I hear you...the first cold is always the most scary, I think (tied with the first high fever)! Anyway, babies are born breathing out of their noses- helps with breastfeeding-, so they will try to do that the most (though don't worry, if they cannot breathe out their noses, they will open their mouths and breathe). So that being said, that is why the stuffy nose seems so much worse than it is (and probably sounds worse too).

Continue the saline drops and aspirator (but limit it to like 4 times a day...if you do it too much, you can cause swelling of the membranes and make the problem worse according to my pediatrician) and warm showers are good (if his unbillical cord stump has fallen off, you can actually take him in the shower with you...just wrap him in a towel to make him less slippery until you are used to holding him in the shower...my boys both loved that).

Also, try letting him sleep in his bouncer or propped up or even on your chest for a few nights (I loved my recliner for this!!!). I also put Vicks Vapor Rub on MY chest and let him sleep on my chest/in my arms...then he got the benefit of the Vicks without having to have the medicine on him.

As far as the blue tint...if you are AT ALL worried about his breathing, call his MD right away! Watch for him sucking for air (you will see him sucking the skin in between his ribs) and wheezing sounds. You are mommy and we definitely have a good gut about our kiddos! Don't be afraid to call at any hour of the night! They can usually take you through a series of questions to see if he needs to be seen right away and it usually calms me after I talk with them (my pediatrician's on-call nurses are fabulous, very patient and extremely knowledgeable!!!)!

The dry lip is probably because, think of when you have been sick, what water we do get in gets put to work with the healing process, so he may just be a little dehydrated. Just try nursing him a little more often (would not suggest water or Pedialyte at his age yet). Maybe because he cannot breathe as well, he is not getting as much per feeding. Is he running a fever? Remember...at less than 2 months, any fever over 100.5 needs to be reported right away (after 2 months, they say only to go to the hospital if the fever is 105 or over...crazy, huh...believe me, my 2-year-old son has been up to 104.5 many times and it freaks me out every time and I call the on-call nurses every time too...hard to see our kiddos sick, huh!?!) Hope something helps! Don't feel helpless...you are doing a great job!!!

as a new mom I always found it best to take them to the pediatrician when in doubt...it can't hurt.

You have to get that cold out, as they are just too young to do anything about it. Get the soft tip bulb syring and suck the yuckky out. They will fuss a little but it will be soo much better. There is also an old wives tale that works and it is to dap a little, just a little vicks vapor rub on the bottom of his feet. Since he is so young, just use a tiny dab. This does work for some odd reason. Good Luck, God Bless and you are not alone. Every mom wants to do the right thing as a new mom but it will get easier. There is a good book "when to call the doctor" that will help too. One more thing, if you have access to an advice nurse with your health plan it doesn't hurt to call. They are used to new mommies calling for the first year. Don't hesitate to utilize them!!

What a good mom you are :O)

In my experience, infants DO sound congested the first few weeks of life. Although my Dr always said it's nature's way of still "getting things out of their system" it was still a little scary.

I think you're doing everything you should be doing for your new little one. Just pay attention to his breathing. If he begins "panting" while he's sleeping, then the symptoms could be more serious than thought (as in respiratory).......and you might want to consider having him checked out. Otherwise, I'm sure he's just fine, and simply adjusting to the real world of air :o)

Congratualtions on your newborn. Give him lots of love and have so much fun :o)

~N. :O)

Steam and saline drops can't hurt (use the saline only as directed, not too much), and being upright will help as well.

As long as your baby can breathe well enough to nurse/take a bottle, and does not have a fever, then he is most likely fine. By all means, call your doctor if any other troubling signs appear, but don't worry overly much. If, however, he stops eating every few hours because he really can't breathe, get medical help. Dehydration can be serious.

Don't beat yourself up about being an "overly paranoid new mom". I have given myself that line when I thought there was something more serious with my daughter, and so waited the three days of (low-grade) fever before talking her in to be checked out, like the books say. As a result, my sweetie just had to suffer three extra days of an ear infection, for example. Then I had to look back and regret that I followed that advice when I instinctively knew something more serious was going on.

Try to just follow your instincts, and a little internet research never hurt. If you really want to get something checked out by a doctor, or talk to a public health nurse - go ahead! Call your OB/Gyn or midwife who helped with the delivery, or your pediatrician if you have one. If your son seams happy, alert, and doing fine overall, pay attention to that.

If he is only one week old he may not have a cold at all. Babies have a great amount of mucous in their system from being in the womb for 9 months and then from traveling down the birth canal. If you think your son has a cold and he is only one week old I would take him to the peditrician and have him checked. If nothing else it will put your mind at ease.

If he is a little stuffy try letting him sleep in a bouncy/swing chair or even a car seat , whilst doing the other things that you are doing (saline and clearing nose). As for the blue lip , I alsonoticed this in my first born and also panicked & do you know what causes it????.....Gas!! , it only happens in the very young , so if your baby is fussy and uncomfortable and you notice the blue upper lip then burp him.

BTW I was told this by a doctor , I took my son about the blue lip as I was so worried!

Good morning!

Coming from experience with lack of oxygen in a child I think you should take him to the doctor to have them check his oxygen level just to make sure he is getting enough. If all is fine then I would keep up with the drops, but you have to squeeze the bottle so that it will clean his nasal cavaties. This is what my doc told me to do with my son when he was stuffed up. Just take him in...it can't hurt. Good luck!

any tint of blue should be seen by a doctor to check the oxygen levels because yes it can mean something bad. Just go and don't feel bad like your over worrying. Your baby is very new to the world. I'm sorry he's sick.

Just wanted to validate your feelings!!! I think it's normal and natural to be scared. You are responsible for the safety and well being of the most precious person you have ever laid eyes on, and you only meet a week ago. : ) Of course you are nervous. I would encourage you to call your pediatrician and ask questions if you are concerned. They are there to partner with you to raise a healthy happy little boy, so reach out to them if you need reassurance. All of us other mama's are here for you too, so welcome to the club.
Congratulations on the new little life in your world. Parenting is a beautiful adventure.

My poor son had a cold for the first 5 weeks of his life. It's scary, but it will be OK. Get a cold midst humidifier and let him sleep in his car seat.

Just watch for the wheezing. My guy did mild wheezing so I didn't take him to the DR. but if you think he is struggling to breath, then give the Dr a call. The sad thing is that there really isn't much they can do.

Nurse lots to hydrate, and just hang in there!

Blue lips are a huge red flag. What does the doctor say? As with adults, plenty of liquids. Ask your doc, while you are there, if you can give water.

My heart goes out to you. It is sooo hard to see such a small child having a hard time breathing. If you're truly worried, take him out to children's hospital if you're close enough. they are wonderful out there and you will have some piece of mind knowing that your child was seen there.

Glad to hear your baby got a checkup and that all is fine. I wanted to recommend the BEST nasal aspirator. It's called Nose Frida (aka The Snot Sucker) and they sell it at Whole Foods (Los Altos Whole Foods has it). Hard to describe, but it's basically a tube with a filter. You place one end of the tube just inside the nose and then suck on the other end of the tube. Disgusting, but it works so much better than the bulb aspirators. My son (three months old today) has already had two colds thanks to his 3-year old sister. This thing has made it possible for him to get through in relative comfort.
I also recommend a wedge pillow. You can get something made specifically for babies at Babies 'r Us or a similar store. It tilts them up at a slight angle, about 15 degrees and makes a big difference in their breathing. Even though my son is fine now he still sleeps on it! It seems really comfy for him.

You're doing a great job!
Get the Snot Sucker- really!!!
quick online search looks like it's becoming more popular and you can get it at Target or Babies R Us.