Congestion

Maybe look to an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor to get a second opinion. I have not been to her but have heard GREAT things about her & I have heard her speak at a health seminar. Dr. Ann White (in Cumming, GA) she is a Pediatric Ear, Nose and Throat specialist.

Hi C.,

I hate to tell you this but there is no such thing as "newborn" congestion. Congestion is simply that. What type of laundry detergent do you use? Is there bleach in the house? Lysol? Windex? Pledge? or any generics like them can cause horrible problems as well as congestion. Synthetic chemicals break down the immune system and we start out with a little congestion and then it gets complex later.

If you haven't already detoxed your house for yourself and your children, it can be simple and very inexpensive and I know there will be improvement. If you have specific questions about detoxing, let me know. I'll be glad to help!

God bless,

M.
www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

Detoxing the house should be a help. Since she is not sick, it sounds to me like she might possibly have some allergies, or at the least sensitivities causing her congestion. Take any stuffed animals out of her room and playpen, wash her clothes and bedding in either Dreft or All-Clear which has no perfumes added to it. Buy only toxin-free toys and especially be mindful of any plastics you give her to play with. If her room has carpet, vacuum it daily without her in the room while you're doing it and consider replacing her floor covering with something other than carpet if you possibly can. This is true throughout the house actually. If you have animals in the house, keep them brushed and cleaned and out of her bedroom. If she has curtains or drapes, consider replacing them with wood blinds. An air purifier should help, as well. In the future, or now if you can afford it, buy only organic clothing and toys for her. Much of the products for children has dyes and toxins in or on them that can cause congestion. Make sure if you do buy organic, to buy only the organic products that are truly organic. There are products out there that claim to be organic, but are only partially so. Google to find out more info on organic brands. Clean your house with green products only, no bleach, no chlorine, nothing toxic. There are books on how to clean green and are available online at Amazon and other places. You can Google for more info on that. None of this is easy, but once you're in the habit of green, you won't go back because your family will be much healthier!

Are you nursing? What you take can help a whole lot! Do you use non toxic cleaners and laundry products? There is always clothing and blankets around babies so that can be a huge one too. If it were to persist you might even try an air purifier. We had toruble with one of our children and had to use all of the things above to try and help her. She did improve but it was not over night. I think it took a couple of weeks to really go away. Let me know if you want to know more.

Sincerly,
K. B

It could be acid reflux actually. We thought the same thing about our son but our pediatrician diagnosed it as acid reflux (which makes sense since you hear it in the chest). He said lots of babies sound like that the first year of their lives. We put our son on Baby Zantac and it did improve. Does she spit up a lot? If she never spits up it's probably not reflux but if she does, I bet that might be it. Good luck.

I'd suggest you take her to the doctor immediately to make sure she's okay - they should appreciate a concerned mother. Moms usually know intuitively when their child is sick. Two months is way too young to take any chances and she may need something to treat it - my daughter had RSV (basically too much congestion) when she was only 4 months old and had to have special breathing treatments. Good luck!

You really need to detox the house. Congestion, allergies, croup, asthma and all those other respiratory problems can usually be relieved or even eliminated with detoxing. Doctors are only going to tell you to ignore it or give you a medication for it that may or may not relieve symptoms. Save the doctor visit for when you're sure that it's not an environmental problem that the doctor has no power to fix.

S.

P.S. Detoxing involves removing toxins not just using natural products like vinegar on top of them.

We've done colloidal silver in a nebulizer and it worked well for us. even for pnuemonia....cured it. Love it!

C.,

From experiences as a baby nurse and a nanny, most ped.
suggest to elevate the babies mattress whenever you put
her down for naps and @ bedtime. Continue to use the saline
also use the bulb to remove excess mucus. Good Luck!

I don't have a suggestion as to what the problem is but I will say is you think there is a problem and don't like the answer your Dr gives you, DO NOT hesitate to get a second opinion! You are the mother and have instincts that are far more reliable than what the Dr sees the 10 min he is with your child. At the least if another doctor says there is no problem, you will have more peace of mind about it. A lot of people have loyalties to their Dr, and this is fine. Just because you see someone else for a second opinion doesn't mean you have a "new" Dr. Trust your instincts!

Try a little organic apple cider vinegar in a vaporizer or humidif....That should help,depending on her age,you can fix the baby warm water mixed with a little ORGANIC Apple Cider Vinegar With The MOTHER in it and Honey and that will dry it right up. Take my word,my two daughters never suffer with congestion.It's not a good feeling. Wish you luck and God Bless You & Your Family.
This Organic Apple Cider can be found at the GNC Store.

Hi,
My daughter is 6 months old and has been going through the same thing. I'm starting to think it may be minor allergies at this point or even a change in the weather. If you are not satisfied with what your pediatrician says later on this week, I'd see a pediatric ENT. If you need a referral, I have a name. My daughters congestion has gotten better the last couple months, but we go day by day. Good luck!

Hi C.,

Congrats on your new baby!

My son had the same problem as a baby, it turns out his allergies gave him those symptoms.I recommend you test your house for mold, and if there is no mold and your vents are clean then maybe your daughter is allergic to milk. If she does not get better with time and you feel she's congested often then ask your pediatrician if she can be tested for allergies(skin test is most accurate). The only reason i reccomned this is because after all the albuterol and cough and congestion medicine that i administered to my son per doctors orders, it turns out he was allergic to a lot of things. I changed his diet and he's mucus free ever since and no more meds.

The products that we buy from the store contain harmful chemicals, such as formaldehyde, dioxin, dioxane, etc. Formaldehyde(Q, quaternium 15) cause watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes, nose and throat, stuffy nose, nausea, coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, skin rashes and allergic reactions. Take the store bought products out of your house and see if the congestion will clear up.
P. S

If she is on formula she may well be allergic to cow's milk. Two of my babies had to be put on soy milk as they were allergic and it first appeared as congestion in the nose. If you are nursing I don't know what it could be. I do know that what a mother eats does affect the milk. V.

Hi, I think the doctor needs to do a through exam on her. She may have some type of chronic sinusitus, etc. My son had croup more than once when he was younger, and past the age of being an infant. he also had RSV as an infant, which is a bronchial infection. It can be very serious, and since lungs are the last organ that mature in utero, it is a good idea to make sure there are no real issues.

1) Not sure how old she is now, but if she is at least 6 months old, consider getting her off any milk based products including formula (soy is not a good alternative as it still contains casein). If you are nursing, cut out all your milk products, if you are on formula, consider going with a almond or rice milk with cod liver oil and a vitamin. Many milk allergies/sensitivities have symptoms of chronic congestion, runny nose.
2) If her mattress is not organic rubber, cover it with a allergy cover from target or gaiam.com or wal-mart. Make sure it zips over the mattress to stop any dust mites, etc.
3)DO NOT VACCINATE her while she has this congestion. Please, please, read on this. Even the pharmacutical inserts suggest delaying until the child is WELL. Well is not congestion that can be heard in the breathing. Also, if she turns out to have food allergies, especially egg, the vaccinnes are made with egg products - you could be injecting her with something she is allergic to and can cause many other problems you don't need. Delaying a few vaccinnes until you get educated is not going to cause any harm.
4) Consider dressing her very warmly and turning the heat off at night. My sisters and I had congestion when we were small and the pediatrician told my mom to turn it off. She did and we were compeltely better. We always just thought they were cheap!! HeeHee.
5) If none of that helps, I would get a IGG food sensitivity test done on her. It is bloodwork. The doctors will say food sensitivities do not matter and I have every child in my family to prove them wrong. If your doctor won't write the lab orders, send me a note and I will give you all the ways you can get it done with insurance coverage.
6) Sorry, I thought of one more. Saline rinses in the nose. We use a neti pot, but when my daughter was too young, we used a medicine dropper. Mix 1 cup warm water with 1/2 tsp sea salt (get a good brand, fine grind). Suck it into the medicine dropper and drip it quickly into her nose. Yes, it will go down her throat, but it will still work. As she gets older you can do the neti way and it won't go down her throat.
HTH - J.