Rapid Breathing in 3 Week Old

Did you have a C-section? I did and they said my son's rapid breathing was because he did not have the amniotic fluid squeezed out and his lung muscles invigorated/massaged during birth which would have happened if he had been born vaginally. My son's breathing was caught at birth so they kept him in the NICU for 5 days. He has no problems now except that cold and allergy symptoms go straight to a phlegmy cough. He does not have astma.

If your baby was born naturally, I don't have any other suggestions. Hope he feels better soon!

When my baby was breathing like that it was pneumonia. This was my c section baby.
Did they say anything about taking him into a bathroom full of steam?
My kids have asthma and when they have trouble breathing one thing that helps them is putting vicks on their chest and a really warm ( as warm as they can stand it) wash clothe on top of it.
hope that helps

If this is an occasional thing-sometimes he breathes slower-no worry. Any pediatric training I have ever been involved in teaches respiratory rates of up to 60 are normal on occasion. (I am an RN of 34 yrs and EMS provider/educator for 25 yrs.) If he is calm, color is good, eats and drinks well, is alert when awake, is aware of his surroundings-I wouldn't worry. Any wheezing, pale or bluish color of skin, cough or vomiting-get medical advice right away.

My daughter had rapid breathing when she was only a few weeks old. My older daughter never did that so it was very scary. I called my doctor and he said that it was called "periodic breathing" and was totally normal for newborns. She was healthy and had no infections and the doctor said that as long as she was not turning blue then there was no reason to worry. My daughter stopped doing it after a few weeks and she was fine.

We are having the exact same issue. Did your son eventually grow out of it? Our son is 3 weeks old and his breathing worries us. We took him to Children's in Seattle and they said the same thing your doctors told you. We take shifts holding him all night just to make sure he doesn't stop breathing. Please let us know how this worked out for you.

I don't have any medical advice, though it sounds like you're doing all the right things (with the follow-up, etc). One suggestion I have regarding the medical care/diagnosis is to take him to your closest Children's Hospital, even if its far away, because the will have tons of expertise on babies/children. And ask if your pediatrician can get you into see a pediatric pulmonologist, not just a regular pulmonologist.... If your ped. can't, have him/her contact the Children's Hospital to see if s/he can get your a referral to one there....

My only other thought is for you to hold your baby as much as possible in an upright position between your breasts, with the head turned toward your heart. This is used with premies a lot (it's called "Kangaroo Care") and has a significant positive impact on their health, including heart and respiration. Get a baby carrier and strap the baby on, something like a Wrapsody wrap, or a mai tei carrier etc. (you can see various carriers at www.attachedtobaby.com, or tons of other websites; just google "baby carrier"). My thought is that it sure can't hurt to use the carrier and keep your baby close, and I noticed with my (full term, normal, healthy) baby that he loved, loved, loved being carried (what baby doesn't? :), and I was able to carry him "hands-free". :)

I'll be keeping you & your little on in my thoughts...