Wondering Whats Is Wrong with My Newborn

Try expressing breastmilk into her nose. It can really help with congestion. Otherwise, I would talk to a pediatric ENT.

K.,
No the soft spot shouldn't be that large, try to find a cranial sacral therapist right away. Sounds like there are cranial issues that are affecting her nervous system (breathing center)
Good luck!

Do you take her to a Family Physician or a Pediatrician? I know you don't have a ton of options in Kendallville, but there are likely more medical options in Angola and definitely Fort Wayne.

Being a new parent is hard, and instincts can be really tricky.

I'd recommend seeing a pediatrician who is more specialized in newborns (most Family physicians see children but really specialize in adults) and can help you understand better if it's something to be concerned about.

Parkview and Lutheran in Fort Wayne are both excellent hospitals. See if you can find a pediatrician associated with either one of those so you have access to a better network of specialists if needed.

Good luck!

Always always get a second opinion if you don't feel things are right! Never hesistate to do so. Saved our son, could save your girl. Get a third opinion if you need to also. You are her mom and you know her best. I hope you can find an answer and she is alright!

Even at less then a month old - mom knows best for her little ones!!! If you believe something is wrong - go to another doctor.

We questions our daughters development as far as her not running at 2 1/2 yr old. Her brother that is 15 mo. younger was running & running circles around her. We keep being told kids develope different - nothing is wrong with her. Well, that was till her knee swelled up like a ballon for no reason! No damage - just fluid in the knees... we had x-rays done, seen 5 different doc/specialist w/ in less then a week and finaly ended up at a rheumatologists. My daughter was diagnosted with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and has been seeing her specialist over 3 yrs now. When she was diagnosted our family doctor - told me "I guess momma did know better then me. I'm glad you didn't give up".

With your little one being so small - I would keep seeking what is wrong. Being rushed to the hospital by EMS, having clear mucus (which sometime indicates allergies) & if it sounds like her chest is rattling or she is weezing just doesn't seem right to me either. I do have 3 kids with ashma (2 1/2, 6 & 15) and 3 that take allergy meds (2 1/2, 4 1/2 & 6). I've never had my little ones in the ER before a month, but I did have 2 (6 & 15) of my kids stay in the hospital multiple times before they were a year old for breathing issues.

Keep fighting for your little one - sometimes as moms we are the only ones that can tell something is wrong or different. And sometimes we are the only ones willing to fight for them. I wish you luck & will hope it is nothing! But it is always better to be safe then sorry w/ our little loves!

Maybe your baby has acid reflux? Many times with reflux they regergitate on the spit up - and the milk can get into their lungs, that may be the sound you are hearing in her lungs.

Also, I recently took our 4 month old to the dr for what I thought was wheezing. The dr said that he wasn't wheezing at all, that it was an echo (if you will) from all of the congestion he was having. It was all the gunk in his throat, but I thought it was wheezing in his lungs. So, sometimes what feels like/sounds like wheezing really isn't.

I hope you find the source of this problem.

If you're not satisfied with the answer from your doctor definitely get second opinion.

I'm assuming this is your first? The soft spot sounds normal to me and if the doctors aren't worried about it then I wouldn't worry either. The congestion is probably just a little cold or allergy. Have you tried a humidifier in her room? Maybe an air purifier to get some of the allergens out of her room? If she's having trouble sleeping due to the congestion you can elevate her mattress in her crib by placing rolled up blankets under the head of the mattress.

Good luck,
K.

was she delivered c-section? my first one was the same way. and the white stuff is milk. i learned one thing going to the pulminologist for him. their airways are so small so what's in her nose sounds like it's in her chest and lungs. i fought with doctors for three weeks thinking they were stupid not recognizing this and finally went to a pulminologist and he taught me that. when babies eat they sometimes leave milk in their esophagus or right below it causing reflux but the reflux doesn't always come out of their mouths they come out of their noses too. I wouldn't be alarmed by that.
however if she is not breathing right and is losing breath of air, then she might be having an allergic reaction to the milk. i would recommend you seeing a pulminologist so you can ease your mind but also see an allergist. even though she's so small still they can detect allergic reactions better than we can and most pediatrician's can. and the reason why i asked if she was a c-section is because when they pass through our vaginal canals they get squished and everything get shquished out of them but when their c-section their just being pulled out so it's possible mucus and water stayed in there.
her soft spot seems normal and when you go to the hospital if they don't feel for her soft spot then it's time to go to another hospital. all visits to a pediatrician or an er concerning a newborn their first feel should be on their soft spot. they know the normal sizes of it.
good luck! and hope that helped.

Trust your gut! Get a second opinion. Get a referral to a pediatric pulmonologist and possibly neurologist. The soft spot sounds abnormally large, and the congestion is not normal. Don't give up - there IS an answer.

Hi~
Did you go to a children’s hospital/talk so a doctor who specializes in pediatrics? You may want to consider seeing a pediatric pulmonologist - e.g. http://rileychildrenshospital.com/parents-and-patients/pr... (there maybe one closer to your home).
If your gut is saying something is wrong - trust your gut.

Here is some additional information on soft spots: http://www.drgreene.com/qa/anterior-fontanel-soft-spot

good luck!

If you feel something is wrong GET A SECOND OPINION! Mommy guts are our best guide and theya re always worth following.

In the meantime, my youngest was super congested for months after she was born. She'd cough and choke in her sleep. It wasn't until our doctor said she had reflux and that I should elivate her crib that we found relief. I put two rolled up receiving blankets under the head of her bed to create a slight incline and low and behold it worked! A week later the worst of the problem was solved, I also did my best to keep her upright for 15 after she ate.

Good luck, let us know how it goes and please, if you feel something is wrong go with it and see someone else.

Not to be an alarmist, because mucus is common in newborns...particularly c-section babies...but congestion, weezing, couging & mucous are all symptoms of cystic fibrosis. That is a worst case scanario. Other symptoms include 'salty' sweat', shortness of breath, large geasy stools or diarrhea. Cystic Fibrosis is a disease that attacks the lungs. Just keep that in mind if all other tests come out negative, and you are still left wondering & if she is still having symptoms. Good luck to you! P.S. Riley's childrens hospital is a great Indiana based hospital...especially if you do not have insurance or cannot afford to pay much. :)

I would definetly bring her to another doctor just to be safe you are her mother and you should always trust yolur instinct if you think something is wrong with your baby then bring her to another pediatrician maybe a friend or relative could reccomend one .. good luck

TAKE YOUR BABY TO A GOOD PEDIATRICIAN. Probably nothing is actually wrong with her, but only a pediatrician will have the experience and the information necessary to help you and your daughter.
(How far are you from Indy? I know an excellent pediatrician in there)
Take care, everything will be fine, just be calm.

She was rushed to the ER after she stopped breathing off and on? Then you took her to her regular doctor after the hospital said there was nothing they could do, and he also said it was fine? (I just wanted to make sure I was clear on the timeline.)

As far as going to the hospital/ER, they are not usually very well trained with babies. They will treat whatever symptoms the person presents with, and if she is breathing at the time , they really can't do much. At the ER they pretty much assess you and stabilize you and then tell you to follow up with your regular doctor, who is responsible for getting to the bottom of the problem. I would not go back to another ER unless she has stopped breathing again. They probably won't do anything more this time.

As for the regular doctor, that NEEDS to be a pediatrician. Lots of people get by with seeing a family doctor for thier kids, but I feel like if anything ever goes wrong, family doctors just aren't as well trained in babies. My son never gets sick and could have easily seen my regular doctor all along, but I would still not feel comfortable with it.

I think you need to get into a pediatric pulmonologist or go to a childrens hospital like the others said also. If they evaluate her and cant find anything, then you can consider letting it go, but only if they have answered your questions to your satisfaction. To stop breathing periodically is not normal. To be fairly congested is normal in a newborn however, they are still adjusting to life outside the womb. My son had that, but it didn't sound as if it was in his lungs at all, just in his nose. I would definitely get another doctors opinion.

Get a second opinion for sure. Always trust your mommy senses you know your baby better than anyone else. I would consider taking her in to see a pediatric pulmonologist and just dont take no for an answer and keep pushing till they give you answers. IF you cant see a specialist without a referal on your insurance I suggest finding the best childrens hospital that is within an acceptable drive for you and take her in to the er and once again push for answers.

You are obviously having that 'gut feeling'. Your mommydar is kicking in and I applaud you for not just listening to your doctors. Sounds like they are not giving you an answer. The fact that they say "she is fine" would not be fine with me. They should be telling if (if this was true) "yes she sounds congested, but its just a little cold and its should pass in about 2 weeks, just be sure to keep a humidifier in her room etc etc". I would go get another opinion and demand and answer to your question of "why does she sound liek she is not breathing right". Doctors dont really know sometime and they chalk it up to "allergies" (tis the season right) but you as a mom need to rule out all the possibilites. Not to scare you in any way but think of how bad you would feel if you did not do anything and something terrible would result from it. I think a second would be a good idea. If you are worried, ask them to give her a chest Xray (they did to my baby when she tested positive for RSV in Jan to rule out Phnemonia)
Also the soft spot....the WHOLE top of her head seems odd. My baby had her soft spot on the top towards the front. It was big but only covered about 1/4 of the top of her head. I wouldnt worry too much about that but it doesnt hurt to ask....was your baby a Premie? That might have something to do with it
Good luck and congrats on your little miracle. I would work work work to verify she is 100% healthy just to ease my own mind. I hate being a worry wart!!

get your baby to a Children's Hospital ASAP!! Trust your instincts!!

I would take her in & get another opinion. Better to be safe than sorry ;)

Always trust your instincts.

With that being said, babies get congested. All 3 of mine did at some time during the very beginning and it is scary...they sound terrible and you feel terrible just hearing them breathe, I was convinced my first couldn't breathe and took him to the ER and the Dr.'s over and over again...and nothing was ever done about it. It was just a little cold and they let it run its course....now when my 2nd and 3rd came around and the congestion started, it still scared me and I took them to the Dr. just to be safe but I remembered this happened with the first and calmed down a bit....same thing with the 3rd...it is still very scary and unsettling!

I used the humidifiers and one thing that helped a ton was having dad get in the shower with them and just steam for awhile...or you can always put them in their car seat/bouncy and take them into the bathroom while you shower? This helps a lot!!

I do not want to minimize your feelings/fears/concerns...just wanted to point out that lots of us 1st time moms are very startled by the noise and (what we think of as) difficulty breathing of a baby's 1st cold.

-If the Dr. says the soft spot is normal, then don't worry...one of my nephews had a huge soft spot that took FOREVER to close but he was fine!

Yes, I would RUN to get a second opinion!! Obviously there's something not right!! Good luck and I hope everything works out for you and your daughter!

if she is weezy or having trouble breathing, running a fever or not eating or peeing or pooin take her to the dr asap, she could have rsv because it is that season and it can be deadly in newborns, if she has a cough take her to her dr asap make an app and get in there they can tell you more whats going on.

If it's in her lungs, you probably should get a second opinion. It could continue to get worse.

This is an extreme suggestion, but you might want to check for cystic fibrosis, especially if no one can figure out what's going on.

I don't know about the soft spot.

Mostly sounds like "new Mommy syndrome". I know its all new and frightening for you. The anterior fontanel (soft spot) on a newborn's head is large, but as long as it is not distended far out of her head and pulsating it's normal. As far as the breathing situation, newborns breathe irregularly and seem to stop for periods of time. If she remains pink, doesn't get blue around her lips and will wake up when you talk to her, it's OK. Also newborns continue to have alot of secretions for several weeks, she's just 3 weeks old-give it time. Keep your "sucker" close for awhile, use it as needed. If you are not happy with your answers so far, see a pediatrician or at least a nurse practitioner who specializes in pediatrics. NPs tend to take more time talking with you and giving helpful advise, Drs often are just too busy to take time to explain and advise. Relax, and don't listen to all your older female relatives tell you, they tend to be overexcited at times. I wish I could see you and your baby and take some time to observe her and be able to calm some of your fears. As an RN with critical care experience and paramedic teaching EMS classes I really like to teach people. BTW-I have two sons (17 and 22) who have made it so far!

Hi Katerina,

I only can say something about the breathing part. When my son was little he is now 19 years old. He had the congestion and breathing problems. It turned out to be Asthma! It's hard to diagnose at a young age but something to never take a chance on. Listen to what your soul is telling you. Every baby is different, find an E.N.T specialist and listen to what they have to say.

Jonah was 15 months old when they finally diagnosed him with Asthma, you will learn the warning signs if he has this. The mucus could be from the Asthma or Allergies are horrible this time of year.

I' will pray for him, good luck

B.

I always got freaked out with my daughter when she sounded congested......I took her to a specialist and it was nothing in her lungs it was just in her nasal cavity......because her nose bridge wasn't all the way formed yet....which is common.....so that may be what is going on with her. But the soft spot I would definetly get checked out.....doesn't seem to be normal. Check into another doctor, 2nd opionions are always good.