Recently, a good friend of mine suffered too many weeks in and out of the hospital with her 6 month old baby and a lung infection that could not be identified.
First it was bronchiolitis. Then it was pneumonia. Then bronchiolitis again. It was tiring, stressful, and frustrating. He lost weight, cried painfully every time he coughed and had a fever that kept going up and down. In the end, she was told that there was nothing that could be done, to watch for his fever to spike and wait a few weeks until his body fought it off.
And it all started with a little bug is older brother brought home from school.
His brother had some coughing, a fever for a few days and then it was over. But it hit his baby brother much harder.
Pneumonia happens when fluid collects in the air sacks of the lungs and becomes infected and can be fatal if left untreated.
Bronchiolitis is an illness that is caused by the inflaming of the bronchial tubes and can lead to pneumonia.
Both are born from the common cold.
Infants are at greater risk for complications from common colds because their lungs and cough reflexes are not as strong as those of adults or even those of older children. They can't cough out the infection as easily as we can. Thus, a common cold can easily cause things like ear infections, wheezing, sinusitis, strep throat, croup pneumonia and bronchiolitis.
These last too are the scariest because they can seem like just a prolonged cold in an infant. So, while you are waiting it out, more and more infectious bacteria could be building up in your baby's lungs.
But there are some signs you can be on the lookout for.
- Your infants lips or nails become bluish.
- Wheezing.
- Grunting when breathing.
- Persistent vomiting.
- Poor appetite or is not drinking enough fluids.
- Abdominal pain.
- Lethargy.
There is no antibiotic that can be given to infants with pneumonia. The best you can do is to try to keep your child's fever down, and make him or her as comfortable as possible.
Prop him or her up if having trouble breathing and try to get him to drink as much fluid as possible.
Suction mucus and keep the air moist with a vaporizer. If you can't find one, boil some water and drop a spoonful of vapor rub in it, then let the steam fill the room where your baby is resting.
You can also give babies older than six months acetaminophen for a fever, but only if she is not dehydrated or vomiting.
Saline solution is also perfectly safe to administer for nasal congestion.
Another tactic you can use to help lung drainage is to "clap" on your child's chest and back. This loosens mucus, expands the lungs and helps your child to cough.
Although cold weather itself does not cause colds, most viruses survive better in the cold and cold weather dries out nasal passages and reduces mucus so we are more susceptible to viruses during these times and we have to take preventative measures.
Most of these measures are pure common sense.
- Wash your hands often and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go out.
- Disinfect toys, pacifiers, bottles and sippy cups often.
- Avoid exposure to other sick children.
Sources:
- Oklahoma Health Cooperative
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Encyclopedia of Pediatric Diseases
- Steven E. Doerr M.D., medical author
- NY State Dept. of Health
- University of Virginia Health Systems
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment