Is noisy breathing in newborns an alarming symptom?

Question

Hi doctor,

My daughter is 50 days old now. Her birth weight is 6.3 pounds and her current weight is 9.2 pounds approximately. At the time of her birth, it was noticed that some type of snoring noise suddenly arose with her breathing. The child specialist suggested that nothing to worry about as it will go off when she becomes older. After I was discharged from the hospital on day seven, I visited another two specialists and heard the same.

Last midnight, she suffered from the same. According to her doctor, it is the same noise as before. But how can we believe that? Please suggest to me what to do now. Is my baby fine? The main problem is that she suffers even at midnight in the absence of her doctor. Unfortunately, I was not able to record the situation of last night. I am attaching her previous recordings. She suffered a lot last night.

Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have read your question and listened to the recordings (attachment removed to protect patient identity) in detail. By listening to the audio, it seems to be laryngomalacia (a congenital softening of the tissues of the larynx above the vocal cords).

In laryngomalacia, the muscles of the larynx are weak, and so the child makes this type of noisy sound during breathing. These sounds decrease in the prone position, or when we put the child on his abdomen. This is not a serious issue, as the child grows, the muscles of the larynx become stronger, and this noisy breathing decreases.

I would suggest that whenever the child has this type of increase in noisy breathing, you should put the child on your lap in the prone position. Also, you should start Vitamin D3 drops 1 ml daily for nine months; this also helps in improving laryngomalacia. This is definitely laryngomalacia, because if your child had some other thing, then there would have been a decrease in weight.

Also, there should be a fever and other accompanying symptoms like respiratory difficulty and cough. If there is difficulty in breathing, fever, or decreased feeding, then we should keep the possibility of infection, and antibiotics should be started. In my opinion, you should look carefully at whether other symptoms are present and whether the child is feeding normally or not. A chest examination by a doctor will also assure you.

The probable diagnosis is laryngomalacia. The treatment plan is Vitamin D drops D3 must 1 ml once per day till 9 months of age, and keep the child prone during noisy breathing.

Revert with some more audio and a chest x-ray of the child.

I hope that you get your answer.

Please let me know if you need any help.

Thank you.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I have heard all the audio clippings (attachments removed to protect patient identity). The last clipping of irregular breathing suggests that there is some nose block too and the child is trying to clear the nose. You can use Nasoclear (Sodium chloride) drops, one drop in each nostril. If your child was getting less feed, then his weight should be low. As her weight is appropriate for age you need not worry about this. Same thing applies for vomit after feeding. All babies vomit a little milk after feeding, just burp the child more. For diaper rashes, a good rash-free cream is good.

I hope that you get your answer.

Please let me know if you need any help.

Thank you