Breathing Question

[KDC]

Hi All,

I have a little guy here, 6 month old DCB that has been here since 11 weeks old. This is his first illness, he got hand/foot/mouth and his parents kept him home 2 days last week due to fever and spots. (It was a BAD virus, even the babies Dad caught it). Prior to HFM he started to get a minor cold (teething they called it). It was worse when he came back from the HFM. He's all boogery and stuffed up. Yesterday when they brought him he was wheezing a bit and had slight retraction in his belly. I voiced my concern, especially since his mood worsened throughout the day. I thought a Dr. visit might be a good idea. These are first time parents (who with HFM didn't realize the motrin was a fever reducer and the only reason he did not have a fever for more than 6 hours!).

So they took him in and the ped. said it's just the virus working through his system and it's at the worst part, and he should be better soon. DCP's asked about bringing him to daycare and they said if he sleeps through the night he should be fine. So they said he only woke up for 20 mins, but slept the rest of the time. He's here and his breathing is even worse than yesterday. He now has retraction in his neck as well as his belly and the wheezing is louder. His nose gets so stuffy that he can't drink so they're shoving solids at him. He like all infants hates his nose wiped, which sends him sobbing, which takes me 40 mins to calm down because the more he sobs, the more he can't breath and the more he's scared.

In your opinion...should he be here or home? Am I overreacting?

[Scout]

He should absolutely be home! Send him. He needs to be with his parents and it sounds to me like he needs steroids and albuterol treatments. If he is retracting in his gut and his nostrils was what I was always told by our ped. And every time my kids wheezed I've been told to give them breathing treatments, usually every 4 hours(first son at 7 mos old so, not too much older), and given steroids for 5 days. I am not trying to scare you but, why would they no take this seriously at the dr. Poor kid!

[Scout]

Sounds like he has bronchiolitis to me.

[childcaremom]

He needs to be checked by a doctor asap.

[Blackcat31]

ANY time a kid has trouble breathing, they need to be with their parent.

That is way too much to put onto you while caring for other kids.

I would not allow him to attend.

Poor little guy!

[sharlan]

I would be calling the parents and sending him home. I don't mess with breathing issues.

Are you sure that they took him to the ped?

[GKJNIGMN]

If he is having trouble breathing have them get a second opinion. My dd went into the doctor at a few months old a couple times for the same issue. Our daycare provider at the time was willing to keep her but voiced her concern. We were sent with a note twice clearing her to return. A week or so later the provider had an inspection and the inspector made her call me to come pick my dd up and take her to the doctor again on the spot because she was worried enough.

Sure enough she ended up hospitalized. They sent her home a couple days later when she had tested negative for RSV and she ended up returning the emergency room and being readmitted the next night when it got worse. She finally tested positive for RSV but spent another week in the hospital.

I found that as soon as I mentioned the daycare wanted her checked out they just handed me a note and moved on with their day like that was what I wanted. Don't ignore breathing problems in infants because it can go bad quickly and it's better to be safe than sorry. Even though I was taking my child to the doctor and was willing to keep her home if needed, it could have been much worse if the inspector hadn't insisted she go in again because I was young and honestly didn't know better.

[KDC]

So, She sent a note this morning to see if she should leave after lunch to come get the little guy and I said yes, it would be best and sent her a video of the DCB wheezing, and his throat ****ing in, and his stomach retracting and she asked about his mood, which is surprisingly fine (yesterday, he was a mess), but the breathing is worse today. I wait, and just received the following text;

"Doctor says the retractions seen in the neck are typical when he's alredy showing slight retraction in lungs. Given how he looked yesterday and today, she isn't concerned. Recommended offering additional bottles and if he's not eating enough during a single feeding due to difficulty breathing".

Seriously?
I said, I'll keep him, but if his breathing or mood worsens I will insist he is picked up immediately.

[preschoolteacher]

Jeez, my son has been in the ER twice this year with issues like that. He had to get a nebulizer and steroid treatments both times. This last time, it was "pre-pneumonia" and bringing him in is what prevented him from getting full blown pneumonia, according to my doc. I would not mess around with breathing issues.

I mean, maybe my kid is a little sickie (certainly has been this winter!), but with a baby so young, I would not be so casual about it like the mom and doctor have been.

[melilley]

I also have a dcb that sounds like your dcb. Just last week he sounded terrible, but mom brought him anyways. I called mom to pick him up, his breathing sounded like what you are describing and it scared the crap out of me! When I finally got ahold of mom, she took him to the hospital and he ended up just getting a treatment. They said it sounds worse than it is and isn't contagious. His doc wasn't worried either, which I think is weird, I was freaking out! It was not normal to me!

[sharlan]

IMHO, it's time for mom to find a new ped.

[Scout]

IMHO, it's time for mom to find a new ped.

[childcaremom]

Jeez, my son has been in the ER twice this year with issues like that. He had to get a nebulizer and steroid treatments both times. This last time, it was "pre-pneumonia" and bringing him in is what prevented him from getting full blown pneumonia, according to my doc. I would not mess around with breathing issues.

I mean, maybe my kid is a little sickie (certainly has been this winter!), but with a baby so young, I would not be so casual about it like the mom and doctor have been.

I agree with above. I think that these parents need to take this more seriously. At the very least, keep him home to monitor him. Take the responsibility off of you.

My experiences certainly affect my thinking. My daughter has issues from being a prem, so I know that she is not 'typical', however, IMHO any retractions should be checked by a doctor in person. Any time retractions have been present she has needed steroid and aerosol treatments at the hospital, at the very least, and has also been admitted to hospital 5 times (twice to ICU). The viruses she had were RSV and RSV pneumonia. She went from ok, to manageable, to awful VERY quickly each time. My son also had retractions with RSV and was admitted so this is something that I would not mess with.

I am unfamiliar with your medical system and all the new changes, but if I was the parent, I would either get a second opinion or go to emerg. Not something I would mess around with because things can change very quickly.

I hope the doctor's right, and that it is at it's worse, but I would put that on the parents to monitor the baby.

[daycarediva]

"I don't feel comfortable caring for a child who is having retractions and difficulty breathing. When the retractions are gone, he can return to care."


I would NOT make this my problem. It is up to Mom to seek a second opinion (I would have left that pedi and went straight to the er, retractions have also always been met with a nebulizer treatment in my own children and in my daycare children.)

I know how fast breathing issues can deteriorate and I would NOT want that responsibility/liability.

[Scout]

I ses my kids arent the only ones given steroids and breathing treatments for this and it seems to be the standard treatment...please give us an update. I hope they keep him home today.