Symptoms of NRDS
blue-coloured lips, fingers and toes. rapid, shallow breathing. flaring nostrils. a grunting sound when breathing.
Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) occurs in babies born early (premature) whose lungs are not fully developed. The earlier the infant is born, the more likely it is for them to have RDS and need extra oxygen and help breathing. RDS is caused by the baby not having enough surfactant in the lungs.
Respiratory distress in the newborn is recognized as one or more signs of increased work of breathing, such as tachypnea, nasal flaring, chest retractions, or grunting.
Pulling in of the ribs when taking a breath (retraction) Wheezing, grunting, or whistling sounds while breathing. Odor, drainage, or bleeding from the umbilical cord. Worsening yellowing (jaundice) of the skin on the chest, arms, or legs, or whites of the eyes.
An audible grunt (forced expiratory sound) is an important sign of pulmonary pathology in the newborn indicating that the baby has a low lung volume or functional residual capacity (FRC). Breathing against a partially closed glottis increases the FRC of the baby and helps keep the alveoli patent.
retractions — Your child's chest will appear to sink in just below the neck or under her breastbone with each breath. This is another way of trying to bring more air into her lungs. sweating — There may be an increase of sweat on your child's head, but without her skin feeling warm to the touch.
Infant dyschezia is a specific condition. Another name for infant dyschezia is grunting baby syndrome. Infants with dyschezia appear to have difficulty pooping, but they have no signs of constipation. They might strain, grunt or cry for 10 to 30 minutes before they poop, but when the poop comes out, it's normal.
Approximately 50% of the neonates born at 26-28 weeks' gestation develop respiratory distress syndrome, whereas less than 30% of premature neonates born at 30-31 weeks' gestation develop the condition.
The condition often gets worse for 2 to 4 days after birth and improves slowly after that. Some infants with severe respiratory distress syndrome will die. This most often occurs between days 2 and 7.
Less often, RDS can affect full-term newborns. Most newborns who have RDS survive. However, these babies may need extra medical care after going home. Some babies have complications from RDS or its treatment, including the development of another lung condition called bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
(“Ugh” sound), wheezing or like mucus is in the throat. Clammy skin – Feel your child's skin to see if it is cool but also sweaty. The head may be sweaty while the skin feels cool or clammy.
Grunting is a normal sound for your baby to make during sleep, along with gurgles, squeaks, and snores. Most of these sounds are completely normal and do not indicate any health or breathing problems.
A lot of snorts and grunts happen because babies are nose-breathers. That's a good thing since it makes it possible for them to breathe and nurse at the same time. But persistent grunting actually can indicate something serious: It's his body's way to try to keep air in his lungs to build up the oxygen level.
Infants with severe RSV will have short, shallow and rapid breathing. This can be identified by "caving-in" of the chest in between the ribs and under the ribs (chest wall retractions), "spreading-out" of the nostrils with every breath (nasal flaring), and abnormally fast breathing.
A newborn's normal breathing rate is about 40 to 60 times per minute. This may slow to 30 to 40 times per minute when the baby is sleeping. A baby's breathing pattern may also be different. A baby may breathe fast several times, then have a brief rest for less than 10 seconds, then breathe again.
Tight breathing so that your child can barely speak or cry. Ribs are pulling in with each breath (called retractions). Breathing has become noisy (such as wheezing). Breathing is much faster than normal.
Infants who were found apparently dead and who required vigorous stimulation or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to revive them were said to have near-miss SIDS. The most common finding was apnea, often with pallor.
"The sound that a congested child makes is stertor," Walsh says. "It's almost like a snoring sound that indicates congestion in the mouth and nose." Stertor can happen with a common cold. It can also indicate adenoid enlargement from allergies or flu.