The baby breathes heavily. Features of the breathing process at the time of the birth of a little man. Types of breathing in a child

Every new parent has probably wondered more than once why a newborn often breathes in his sleep? Maybe restless dreams are to blame? Moms and dads at first can sit for a long time near the crumbs and listen to how he breathes and whether he breathes. Sometimes they say that: "We do not sleep every night, we listen to the baby's breathing." This is normal and often goes away as the child gets older. The special structure of the respiratory organs of newborns, the general immaturity of all body systems, as well as adaptation to life outside the mother's body, determine some of the features of their breathing.

After the birth of a child, it takes a long time for him to adapt to new living conditions. The organ systems of the crumbs are not yet perfect enough to carry out their functions in full force. This also applies to the respiratory system in particular. Newborns perform from 50 to 60 breaths per minute, while for an adult this figure is almost three times less (from 18 to 20 per minute). Therefore, the baby can breathe rapidly both in sleep and during wakefulness in principle.

If babies are born on time, the normalization of their breathing rate occurs around the second month of life. For premature or underweight babies, the timing of the “ripening” of the respiratory system will be somewhat longer.

In order to find out why a newborn breathes so often in a dream, you need to turn to reliable medical sources. Pediatricians have determined approximate norms for the frequency of respiratory movements for children of the first year of life and older:

• in newborns 40-60 units per minute;
• in a child from 1 to 3 months - 40-45 units per minute;
• in a child from 4 to 6 months - 35-40 units per minute;
• in a child from 7 to 12 months - 30-35 units per minute;
• in a child from 2 to 3 years old - 25-30 units per minute;
• in a child from 5 to 6 years old - 25 units per minute;
• in a child from 7 to 12 years old - 18-20 units per minute.

It is important to consider that the determination of the respiratory rate of babies should be carried out at rest. Even better if it happens during sleep. Because when the baby is awake, especially if he has crossed the line of a newborn, the results obtained can scare parents. All due to the fact that, making active movements, the baby, respectively, begins to inhale more often.

When a newborn child is healthy, he has no signs of disease, he is gaining weight well and developing according to age, the frequency of respiratory acts will correspond to the norm.

The rapid breathing of the baby in this case can be explained by:

Sometimes you can notice that newborn babies breathe shallowly, and then take several short breaths and one longer one. It looks like they are sighing. This is also related to the individual characteristics of babies and disappears as they grow older.

Pediatricians with periodic regular examinations of the baby often pay attention to determining the pulse and respiratory rate. Such indicators are significant and informative when examining newborns. Sometimes they can indicate the presence of pathology and the necessary treatment.

In addition, the type of breathing used by the child may also be of diagnostic value.

It could be:

• breathing in which the abdominal muscles are involved (abdominal type) - is predominant in newborns, refers to a variant of healthy breathing, because at the same time all lungs are saturated with oxygen;
• breathing, in which only the pectoral muscles participate (thoracic type) - is characterized by the fact that the incoming air moves only in the upper part of the lungs, which can cause oxygen deficiency and congestion of the respiratory tract;
• mixed type of breathing - combines the advantages of the first two, allowing you to maximize the use of lung volume in the respiratory act, exercising gas exchange to the maximum.

Since in newborns, the abdominal muscles are mainly involved in breathing, you should not swaddle the baby too tight. It is also important to monitor your baby's digestion, trying to minimize the occurrence of colic or constipation.

Proper work of the abdominal muscles, along with contractions of the diaphragm, will ensure the most complete and deep breathing of the baby.

The mucous membranes of the respiratory tract of infants have a very extensive network of capillaries, and therefore are more susceptible to edema. Therefore, it is so important to protect the baby from the occurrence of various kinds of rhinitis, which interfere with normal nutrition, good sleep and significantly impair the quality of life of the baby.

Along with a runny nose, the following reasons pose a serious threat to the health of the baby:

Any of the above diseases contributes to the narrowing of the already narrow gaps of the ENT organs. The baby is breathing heavily, cannot breathe normally, eat, if nasal breathing is difficult, cannot cough up due to age. All this can pose a certain threat to life in the absence of timely medical care. Therefore, it is so important to pay attention to the health of the newborn, taking all possible measures to prevent colds.

Overweight babies are more prone to swelling of the mucous membrane of the larynx. Therefore, it is important to monitor the nutrition of such children, minimizing the occurrence of allergic reactions.

In addition to the above diseases, rapid or difficult breathing in a child can be caused by:

If any of these options occur, you should seek medical help as soon as possible. Timely treatment will speed up the healing process and help prevent possible negative consequences.

Knowing how important free full breathing is for a newborn, it is necessary to minimize the impact of negative factors.

To do this, parents need:

It is important to remember that preventing diseases is always easier than treating them. This is especially true of a newborn baby, whose immunity is just beginning to form.

In conclusion, we note that the frequent breathing of a newborn during sleep is a variant of the norm at this age. It's not worth worrying about this. However, the baby should not be left unattended either. It is important to maintain a certain balance, the "golden mean". And if you have the slightest suspicion, immediately seek qualified medical help.

A newborn baby raises a lot of questions from inexperienced parents. Among them, one can especially often meet bewilderment with the rapid and irregular breathing of a child. This is quite normal excitement, because adults are used to the fact that even breathing is considered normal for them. Having discovered that it is not like that, all newly-made parents are very worried, and many panic. But is it justified?

How does a newborn baby breathe?

Babies usually breathe by alternating short breaths with deep ones. Sometimes this scares parents, because. The child does not seem to be breathing at all. However, it only lasts a few seconds, so there is no reason to be afraid.

Sometimes children make uncharacteristic sounds when they breathe. This is absolutely normal. This is due to the fact that the respiratory organs of the child are not yet fully developed, and a large amount of air is already passing through them. All this will pass, and breathing will improve about a month after birth. But it has already been proven that breathing is adjusted a little more in time.

Newborns breathe about 2-2.5 times more often than adults. For babies, this is vital, because their lung volume is small, the blood is not fully saturated with oxygen. This is compensated by the child with his rapid breathing.

Other causes of shortness of breath

Sometimes the child's breathing is accompanied by all sorts of whistling or wheezing sounds. In this case, you must immediately show the baby to the doctor, because such breathing most likely means an infectious disease. In children, pneumonia occurs almost imperceptibly, so this change in breathing is one of the indicators in establishing this disease.

Increased breathing can be at elevated temperature and holding the breath during sleep. If there is shortness of breath in this case, it may turn out that the baby has a pulmonary or. Then the child needs to be hospitalized as soon as possible. Shortness of breath is also often present with bronchitis. With a decrease in respiratory rate, meningitis can be suspected, although this severe brain damage is less common in children than in adults.

If the child is interested in something, his breathing may become faster. But in this case, it does not require observation. Normal is the acceleration of respiratory movements in the manifestation of emotions.

At the age of one year, special attention is required for children. During this period, counting breaths is necessary. At an early age, it is most difficult to identify any diseases, and the respiratory rate helps to notice the disease at an early stage.

Disease prevention

Indoors, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of about 23 ° C and optimal humidity. Pay special attention to this in winter, when the premises are heated, which negatively affects the respiratory organs of not only adults, but also children.

When walking, take into account the temperature outside. It is necessary to dress the child so that the cold air that gets into his respiratory tract does not cause a cold. In other words, overdoing it in wrapping the baby is highly discouraged.

If the child has already caught a cold, you need to use a pear or a special device. If necessary, use nasal drops.

It is very important to take care of your baby's health. And you need to remember this from the first days of the appearance of the baby in the family.

It takes only a few seconds for a newborn to "emerge" from the aquatic environment, rebuild and start breathing air. A short cry - the baby took in air into his chest - and now he is already breathing on his own, switched to pulmonary breathing. But it may take another couple of weeks until the baby fully adapts to the new conditions. During this period, he has some disturbing symptoms for inexperienced parents, such as sudden respiratory pauses, blue lips, rapid pulse, some strange heart sounds. As a rule, this is not a cause for serious concern: frightening phenomena are explained by the fact that the baby's blood circulation must adapt to completely different conditions of "extrauterine" life.
IN first weeks of a newborn's life fully occupied with adjusting to the new conditions of life. He did not yet understand the difference between day and night. Of the 24 hours that make up a day, he can oversleep a total of 18 to 20 hours. Sleep is a means of "self-defense" of the baby. In order not to be overloaded with numerous environmental factors, his system simply turns off.

When the baby is looking for the nipple of the mother's breast, one has only to touch his cheek or touch his lips with a finger, as he begins to produce sucking movements. These are manifestations of an innate reflex. The grasp reflex fades after three to four months. Other reflexes remain for life: blinking, breathing, swallowing, coughing, sneezing.

On his own, the baby cannot yet change his position. Only lying on his stomach, he tries to overcome the powerful force of gravity: at least for a couple of seconds, but raise his head.

A newborn can see, hear, feel, smell, although his senses do not work like an adult. A baby can see very clearly by about six months. At this age, it is best for him to consider objects from a distance of twenty-five centimeters. But already now the child is able to highlight the voices of people and distinguish them from other sources of noise. When a baby hears the familiar voice of his mother or father, he begins to show increased attention, other acoustic noises do not interest him.

• Feeding on demand is the most correct during this period. The baby wakes up every two to three hours, and sometimes even more often.
• In the first weeks, try to be more restrained with the pacifier. This will benefit breastfeeding. Help the child, bring the hand to his mouth, let him suck his fist better - this is a great way for him to comfort.
• You don't have to walk on tiptoe all the time. This is unusual for both you and it is more difficult for the baby to fall asleep and sleep.
• Baby baths are great for babies at first. Be careful! It is better to bathe in a round basin. To prevent the baby from slipping, put a soft towel on the bottom.

The heart of a newborn beats quickly, making 110-150 beats per minute (in adults, 70-80 beats of a pulse are considered the norm). It beats at such a speed because it is small and, accordingly, the volume of blood pumped by it in the body is still small. Since the heart beats quickly, the baby breathes rapidly.

In the first weeks of life, an infant can take up to 50 breaths per minute, moreover, irregular and noisy. Some also sigh heavily, snore, sniff loudly. And only in the phase of deep sleep they breathe silently, which again is very alarming for parents. Adapting to a new environment is hard work for an infant, so short pauses in the process of breathing are normal. Sometimes a whole second passes - an eternity! - until the baby takes the next breath.

It is necessary to sound the alarm if the child suddenly turns pale or turns blue during this respiratory pause - then urgent medical intervention is necessary.

When a baby cries loudly, he can also turn blue, because when crying, the rhythm of breathing goes astray, not sufficiently enriched with oxygen, the spent blood returns to the circulatory system. As soon as the child is lifted, picked up and calmed, the skin returns to its normal pink color.

Yellowing of the skin in a newborn is also associated with the restructuring of the body. Since the baby is already breathing on his own, he now needs fewer red blood cells than during his stay in the womb. Their excess is processed in the liver, and bilirubin is formed, which stains the skin yellow. Three-quarters of newborns have "jaundice", but after a few days there is no trace of it.

There is another important problem - heat conservation: the child must constantly maintain a slightly elevated temperature in his body - from 37 to 37.5? C. Hypothermia is dangerous for him, because in this case the body needs more oxygen to retain heat. In this situation, it is useful to put on a cap for a newborn, it protects him well, because the heat mostly escapes “through the head”. Cold hands or feet are not yet an indicator that the baby is overcooled. Clothes for newborns should not be too warm and irritating. In the first days, it will be enough to swaddle the child and you should not immediately put him in rompers and overalls. It is better to touch the skin on the back and tummy, it should be pleasantly warm, but not sweaty - this symptom shows that the baby feels good.

For still unstable blood circulation, a cold bed is also a big burden. Cold means extra work for the heart - it needs to do more to make up for the missing heat. Therefore, before putting the baby in the crib, be sure to warm up the bed, for example, by putting a heating pad or a hot water bottle in it (the bottle should then be removed or placed so that the baby cannot accidentally touch it).

The newborn period is a particularly difficult time for a child. This is a period of adaptation to environmental conditions - existence outside the womb. The functions of all organs and systems are rebuilt: respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, excretory, immune, etc. Many problems and many questions can arise during this difficult period for mom and dad. Therefore, the baby should be under the constant supervision of a doctor - starting from the hospital, and then in the clinic at the place of residence. The first examination of the child takes place immediately after birth. I did not have time to be born, they are already putting the first marks. Doctors evaluate the baby's health by testing it on the Apgar scale. The heartbeat, breathing, skin color, muscle tissue tension are controlled, congenital reflexes are checked. Most babies get seven to eight points. The results of this “exam” are looked at more closely when there is some delay in the development of the child.

The doctor listens to his heart, lungs, feels the head, tummy, limbs; checks sucking, grasping, plantar and other important characteristics of a newborn. In the maternity hospital, the child will receive the first vaccinations: during the day, the first hepatitis B vaccination is carried out; on the third - seventh day of life, a healthy newborn is vaccinated against tuberculosis (BCG).

After that, on the first or second day, a doctor from the children's clinic comes to the house. He gets acquainted with his mother, with the living conditions of the family, finds out the features of the course of pregnancy and childbirth. After a detailed interview and a thorough examination of the child, the doctor should tell the mother about the features of the adaptation period: explain why the baby is losing weight in the early days, what is the sexual crisis in girls and boys (breast swelling, spotting in girls and swelling of the scrotum in boys) . The doctor and the local nurse teach the mother to treat the umbilical wound with brilliant green or potassium permanganate solution until it heals completely. This is important, as the umbilical wound can become an open door for infection. Advice is also given on feeding, bathing and caring for the newborn.

During the first month of life, the doctor visits the child three times. When the baby is one month old, the mother and child are invited to the children's clinic for an appointment. Weighing is carried out, height and circumference of the chest and head are measured. The doctor looks at whether the child is developing correctly, gives recommendations on nutrition, and explains the benefits of breastfeeding. Often, children are prescribed vitamin D to prevent rickets. At the age of one month, the child is given a second vaccination against hepatitis B. In addition, the mother and baby should get an appointment with specialists: a neuropathologist, an ophthalmologist, an orthopedist.

Early diagnosis of deviations in the state of health of the child helps in timely and successful treatment.

Any changes in the child's breathing immediately become noticeable to parents. Especially if the frequency and nature of breathing changes, extraneous noises appear. We will talk about why this can happen and what to do in each specific situation in this article.

Peculiarities

Children breathe differently than adults. Firstly, in babies, breathing is more superficial, shallow. The volume of air inhaled will increase as the child grows, in babies it is very small. Secondly, it is more frequent, because the volume of air is still small.

The airways in children are narrower, they have a certain deficit of elastic tissue.

This often leads to a violation of the excretory function of the bronchi. With a cold or a viral infection in the nasopharynx, larynx, and bronchi, active immune processes begin to fight the invading virus. Mucus is produced, the task of which is to help the body cope with the disease, “bind” and immobilize alien “guests”, stop their progress.

Due to the narrowness and inelasticity of the respiratory tract, the outflow of mucus can be difficult. Most often, problems with the respiratory system in childhood are experienced by children who were born prematurely. Due to the weakness of the entire nervous system in general and the respiratory system in particular, they have a significantly higher risk of developing serious pathologies - bronchitis, pneumonia.

Babies breathe mainly with the “belly”, that is, at an early age, due to the high location of the diaphragm, abdominal breathing prevails.

At the age of 4, chest breathing begins to form. By age 10, most girls are breastfeeding and most boys are diaphragmatic (abdominal) breathing. A child's need for oxygen is much higher than the needs of an adult, because babies are actively growing, moving, they have much more transformations and changes in their bodies. To provide all organs and systems with oxygen, the baby needs to breathe more often and more actively, for this there should be no pathological changes in his bronchi, tracheas and lungs.

Any, even insignificant, at first glance, reason (stuffy nose, sore throat, tickling) can complicate children's breathing. During illness, it is not so much the abundance of bronchial mucus that is dangerous, but its ability to quickly thicken. If, with a blocked nose, the baby breathed through his mouth at night, then with a high degree of probability, the next day the mucus will begin to thicken and dry out.

Not only the disease can disturb the child's external breathing, but also the quality of the air that he breathes. If the climate in the apartment is too hot and dry, if the parents turn on the heater in the children's bedroom, then there will be many more problems with breathing. Too humid air will also not benefit the baby.

Oxygen deficiency in children develops faster than in adults, and this does not necessarily require the presence of some serious illness.

Sometimes there is enough slight swelling, slight stenosis, and now hypoxia develops in the little one. Absolutely all departments of the children's respiratory system have significant differences from the adult. This explains why children under 10 years of age are most likely to suffer from respiratory ailments. After 10 years, the incidence decreases, with the exception of chronic pathologies.

The main breathing problems in children are accompanied by several symptoms that are understandable to every parent:

• the child's breathing became hard, noisy;
• the baby breathes heavily - inhalations or exhalations are given with visible difficulty;
• the respiratory rate has changed - the child began to breathe less often or more often;
• wheezing appeared.

The reasons for these changes may be different. And only a doctor in tandem with a specialist in laboratory diagnostics can establish the true ones. We will try to tell in general terms what reasons most often underlie changes in breathing in a child.

Varieties

Depending on the nature, experts distinguish several types of shortness of breath.

hard breathing

Harsh breathing in the medical understanding of this phenomenon is such respiratory movements in which inhalation is clearly audible, but exhalation is not. It should be noted that hard breathing is a physiological norm for young children. Therefore, if the child does not have a cough, runny nose or other symptoms of the disease, then you should not worry. The baby is breathing within the normal range.

Rigidity depends on age - the younger the toddler, the harder his breath. This is due to the underdevelopment of the alveoli and muscle weakness. The baby usually breathes noisily, and this is quite normal. In most children, breathing softens by the age of 4, in some it can remain quite hard until 10-11 years. However, after this age, the breathing of a healthy child always softens.

If a child has an exhalation noise accompanied by a cough and other symptoms of the disease, then we can talk about a large list of possible ailments.

Most often, such breathing accompanies bronchitis and bronchopneumonia. If the exhalation is heard as clearly as the inhalation, then you should definitely consult a doctor. Such harsh breathing will not be the norm.

Harsh breathing with a wet cough is characteristic of the recovery period after an acute respiratory viral infection. As a residual phenomenon, such breathing indicates that not all excess sputum has left the bronchi. If there is no fever, runny nose and other symptoms, and hard breathing is accompanied by a dry and unproductive cough, Maybe it's an allergic reaction to some antigen. With influenza and SARS at the very initial stage, breathing can also become hard, but at the same time, the obligatory accompanying symptoms will be a sharp increase in temperature, liquid clear discharge from the nose, and possibly redness of the throat and tonsils.

Hard breath

Difficulty breathing is usually difficult. Such difficult breathing causes the greatest concern among parents, and this is not at all in vain, because normally, in a healthy child, the breath should be audible, but light, it should be given to the child without difficulty. In 90% of all cases of difficulty breathing when inhaling, the cause lies in a viral infection. These are all familiar influenza viruses and various acute respiratory viral infections. Sometimes heavy breathing accompanies such serious diseases as scarlet fever, diphtheria, measles and rubella. But in this case, changes in inspiration will not be the first sign of the disease.

Usually, heavy breathing does not develop immediately, but as the infectious disease develops.

With influenza, it can appear on the second or third day, with diphtheria - on the second, with scarlet fever - by the end of the first day. Separately, it is worth mentioning such a cause of difficult breathing as croup. It can be true (for diphtheria) and false (for all other infections). Intermittent breathing in this case is explained by the presence of stenosis of the larynx in the region of the vocal folds and in nearby tissues. The larynx narrows, and depending on the degree of croup (how narrowed the larynx) determines how difficult it will be to inhale.

Heavy shortness of breath is usually accompanied by shortness of breath. It can be observed both under load and at rest. The voice becomes hoarse, and sometimes disappears altogether. If the child is convulsive, jerky breathing, while the breath is clearly difficult, well audible, when you try to inhale, the skin above the collarbone sinks a little in the baby, you should immediately call an ambulance.

Croup is extremely dangerous, it can lead to the development of instant respiratory failure, suffocation.

It is possible to help a child only within the limits of first aid - open all the windows, provide fresh air (and do not be afraid that it is winter outside!), put the child on his back, try to calm him down, since excessive excitement makes the breathing process even more difficult and exacerbates the situation. All this is done from that period of time, while the ambulance brigade is going to the baby.

Of course, it is useful to be able to intubate the trachea with improvised means at home, in case of suffocation of a child, this will help save his life. But not every father or mother will be able, having overcome fear, to make an incision in the trachea with a kitchen knife and insert a spout from a porcelain teapot into it. This is how life-saving intubation is done.

Heavy breathing along with cough in the absence of fever and signs of a viral disease may indicate asthma.

General lethargy, lack of appetite, shallow and shallow breaths, pain when trying to breathe deeper can indicate the onset of a disease such as bronchiolitis.

Rapid breathing

The change in respiratory rate is usually in favor of acceleration. Rapid breathing is always a clear symptom of a lack of oxygen in the child's body. In the language of medical terminology, rapid breathing is called "tachypnea." A failure in respiratory function can occur at any time, sometimes parents may notice that a baby or a newborn often breathes in a dream, while the breathing itself is shallow, it looks like what happens in a dog that is “out of breath”.

Any mother can detect the problem without much difficulty. However you should not try to independently look for the cause of tachypnea, this is the task of specialists.

The norms of respiratory rate for children of different ages are as follows:

• from 0 to 1 month - from 30 to 70 breaths per minute;
• from 1 to 6 months - from 30 to 60 breaths per minute;
• from six months - from 25 to 40 breaths per minute;
• from 1 year - from 20 to 40 breaths per minute;
• from 3 years - from 20 to 30 breaths per minute;
• from 6 years - from 12 to 25 breaths per minute;
• from 10 years and older - from 12 to 20 breaths per minute.

The technique for counting the respiration rate is quite simple.

It is enough for a mother to arm herself with a stopwatch and put her hand on the child’s chest or tummy (it depends on age, since abdominal breathing prevails at an early age, and at an older age it can change into chest breathing. You need to count how many times the child inhales (and the chest or stomach rises - drops) in 1 minute. Then you should check with the above age norms and draw a conclusion. If there is an excess, this is an alarming symptom of tachypnea, and you should consult a doctor.

Quite often, parents complain about frequent intermittent breathing in their baby, not being able to distinguish tachypnea from banal shortness of breath. To do this in the meantime is quite simple. You should carefully observe whether the baby's inhalations and exhalations are always rhythmic. If rapid breathing is rhythmic, then we are talking about tachypnea. If it slows down and then accelerates, the child breathes unevenly, then we should talk about the presence of shortness of breath.

The causes of rapid breathing in children are often neurological or psychological in nature.

Severe stress, which the baby cannot express in words due to age and insufficient vocabulary and figurative thinking, still needs to be released. In most cases, children begin to breathe faster. This is considered physiological tachypnea, there is no particular danger of violation. The neurological nature of tachypnea should be considered first of all, remembering what events preceded the change in the nature of inhalations and exhalations, where the baby was, who he met, whether he had a strong fear, resentment, hysteria.

The second most common cause of rapid breathing is in respiratory diseases, primarily in bronchial asthma. Such periods of increased breaths are sometimes harbingers of periods of difficult breathing, episodes of respiratory failure, characteristic of asthma. Frequent fractional breaths often accompany chronic respiratory ailments, such as chronic bronchitis. However, the increase does not occur during remission, but during exacerbations. And along with this symptom, the baby has other symptoms - cough, fever (not always!), decreased appetite and general activity, weakness, fatigue.

The most serious reason for frequent inhalations and exhalations lies in in diseases of the cardiovascular system. It happens that it is possible to detect pathologies from the side of the heart only after the parents bring the baby to an appointment about increased breathing. That is why, in case of violation of the frequency of breaths, it is important to examine the child in a medical institution, and not to self-medicate.

Hoarseness

Bad breath with wheezing always indicates that there is an obstruction in the airways for the passage of the air stream. A foreign body, which the child inadvertently inhaled, and dried bronchial mucus, if the baby was treated for coughing incorrectly, and narrowing of any part of the respiratory tract, the so-called stenosis, can also get in the way of air.

Wheezing is so varied that you need to try to give a correct description of what parents hear in the performance of their own child.

Wheezing is described by duration, tonality, by coincidence with inhalation or exhalation, by the number of tones. The task is not easy, but if you successfully cope with it, then you can understand what exactly the child is sick with.

The fact is that wheezing for different diseases is quite unique, peculiar. And they actually have a lot to say. So, wheezing (dry wheezing) can indicate a narrowing of the airway, and wet wheezing (noisy gurgling accompaniment of the breathing process) can indicate the presence of fluid in the airways.

If the obstruction has arisen in a bronchus with a wide diameter, the wheezing tone is lower, bassy, ​​deaf. If the bronchi are thin, then the tone will be high, with a whistle on exhalation or inhalation. With inflammation of the lungs and other pathological conditions leading to changes in tissues, wheezing is more noisy, loud. If there are no severe inflammations, then the child wheezes quieter, muffled, sometimes barely distinguishable. If the child wheezes, as if sobbing, this always indicates the presence of excess moisture in the airways. Experienced doctors can diagnose the nature of wheezing by ear using a phonendoscope and percussion.

It happens that wheezing is not pathological. Sometimes they can be seen in an infant up to a year old, both in a state of activity and at rest. The baby breathes with a bubbling "accompaniment", and also noticeably "grunts" at night. This is due to the congenital individual narrowness of the respiratory tract. Such wheezing should not disturb parents if there are no accompanying painful symptoms. As the child grows, the airways will grow and expand, and the problem will disappear by itself.

In all other situations, wheezing is always an alarming sign that definitely requires examination by a doctor.

Wet rales, gurgling in varying degrees of severity may accompany:

• bronchial asthma;
• problems of the cardiovascular system, heart defects;
• lung diseases, including edema and tumors;
• acute renal failure;
• chronic respiratory diseases - bronchitis, obstructive bronchitis;
• SARS and influenza;
• tuberculosis.

Dry whistling or barking rales are more often characteristic of bronchiolitis, pneumonia, laryngitis, pharyngitis, and may even indicate the presence of a foreign body in the bronchi. In making the correct diagnosis, the method of listening to wheezing - auscultation - helps. Every pediatrician owns this method, and therefore a child with wheezing should definitely be shown to a pediatrician in order to establish a possible pathology in time and start treatment.

Treatment

After the diagnosis is made, the doctor prescribes the appropriate treatment.

Hard breathing therapy

If there is no temperature and, except for the rigidity of breathing, there are no other complaints, then the child does not need to be treated. It is enough to provide him with a normal motor regime, it is very important that excess bronchial mucus come out as quickly as possible. It is useful to walk on the street, play outdoor and active games in the fresh air. Usually breathing returns to normal within a few days.

If hard breathing is accompanied by a cough or fever, it is imperative to show the child to a pediatrician to rule out respiratory diseases.

If the disease is detected, the treatment will be aimed at stimulating the discharge of bronchial secretions. To do this, the baby is prescribed mucolytic drugs, heavy drinking, vibration massage.

For information on how vibration massage is done, see the following video.

Harsh breathing with a cough, but without respiratory symptoms and temperature, requires a mandatory consultation with an allergist. It is possible that the cause of the allergy can be eliminated by simple household actions - wet cleaning, ventilation, elimination of all chlorine-based household chemicals, use of hypoallergenic children's washing powder when washing clothes and linen. If this does not work, then the doctor will prescribe antihistamines with a calcium preparation.

Measures for heavy breathing

Heavy breathing with a viral infection does not need special treatment, since the underlying disease needs to be treated. In some cases, antihistamines are added to standard prescriptions for influenza and SARS, since they help to relieve internal edema and make it easier for the child to breathe. With diphtheria croup, the child is hospitalized without fail, since he needs the prompt administration of anti-diphtheria serum. This can be done only in a hospital, where, if necessary, the baby will be provided with surgical care, the connection of a ventilator, the introduction of antitoxic solutions.

False croup, if it is not complicated, and the child is not breastfeeding, may be allowed to be treated at home.

For this, it is usually prescribed courses of inhalation with drugs. Moderate and severe forms of croup need inpatient treatment with the use of glucocorticosteroid hormones ("Prednisolone" or "Dexamethasone"). Treatment of asthma and bronchiolitis is also carried out under medical supervision. In severe form - in the hospital, in mild form - at home, subject to all the recommendations and prescriptions of the doctor.

Rhythm increase - what to do?

Treatment in case of transient tachypnea, which is caused by stress, fear or excessive sensibility of the child, is not required. It is enough to teach the child to cope with his emotions, and over time, when the nervous system gets stronger, attacks of frequent breathing will come to naught.

You can stop another attack with a paper bag. It is enough to invite the child to breathe into it, breathing in and out. In this case, you can not take air from the outside, you need to inhale only what is in the bag. Usually a few such breaths are quite enough for the attack to recede. The main thing, at the same time, is to calm down yourself and calm the child.

If the increase in the rhythm of inhalations and exhalations has pathological causes, the underlying disease should be treated. Child's cardiovascular problems are dealt with pulmonologist and cardiologist. Pediatrician can help you manage asthma ENT doctor, and sometimes an allergist.

Wheezing treatment

None of the doctors is engaged in the treatment of wheezing, since there is no need to treat them. The disease that caused their appearance should be treated, and not the consequence of this disease. If wheezing is accompanied by a dry cough, to alleviate the symptoms, along with the main treatment, the doctor may prescribe expectorant drugs that will help the dry cough to turn into a productive one with sputum as soon as possible.

If wheezing has caused stenosis, narrowing of the respiratory tract, the child may be prescribed drugs that relieve swelling - antihistamines, diuretics. With a decrease in edema, wheezing usually becomes quieter or disappears altogether.

Wheezing wheezing that accompanies staccato and labored breathing is always a sign that a child needs emergency medical attention.

Any combination of the nature and tone of wheezing against the background of a high temperature is also a reason to hospitalize the child as soon as possible and entrust his treatment to professionals.

Breathing is the most important process in the human body of any age, along with the contraction of the heart muscle. Breathing removes carbon dioxide from the body and saturates the cells with oxygen. Without it, the existence of not a single living being on the planet is possible. The maximum a person can spend without access to oxygen is 5 minutes. The world record, recorded after a long period of preparing a person for existence in an airless space, namely under water, is 18 minutes.

The breathing of a newborn child is more frequent than in adults, due to the fact that the respiratory system itself is not yet fully formed

The process itself is divided into two stages. When you inhale through the respiratory tract, air enters the lungs of a person, which is divided into oxygen and carbon dioxide, passing through the circulatory system. When you exhale, carbon dioxide is removed from the body. Oxygen is carried to all tissues and organs through the arteries, and carbon dioxide is excreted through the venous blood back to the lungs. So wisely and functionally disposed of nature itself. The breathing of any newborn, like an adult, is an important rhythmic process, failures in which can indicate problems in the body and entail serious consequences.

Breath of newborns

The breathing of infants is of great importance both as an indicator of the health of the baby, and as the main life-supporting process of a newborn child, which has its own age characteristics, in particular, a very narrow respiratory passage. The child's airways are short, so a deep full inhalation and exhalation are not carried out. The nasopharynx is narrow, and the smallest foreign object that gets there can cause sneezing and coughing, and the accumulation of mucus and dust can cause snoring, sniffing and choking. For crumbs, even a slight runny nose is dangerous due to hyperemia of the mucosa and narrowing of the lumen.

Young parents should try to make every effort so that the baby does not catch a viral disease and does not catch a cold, because both rhinitis and bronchitis in infancy are very dangerous, they have to be treated for a long time and hard, because the little ones still cannot take most medications. Support, do to the baby, dose the frequency of guests and the duration of walks.

Frequent walks, fresh air have a beneficial effect on the health of the baby and his breathing.

The specificity of the infant's breathing

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The baby's body develops literally by the hour. All organs and systems work in an enhanced mode, therefore, the rate of a baby's pulse and blood pressure are much higher than in an adult. So, the pulse reaches 140 beats per minute. The body of a small person is physiologically tuned to rapid breathing in order to compensate for the impossibility of deep full-fledged inhalations-exhalations due to the imperfection of the respiratory system, narrow passages, weak muscles and small ribs.

Babies breathe superficially, often they breathe intermittently and unevenly, which can scare parents. Even respiratory failure is possible. By the age of 7, the child's respiratory system is completely formed, the baby outgrows, stops getting sick. Breathing becomes the same as in adults, and rhinitis, bronchitis and pneumonia are more easily tolerated.

Doing sports and yoga, frequent walks and airing the premises will help your child under 7 years old to more easily endure the imperfection of his respiratory system.

Rate, frequency and types of breathing

If the baby breathes often, but there are no wheezing and noises, then this breathing is a normal process. If any abnormalities are observed, then the child should be shown to the doctor.

In the event that your little one does not have a stuffy nose, and his body is functioning normally, then the baby takes two or three short light breaths, then one deep breath, while exhaling remains equally superficial. Such is the specificity of the breath of any newborn. The child breathes often and quickly. In a minute, to provide the body with oxygen, the baby takes about 40-60 breaths. A 9-month-old toddler should breathe more rhythmically, deeply and evenly. Noises, wheezing, swelling of the wings of the nose should disturb the parents and force them to show the child to the pediatrician.

The number of respiratory movements is usually counted by the movements of the chest of the baby at rest. Respiratory rate norms are given in the list:

• up to the third week of life - 40-60 breaths;
• from the third week of life to three months - 40-45 breaths per minute;
• from 4 months to six months - 35-40;
• from six months to 1 year - 30-36 breaths per minute.

To make the data look more visual, we point out that the norm of the respiratory rate of an adult is up to 20 breaths per minute, and in a sleeping state, the indicator decreases by another 5 units. The guidelines help pediatricians determine the state of health. In the event that the frequency of respiratory movements, abbreviated as NPV, deviates from the generally accepted positions, we can talk about a disease of the respiratory or other system in the body of the newborn. The parents themselves can not miss the onset of the disease by periodically counting the NPV at home, according to Dr. Komarovsky.

Each mother can independently check the frequency and type of breathing

In the process of life, an infant can breathe in three different ways, which is physiologically provided by nature, namely:

• Breast type. It is predetermined by the characteristic movements of the chest and does not sufficiently ventilate the lower sections of the lungs.
• Abdominal type. With it, the diaphragm and the abdominal wall move, and the upper sections of the lungs are not sufficiently ventilated.
• Mixed type. The most complete type of breathing, both the upper and lower parts of the respiratory tract are ventilated.

Deviations from the norm

The parameters of physiological development do not always meet generally accepted standards due to human ill health. Causes of deviations from the norm of breathing, which are not a pathology:

• the baby may breathe too quickly during physical activity, play, in an excited state of a positive or negative nature, in moments of crying;
• in a dream, newborns can sniff, wheeze and even whistle melodicly, if this phenomenon is infrequent, then it is due solely to the underdevelopment of the respiratory system and does not require the intervention of doctors.

The baby's breathing rate may change depending on its condition, for example, while crying.

Why can children hold their breath?

Until the sixth month of a baby's life, he may experience breath holding (apnea), and this is not a pathology. In sleep, breath holdings account for up to 10 percent of the total time. Uneven breathing can have the following causes:

• SARS. With colds and viral diseases, the respiratory rate becomes higher, there may be delays, wheezing, sniffling.
• Oxygen deficiency. It is manifested not only by holding the breath, but also by cyanosis of the skin, clouding of consciousness. The child gasps for air. In this case, the intervention of doctors is needed.
• Increased body temperature. Lost rhythm and shortness of breath more often indicate an increase in temperature, this can be against the background of not only SARS, but also during teething.
• False croup. The most serious disease that causes suffocation requires an immediate call for an ambulance.

If we are talking about children under 7 years old and especially of kindergarten age, then the cause of apnea can be adenoids, due to the large size of which the child holds his breath. Adenoiditis is a common disease that occurs in children attending preschool institutions, changing clothes in cold rooms and very often suffering from SARS. It characterizes difficulty breathing, especially at night, because overgrown adenoids prevent the baby from fully breathing through the nose.

Difficulty breathing in a child may be due to enlarged adenoids. In this case, breathing will return to normal only with the treatment of this disease.

Adenoiditis is treated with antiseptic sprays and drops in the nose, homeopathy is quite popular, a long stay at home in warm conditions. Medicines for swollen lymph nodes are effective. Treatment requires a long and continuous, in case of failure, removal of the adenoids may be recommended.

Has your baby suddenly stopped breathing? Parents should know what to do in this case. If you find a non-breathing sleeping child, then gently wake him up, while providing fresh air to the room. If after 15 seconds breathing is not restored, then call an ambulance, and do cardiopulmonary resuscitation yourself.

What is wheezing?

Ideally, the newborn's breathing is carried out without difficulty and wheezing. The appearance of noise indicates a malfunction in the body. Wheezing is difficulty breathing in and out through a narrowed airway and can occur with infection, bronchospasm, edema, or a foreign body. A symptom of false croup is a rough wheezing when inhaling, stridor (we recommend reading:).

When is medical assistance required?

If you hear wheezing, then analyze the general condition of the baby. Call an ambulance if you notice one of the following symptoms: blue skin around the lips; the child is lethargic and drowsy, the mind is clouded; the baby cannot speak.

Wheezing in a baby can mean a cold has begun. In this case, mom needs to call a pediatrician at home

Keep in mind that there are times when a toddler accidentally inhales a foreign body. Make sure that there are no small items, jewelry, toys, beads and rhinestones near the baby.

Let's summarize in a table the situations when wheezing is noticeable in the child's breath, possible causes and your actions (we recommend reading:).

Situation	Cause	Actions
The baby wheezing periodically occurs out of the blue, especially during sleep (we recommend reading:). It develops normally, a routine examination by a pediatrician does not show any pathologies.	Physiological imperfection of the respiratory tract of the baby. There are no pathologies.	Be calm about this phenomenon, the situation will change by the age of one year of your child. Consult a doctor if wheezing is too loud and frequent, sounds unusual for your ear, made by the baby during inhalation and exhalation. The main thing is to provide comfortable conditions for the development of the child's body, humidify the air, maintain the temperature in the children's room within 21 degrees Celsius, ventilate the nursery 2 times a day (see also:).
Wheezing on the background of SARS or colds. The little one has a cough and a runny nose.	Viral disease.	Contact your pediatrician and ENT doctor. Plentiful drink and comfortable conditions for the baby until the arrival of the doctor.
The child periodically has a cough or runny nose, which does not go away from anti-ARVI drugs, lasts more than 2 days (see also:). Relatives diagnosed with allergies or asthma.	Allergic cough or asthma.	Analyze what can cause allergies. First of all, make sure that there are no allergens in the mother's diet if the baby is breastfeeding. During feeding, undesirable substances can be transferred to him. The flowering period of ambrosia and other allergic plants, the dust in the room, the child's clothes play a role. See an allergist and get tested for allergens.

When do you need to call an ambulance?

There are situations when your child urgently needs to call a doctor or an ambulance. Let us denote in which cases wheezing is a harbinger of a serious illness of the baby. This may be the onset of a serious illness, a critical condition, or a foreign body entering the respiratory tract, which causes suffocation and swelling.

It is possible to alleviate the difficult breathing of a child with bronchitis with the help of a syrup that will be prescribed by the attending physician

Wheezing against the background of frequent excruciating cough, which lasts more than a day.	Bronchiolitis is an infection of the bronchioles of the lungs, the smallest branches of the bronchi. More often seen in babies.	This serious condition requires urgent medical attention. Possibly hospitalizations.
A kid of kindergarten age speaks through his nose, snores and wheezes during sleep, swallows, and is prone to frequent colds. The baby gets tired quickly and breathes through his mouth.	Adenoiditis.	Consult an ENT doctor. Keep the child warm, limit trips, do wet cleaning more often, humidify the room.
Wheezing and severe cough against the background of fever.	Bronchitis. Pneumonia.	Seek medical attention as soon as possible. If the child is no longer infancy, and you have experience treating him with SARS, you can give the child a suitable cough syrup and an antiallergic agent to alleviate the condition. Bronchitis and, especially, pneumonia may require hospitalization.
Wheezing against the background of a dry barking cough, high fever, hoarseness, strange crying.	False croup.	Call an ambulance. Before the arrival of doctors, humidify the room, ensure the flow of fresh air.
Sharply arisen strong wheezing, especially after the baby was left alone for some time, and there were small objects nearby, from toys to buttons. The baby is crying hoarsely.	A foreign body has entered the respiratory tract.	Call an ambulance, only a medical professional will help clear the airways from a foreign body.

Why are wheezing more common in babies?

Most often, wheezing is diagnosed in children under 3 years of age. This is due to insufficient formation of the airways. They are narrow and easier to clog with mucus, dust, prone to swelling. It is more difficult for babies to be treated, because they cannot use many drugs produced by the pharmaceutical industry, so SARS and colds are more difficult and longer. Why is breathing sometimes heavy and noisy? It's all about the dry and dusty air, according to Dr. Komarovsky. It is necessary to humidify the air and temper children to avoid breathing problems, colds, early adenoiditis and complications.