fluid in lungs

My girlfriend has just had our baby son he was two weeks early and came via
c section when he was born he was wheezing a lot,he has been in a incubator
for 2 days now the wheezing is a lot better does anyone know if this a long
term problem the hospital don't seem to be very helpful when me and
girlfriend are asking questions any help much appreciated

Thanks in advance

Hi Michael, congrats on your little boy...;-))

I dont know about your question but just keep checking in here, and
someone WILL come along who does know....
but i'm sure he'll e ok.....;-))))

I know all about how UNhelpfull hospitals and Dr.s can be....

Michael wrote:
My girlfriend has just had our baby son he was two weeks early and came via
c section when he was born he was wheezing a lot,he has been in a incubator
for 2 days now the wheezing is a lot better does anyone know if this a long
term problem the hospital don't seem to be very helpful when me and
girlfriend are asking questions any help much appreciated

Thanks in advance



Hi Michael,

I can't say if it's the same or not, but my son was in the NICU
for two days when he was born for "transient neonatal tachypnia"
(not sure of the spelling there). That is, he was breathing too
fast. They said it could either be pneumonia or fluid in his lungs,
and it took the two days to figure out it was the latter (they
put him on antibiotics in the meantime just in case). Not a long
term problem at all, in our case -- he's about to celebrate his
second birthday, and he's as healthy as can be!

--
Emily
mom to Toby 5/1/02
Scheherazade, stillborn at 20 weeks, 3/2/04

"Michael" wrote in message
...
My girlfriend has just had our baby son he was two weeks early and came
via
c section when he was born he was wheezing a lot,he has been in a
incubator
for 2 days now the wheezing is a lot better does anyone know if this a
long
term problem the hospital don't seem to be very helpful when me and
girlfriend are asking questions any help much appreciated

Well, a number of questions come to mind, any of which may have some bearing
on the answer.

Why was he delivered surgically?

Did he experience any labor before being delivered surgically?

Why was he delivered at 38 weeks? (Or was he earlier than 38 weeks?)

Is he on oxygen? If so, what is the delivery method (check any that apply)
(_) repirator
(_) nasal CPAP
(_) nasal canulae
(_) blow-by
(_) tent

What medication(s) is he on to dry out his lungs?

What is he being fed?
(_) Intravenous nutrition
(_) expressed breastmilk
(_) formula
(_) combination breastmilk and formula

How is he being fed?
(_) intravenous nutrition
(_) gavage (NG tube)
(_) 'nippled' (breast or bottle)

Was he aggressively suctioned at birth?
..
..
..
..
Many babies experience some difficulty breathing in the beginning. The
number of babies who have trouble breathing is higher among those delivered
via cesarean section than among those delivered vaginally, in part because
of the stress hormones the baby experiences as a result of being squeezed
through the birth canal, and in part because the squeezing of vaginal birth
tends to force undesired fluids from the lungs.

The degree of intervention necessary to assist in his breathing will be some
indication of what long-term issues you may have to deal with. A baby who
has to have a machine breathe for him is more likely to suffer ill-effects
in the short or long term than a baby who needs blow-by oxygen (where they
have the oxygen tube near the baby's face, blowing oxygen toward its nose -
but not actually stuck into the baby's nose).

A baby who requires medication to dry out its lungs may be more likely to
suffer long-term effects than a baby who does not.

A baby who is receiving breastmilk has an advantage in avoiding
hospital-acquired infections, or in recovering from them, over a baby who
receives only formula.

Basically, there is no one answer we can give you - and no answer your
doctors can give you. There are LOTS of factors. But the higher the
intervention rate, the greater the risk of long term ill effects of some
kind or other. The more advantage you can give baby (colostrum or
breastmilk, no matter how it is provided), the better. However it seems
likely to me that a baby who is 'merely' wheezing, but improving, whose
oxygen saturation numbers are high, and who breathes on his own with room
air or blow-by oxygen only, and who does not become infected....should do
well and suffer no long-term effects.

--angela

.....not a doctor, nor do I play one on the UseNet. But I did have one baby
in the NICU for 3 months and that's got to count for something where
practical experience is concerned.

Michael wrote:

My girlfriend has just had our baby son he was two weeks early and came via
c section when he was born he was wheezing a lot,he has been in a incubator
for 2 days now the wheezing is a lot better does anyone know if this a long
term problem the hospital don't seem to be very helpful when me and
girlfriend are asking questions any help much appreciated

It's more common for babies born via c-section to have
respiratory problems (because the squeezing on the way out
during a vaginal birth helps to clear the lungs). So, this
could just be a transient problem. Ultimately, though, it
depends on precisely what's going on. I would encourage
you to keep asking questions of the doctors and nurses.
Hopefully you will eventually hit upon someone who will
explain things more thoroughly, and then you can ask here
or do some research yourself on the exact problem your
son is experiencing.

Good luck,
Ericka

Thanks for all your replies

Why was he delivered surgically? because our first kid came that way and
there was lots of trouble with her insides falling out cause of bad stiching

Did he experience any labor before being delivered surgically? no

Why was he delivered at 38 weeks? (Or was he earlier than 38 weeks?)
because my girlfriends scar tissue was becoming very painful

Is he on oxygen? If so, what is the delivery method (check any that apply)
(_) repirator
(*) nasal CPAP on and of
(_) nasal canulae
(_) blow-by
(_) tent

What medication(s) is he on to dry out his lungs?

What is he being fed?
(*) Intravenous nutrition
(_) expressed breastmilk
(*) formula
(_) combination breastmilk and formula

How is he being fed?
(_) intravenous nutrition
(*) gavage (NG tube)
(_) 'nippled' (breast or bottle)

Was he aggressively suctioned at birth? just foreceps

thanks for taking the time to do this much appriceated

"Michael" wrote in message
...
Thanks for all your replies

Why was he delivered surgically? because our first kid came that way
and
there was lots of trouble with her insides falling out cause of bad
stiching

Did he experience any labor before being delivered surgically? no

Why was he delivered at 38 weeks? (Or was he earlier than 38 weeks?)
because my girlfriends scar tissue was becoming very painful

Is he on oxygen? If so, what is the delivery method (check any that
apply)
(_) repirator
(*) nasal CPAP on and of
(_) nasal canulae
(_) blow-by
(_) tent

What medication(s) is he on to dry out his lungs?

What is he being fed?
(*) Intravenous nutrition
(_) expressed breastmilk
(*) formula
(_) combination breastmilk and formula

How is he being fed?
(_) intravenous nutrition
(*) gavage (NG tube)
(_) 'nippled' (breast or bottle)

Was he aggressively suctioned at birth? just foreceps

thanks for taking the time to do this much appriceated

Hm. Well, I can tell you this much: Unless he is suffering from true preemie
issues (disorganised suck, etc.) he should probably begin 'nippling' his
feeds soon. The nasal CPAP is very annoying for babies (one of my twins had
it for months) and in an extreme case, it and the NG tube may contribute to
refusal to feed orally. However, provided his lungs clear up soon, and he
gains weight appropriately and keeps his body temperature stable by himself,
I imagine he'll do very well.

(My daughter had a severe heart defect, so had lots of problems your baby
isn't having to deal with. And she does have long-term problems to deal
with, but she'll be all right in the end.)

When I ask about him being suctioned, I mean a suction device forced into
his mouth/nose/throat to clear out fluids. This may make him unwilling to
eat orally (and is something to watch for, but not to panic about).
(However, if you do notice him fighting the bottle, gagging on the nipple,
and generally unwilling to feed, *please* get back in touch with this group
/ me).

38 week babies are generally mature enough to do well, even if their lungs
are wet at birth. Assuming his oxygen saturation levels are reasonably
normal, there's no more reason to worry about brain injury than for any
other baby. But, as some other folks said, ask your doctors everything you
can think of:

How soon can he come off the nasal CPAP and be on blow-by oxygen?
How soon can he be taken off the IV nutrition?
How well are his lungs clearing up?
When do they predict he will be able to go home?
When you take him home, what sort of things do you need to keep an eye open
for?
What equipment, if any, will he go home with (oxymeter, oxygen, apnea
monitor?)

I do know a family whose little boy (born vaginally, full-term after
spontaneous labor) experienced a similar situation with his lungs, and was
in the hospital for a week and a half. He is absolutely fine. It was rough
on them, though.


--angela

thanks for all your replies my son is much better now we have just started
bottle feeding him thanks again
"Ericka Kammerer" wrote in message
...
Michael wrote:

My girlfriend has just had our baby son he was two weeks early and came
via
c section when he was born he was wheezing a lot,he has been in a
incubator
for 2 days now the wheezing is a lot better does anyone know if this a
long
term problem the hospital don't seem to be very helpful when me and
girlfriend are asking questions any help much appreciated

It's more common for babies born via c-section to have
respiratory problems (because the squeezing on the way out
during a vaginal birth helps to clear the lungs). So, this
could just be a transient problem. Ultimately, though, it
depends on precisely what's going on. I would encourage
you to keep asking questions of the doctors and nurses.
Hopefully you will eventually hit upon someone who will
explain things more thoroughly, and then you can ask here
or do some research yourself on the exact problem your
son is experiencing.

Good luck,
Ericka