Retractions - Check to see if the chest pulls in with each breath, especially around the collarbone and around the ribs. Nasal flaring - Check to see if nostrils widen when breathing in. (“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.
A baby who is having trouble taking in enough air will have nostrils that widen with each inhaled breath. Retracting. Another sign of difficulty taking in air is retracting, when the baby is pulling the chest in at the ribs, below the breastbone, or above the collarbones. Grunting.
There should be no pauses longer than about 10 seconds between breaths. 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.
Symptoms of NRDS
blue-coloured lips, fingers and toes. rapid, shallow breathing. flaring nostrils. a grunting sound when breathing.
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.
Signs and Symptoms
Grunting “ugh” sound with each breath. Changes in color of lips, fingers and toes. Widening (flaring) of the nostrils with each breath. Chest retractions - skin over the breastbone and ribs pulls in during breathing.
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.
If your baby is struggling to breathe (constantly rapid breathing rate above 70 breaths per minute, flaring of the nostrils, making a grunting noise every time they breath out or too breathless to feed), or if they are going blue (especially their tummy, lips or tongue), you need to call 999 for an ambulance.
When your pediatrician listens to your baby's lungs, if they have RSV and bronchiolitis, it actually sounds like Rice Krispies in the lungs; it's just all crackly.
Retractions. The chest appears to sink in just below the neck and/or under the breastbone and/or in between the ribs with each breath — one way of trying to bring more air into the lungs. Sweating. There may be increased sweat on the head, but the skin does not feel warm to the touch.
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.
Wheezing–a high-pitched noise usually heard when a child exhales.
Wheezing. If your baby comes down with a respiratory virus, you may notice noisy or wheezing breathing. This is most likely due to an infection that has settled in your baby's lungs, a condition known as bronchiolitis.
Compared with adults, babies breathe very fast. At first, it might seem like something to be concerned about, because rapid breathing is usually an indication something is wrong. However, for babies, a 'normal' respiration rate is higher than ours. A newborn's lungs almost completely fill the chest cavity.