My 2 month old preemie son (8 days adjusted age) has been congested for the last 3 weeks. Since yesterday, he seem to have some mucus in his throat. He keeps swallowing and gagging and wants to be held upright all the time. I have tried giving him steam in the shower. Is there any way to get rid of the mucus from his throat? I use saline drops in his nose and have been suctioning and I am able to get the snot in his nostrils out, but looks like the congestion is further up his nose.
We suspect he might have silent reflux and his pediatrician has put him on Zantac twice a day. His reflux symptoms (arching back, fussiness) have reduced but his congestion hasn't.
Thanks!
When my daughter was very young, she had the same problem. We found something called the Nose Frida - http://www.nosefrida.com. This got much more of the mucus out of her sinus cavities than the bulb. Now we tell everyone about it. Whole Foods carries it.
My daughter has the same thing right now...the other night she got SO bad and was gasping and trying to cry but couldn't! I was freaking out! (we ended up taking her in but she was ok by the time we got there) (of course) I talked to the nurse later that night and she said the same thing everyone has already told you... do the saline drops to keep the mucus thin and prop them up to sleep. But she also said (which helped me a lot) that if they are struggling to breathe like my daughter was to hold them upside down on your forearm face up and suction out their mouth... then the mucus is draining up where you can suck it out! (If only I had known that a little earlier that night it probably wouldve saved us a trip to the er!) I know its really scary especially when they are so little! I'm sorry you're having to deal with this!
We had the same situation. My daughter would choke on her own mucous so she ended up wearing a heart/lung monitor at night. It did turn out to be GERD/reflux, and she also took Zantac. If you are breastfeeding, you can eliminate things from your own diet that can contribute to the condition (ie orange juice, etc.) check the Baby Book by dr. Sears. My daughter also spent the first year napping in her swing, car seat, or stroller. Being semi-upright for sleeping helped. We had a wedge under her mattress. It was nerve-wracking...but we got through it. She is 6 1/2 now and no problems. Good luck.
My sisters baby is doing the same thing. It sounds like your doing everything right. Keeping him upright is a big thing. I think you just have to wait it out, as sad and stressful as it is. Sorry!
God Bless!
Keep him elevated as much as possible. I put a pillow under the crib mattress to elevate one side a bit and put his head on that side . I also would elevate his bassinet on a small step in the living room. Also, gave baby vapor baths and used baby Vick rub on his chest. All of it seemed to help. Once in awhile I had to try and suck the mucus out of his throat so he wouldn't choke on the slime. Scary. Talk to your pediatrician some more. Take care.
I don't know if this will help, but it certainly couldn't hurt--prop up the hear of his bassinet or crib so the mucous flows down. It always helped my son when he was congested. Also, what about a cool mist humidifier in his room at night? Ask your ped if that's OK. Good luck. Poor little guy. Hope he's feeling better soon.
Looks like we're all on the same page----prop him up. My niece slept in her carseat (in her crib) until she was almost 8mo. You can also gently and quickly use the suction bulb in the back of his mouth--you may be able to reach the mucus. Good luck.
Grandma here - my youngest son had this problem - and my solution? He slept in his carseat! I simply put it in his baby bed, buckled him in, covered him up, and he slept wonderfully. It kept him upright, the mucus flowing down his throat, and allowed him (and me) to rest! Also, call you pediatrician if the mucus gets too thick - he can suction out his nasal passages better than you can and this can give your little one some relief.
