Breathlessness in Infants

Breathlessness can be caused to the infants due to infections, cough, cold or inhaling any foreign material. Infants are unable to blow their nose clear like adults do. Hence, the mucus remains in the back of the throat or nose which causes breathlessness. It is a very serious symptom in children. It should not be ignored. You have to consult a doctor if the symptoms worsen.
The causes for breathlessness in children can be described as follows:
• Talking while eating
• Poisoning
• Drowning
• Swallowing large pieces of food
• Electrical shock
• Serious injury
• Suffocation
• Playing/ Walking with food in the mouth
• Excessive bleeding
• Infant infected either by Bronchitis or Pneumonia
Suddenly if the infant is becomes lifeless or is choking then, you would surely like to know what to do about it. In such case opting for CPR is an excellent option for survival till the emergency aid is provided to them.
CPR means Cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It is performed when the infant has either stopped breathing or the heart beat is stopped. Some of the possible reasons for this could be injuries, choking, drowning or suffocation.
Here we provide you a step by step explanation for CPR which would inform you about the technique. However, it is very essential to take the proper training course of CPR infant to utilize it in a proper way. If this method is used improperly then it could be harmful. This technique also depends on the age of the child.
If the infant’s blood flow is stopped it may cause permanent damage to the brain of the infant or may even cause death. Hence, this procedure should be continued till the infant receives the emergency medical aid or the infant starts breathing again or the heartbeat is started again.
These instructions should be followed only after getting proper training for conducting the CPR infant. It should be followed for babies that are below the age of twelve months. The following instructions are useful for conducting CPR infants:
• Fist check whether the infant is awake or moving. If there is no response from the baby ask someone to call 911 for emergency medical help
• You have to make the infant lie on its back. Keep the airway open. You have to place your mouth over the infants nose and mouth in such a way that the mouth of the infant is sealed
• Then give two breaths so that fresh air enters the lungs of the infant. After this remove your mouth and let the infant exhale
• For chest compressions, place your two fingers on the breastbone of the infant just below the nipples. You should take care not to press the very end of the breast bone. Then place your other hand on the forehead of the infant and keep the head tilted back
• You should press the chest of the infant down upto 1/3 to ½ of the chest depth. Then follow these compressions thirty times. While performing this compression ensure that the compressions should be fast and should not take a pause in between. Make sure each time the chest should rise completely. After this give the child two breaths
• Continue the CPR i.e. 30 compressions followed by the two breaths for two minutes. After two minutes leave the child alone and call 911. In case the infant starts breathing again then place him or her in the recovery position. Also check the breathing of the infant till the medical aid arrives