My son has always been grunty. The doctor thinks that he has trachea malaysia (where his trachea flops in on itself and he has to push harder to get air through). She says he will outgrow it. This is complicated by the fact that he has tons of mucous. And has had lots for weeks. You can here it in the back of his throat and we use the nasal aspirator several times a day. He does OK during the daytime, but at night he has a really hard time breathing and frequently wakes himself up. This is making it hard for everyone to get the rest they need and I am concerned that it will set up negative sleep habits. It is also slowing us down in transitioning him to his crib. The doctor has advised us to keep him propped up (which we do at night - he mostly sleeps with us, but his crib mattress and changing pad are both propped up) and to use the shower to loosen congestion. We have done all this, and while it is helpful, he still wakes up multiple times each night in a panic because he can't breathe. I am even starting to limit changing his diaper in the middle of the night because laying him on his changing pad makes him worse. I am looking for any ideas about the possible cause of his congestion or ideas to help him. Thanks!
Thank you so much for all of the wonderful ideas. What a great group of caring moms! My little one is so much better! A cool mist humidifier did the trick for us. Now he can breathe much easier!!
Hi, my daughter has trachea malaysia also. When they did some studies on her in the hospital they discover reflux. She did not have any of the typical signs of reflux, ie spitting up and fussyness, just the congestion. She is on reflux medicine and the congestion went away. It is worth a try to ask the dr about it. Good Luck.
Hi J.,
I also have a son born with tracheo malacia. He is two yrs old now and still sounds very noisy when he gets a cold. He hasn't completely outgrown it, but is older and able to cope with it better. I too remember the late and noisy nights with him as a baby. Keep propping your son up when he sleeps, which allows the mucus to drain and not sit in the back of his throat. Also, I suggest using a humidifier when he sleeps. This can help loosen things up. I have sat in the bathroom several time while the hot shower runs to give my son a steam bath. You might try this before bedtime. I've used a noise saline to clear his sinuses.
I did have to have the doctor clear is throat of mucus one time. It seemed to help him breath better after that. I know it is not easy to hear your little one struggle with this. It takes a lot of patience and prayer on your part. It should get better as your son gets older, and he will struggle less and less when he does get a cold. Give him lots of comfort when he needs it, and don't worry about creating negative sleep habits. Your son has a rare condition which he will need extra attention and comfort for at times. I would recommend seeing Dr. Dion Roberts in Anchorage, he is a pediatric ENT who my son has seen. I wish you and your son the best.
S.
My son was 1 1/2 when we had his adnoids out. Previous to that, we would go through several kleenex boxes a week because of the snot. Luckily there were hardly any ear infections, but all the same, it was amazing! We went to a ENT guy, and discovered his adnoids were totally blocking the sinus passage from the nose to the throat. He also had sleep apnea, which drove me CRAZY to listen to! After the surgery (David did wonderful!), the snot stopped immediately, and he slept without any obstruction. My recommendation is to get a referral to see an EMT. You son is pretty young, but EMT's are specialized and should be able to help.
dairy products are the number 1 mucous forming foods. If you are nursing, he is getting it from you. My daughter reacted very strongly to dairy in my diet. Try going dairy free (soy milk is a nice substitute for drinking & cereal, Almond milk cooks better for gravies & sauces. give it 3 weeks to get out of your system, & if your concerned about calcium, take a supplement with dinner or before bed.
If he is on a bottle, try a different formula.
God Bless,
A.
Hi J.,
I don't have any experience with this, but I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for your poor baby and for you. This must be so hard on all of you.
I was wondering, though, could he have allergies that compound the problem? Could the doctor prescribe or recommend something to give him that might help alleviate some of the mucous? Have you tried a humidifier?
Again, I'm so sorry you all have to deal with this, and I hope there's a way to help your little guy.
K. W
our 3 month old got a cold when she was 6 weeks, it wasn't bad..but some congestion. we had her sleeping in a swing, which kept her propped up and the swinging motion kept her alseep. we also got humidifiers in our bedrooms. i know that sounds like it would do more harm, but it seemed to work for us...we use the cold mist ones, as it seems the warm mist ones do cause more congestion.
I hope these ideas will help!
Adding pepermint oil to your humidefire or even in a cup of hot water may help a bit.
You could also make a dry one; use an old sock with no holes, fill it with a mixture of dry rice and dry pepermint leave. heat it in the microwave for a minute or two and take this to the changing table with you.
Check your house for alergins and dust. Clean anything that is not very new. Including anything on or in the walls and celing (like heat ducts). Air out your house on a -rainy- day when everyone is gone. That way there will be very few alergins outside.
Check soaps and lotions that you and your baby use see if there are any common ingredients among them.
Rearange. If he is getting worse at the changing table, rearange and see if there is a difference or just don't use the table at all. I don't even have a changing table and will change the baby where ever with a little mat, usualy the crib.
Look at the fibers in the bedding and clothes and log it for a corelation. Also log diet and any activity.
good luck!
Have you tried a humidifier in his room?
you truly need to seek a second opinion on this matter. Doesn't sound as though your Dr wants to deal with this properly. Who is your Dr? There are Dr's that I work with daily that would recommend other options.
My son had similar issues when he was tiny. It took the doctor until he was 4 months old to help us though. My sons was asthma and allergies.
An inhaler worked awesome for his breathing... just two puffs before bed. There is no harm in trying it for a night or two to see if it helps. As for the allergies, make sure all bedding is clean, and there is nothing dusty around. Don't vaccumm close to bedtime because it stirs everything up in the air. Consider an air purifier. Also, PediaCare or Vicks Vapor plug-ins work great for congestion. You plug them into an outlet like an air freshener and it fills the room with Vicks vapors. Again, there is no harm in trying it for a night or two. These two things together cleared up my son's breathing completely, and he stopped waking up at night with the panic gasp.
I'm so sorry for your little one's discomfort. I really feel for him. You might try taking him to a Naturopath for a second opinion and some advice. You don't have to take the advice, but you might be surprised at how great it can be. Also, for his congestion, you said he needed to sleep propped up. Have you heard of the Amby bed endorsed by Dr. Sears? I have it for my son and he loves it! It is like a little hammock for babies that cradles them, makes them feel secure, it gently bounces them to sleep, and you can keep it an an angle to keep him upright. http://www.ambybaby.com/ I highly recommend it. And if you are nursing, try to cut out dairy to see if that could be causing the mucous. Or, if formula feeding, switch to a non-dairy kind. Hope this helps and my prayers are with you.
If he has tons of mucous that means he is allergic to something. It might be contributing the the trachia problem. Naturopaths can determine allergies with a simple blood test.
Also, a naturopath could give a second opinion and give an answer and a solution an MD won't think of in a million years.
Here is a web site w/ the coolest wedges. Sorry for the extra stuff along with it. I wonder if he could have reflux? it causes some of those same problems. My son grunted all nite and finally had to put him on his tummy but first bought an Angelcare monitor that detects their breathing. I also put him on Prevacid bc we thought the grunting was reflux. If you get a chance read the book Colic solved and see if he fits him.
JUST TO ADD TO THIS RESPONSE. THE MEDS WORKED FOR OUR SON. AND HE IS NOW SLEEPING. I HOPE YOU PURSUE EVERY IDEA SO YOUR SON GETS SOME SLEEP ALONG W/ MOMMY. I WAS SO SLEEP DEPRIVED I REALLY RESEARCHED ALL MY OPTIONS.
Here are the diagnostic codes by product:
Pollywog Feeding Wedge | 530.81;E1399
Pollywog Changing Station Incliner | 530.81;E1399
Tucker Crib Sling | 530.81; E-0621
Tucker Wedge with Sling | 530.81;E1399
Tucker Slings for Wedge | 530.81; E-0621
Acid Reflux Pillow | 530.81;E1399
Comfy Lift Bed | 530.31;1399
RESQ Wedge | 530.31;1399
They may also require a procedure code which you will get from your physician or therapist. Most insurance companies will have you purchase the items and then download a claim form from their website to submit a claim for reimbursement. Ask them to walk you through the process so you have no surprises or delays in receiving reimbursement.
If your process turns out to be different I would love to hear from you so I can update this article and help more parents!
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