Watching your child trying to breathe helplessly is a situation no parent ever wants to be in, but it is important that all parents be aware of what their babies and toddlers’ bodies are trying to convey to them, seeing, as they are too young to express what the problem is themselves. Although many parents are likely to notice and recognize a strong asthma attack in kids, some people would not. After a baby girl started breathing in an erratic and unexpected way, her mother recorded her breathing and the difference in her belly and uploaded it online to teach other parents about what is really going on.
Sophia Cachia, a Young Mummy blogger, while vacationing with her husband and two kids, noticed that her 9-month-old baby started breathing differently. The Australian mother shared on Instagram that they straight away took Flossy to the hospital via an ambulance on the second night of their trip, only for her husband, Jaryd, to return with Flossy on the last night of their vacation because of her symptoms.
Bobby, Sophia’s older child, suffers from asthma, which is what made the parents aware of the signs in younger children and significantly improved their reaction times. Sophia stated how she and her husband read the signs, used prior knowledge, and listened to their gut to distinguish the symptoms. She mentioned that the sucking under her throat and her ribs meant that she was working hard to breathe.
Flossy’s parents were grateful that they have acted fast instead of hesitating because she spent the night hooked up to oxygen. Sophia goes on to mention that they were nor doctors nor trained professionals, but have already experienced a similar situation with their son, Bobby and were aware of the signs that they should keep an eye out for.
Because parents are their kids’ guardians and advocates, ergo it is crucial that they act sufficiently and quickly, and so instead of wanting parents to just look out for a wheezing sound, Sophia wants parents to learn and understand to always look at their baby’s chest to see if they are sucking in the spaces between their ribs. She wants them to understand that it means that their child is working hard to get oxygen which is why the video made it so much easier for other parents to know what to look for.
Sophie went on to explain that she did not just film her daughter’s labored breathing to raise awareness, but also to have something to show the doctors just in case her daughter’s breathing returns back to normal. This is a helpful tip for parents for when they go to the hospital instead of chancing going to the hospital only to have the symptoms cease.
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, these are the signs of asthmatic breathing in babies and toddlers that parents should keep an eye out for”
- Rapid breathing
- Excessive effort to breath (flaring nostrils, skin sucking in between ribs or exaggerated belly movement)
- Panting with normal activities
- Wheezing
- Persistent coughing
- Difficulty sucking or eating
- Fatigue/tiredness (not interested in normal or favourite activities)
- Very pale or cyanosis (blue colouring) of the face, lips, and/or fingernails
Flossy is now doing much better and her parents are grateful for what they learned from this scare.
“[Flossy] appears to be exactly like her brother and suffers from breathing difficulties triggered with sudden changes of weather — either too cold, or too hot, petrifying, but as a parent you just have to run on auto pilot and get through … for them. My baby is home and doing much better today. Mumma is still rattled, but my babies come first.” – Sophia Cachia