Newborn abdominal breathing

When a newborn is born, every organ in the body is small, so there are many abnormalities in them compared to adults. Parents pay special attention to the abnormal conditions of newborns and are very afraid of what diseases are causing them. Some parents find that their babies' stomachs rise and fall when they breathe. This breathing method is called abdominal breathing. So is it normal for newborns to have abdominal breathing?

How newborns breathe

Because the nasal cavity, throat, trachea and bronchi of newborn babies are relatively narrow and in a state of development, and the muscle elastic tissue of the chest and lungs also needs some time to grow, babies at this stage mostly breathe abdominally. Therefore, it is not difficult for parents to see that as the baby inhales and exhales, their belly gradually bulges and sinks.

Accurately count your baby's breaths

·As the baby breathes, parents should watch the time and count to one minute, with one inhalation and one exhalation counted as one breath.

If you find that your baby's breathing rate is higher than the average for babies of this age, you should count it several times. If you are sure that the rate is faster, be sure to consult a doctor.

The respiratory system of infants is not fully developed yet, and they mostly breathe abdominally. Therefore, when observing the baby's breathing, the counting accuracy will be higher if you follow the rise and fall of the abdomen.

Counting your baby's breaths is more accurate when the baby is quiet. Otherwise, the baby's crying may easily cause the breathing rate to increase, and the data obtained in this state will not be accurate enough.

Judging your baby's health by breathing

Usually, the baby's breathing can be used to roughly analyze whether there is anything wrong with their body or any infection. The immune system of newborns is still in the development stage, so during this period, they are very easy to be infected by bacteria, causing discomfort, especially upper respiratory tract infection, which can affect the lower respiratory tract and lead to the commonly mentioned bronchopneumonia.

Judging whether your baby has pneumonia by breathing

1. The baby's respiratory rate is disordered: Through a reference data, parents can judge whether their babies have lung infection from their respiratory rate. The respiratory rate of newborns under two months old is less than or equal to 60 times per minute; infants aged 2-12 months have a respiratory rate of less than or equal to 50 times per minute.

When pneumonia attacks, inflammation of the alveoli and interstitial lungs can cause thickening of the respiratory membrane and obstruction of the lower respiratory tract, resulting in shortness of breath and rapid breathing.

2. Infants have difficulty breathing: When babies suffer from pneumonia, in addition to the rapid breathing mentioned above, there is another phenomenon: as the baby inhales, there is an obvious depression between their ribs, in the clavicular fossa, and in the sternal fossa. In fact, this is a manifestation of severe hypoxia in babies, so they use all available respiratory muscles and breathe very hard. In other words, it is also a serious phenomenon of pediatric pneumonia.

Therefore, by observing your baby's breathing, you can determine their health and help them get timely medical treatment.