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Baby Has Chest Congestion, Wheezing, Difficulty Breathing. Is His Fever Due To Betnesol Drops?

Posted on Sun, 24 Jun 2012

Question: Hello Dr. - My baby is 2 months old and he is suffering from chest congestion . He makes wheezing noise while sleeping and seems to have difficulty in breathing since last 1 month. My Dr. had suggested Nasoclear drops , Maxtra oral drops at first for 3 days . Then he changed to Febrex Plus for 3 days but no improvement. I changed the Dr. My new Dr. had prescribed Mucolite oral drops. Using this drops my baby's cough has reduced to an extent. For my next visit Dr. has prescribed - Betnesol oral drops. I am giving my baby 3 drops 3 time since 1 and half days. Though his wheezing sounds has reduced to great extent and he seems to be sleeping for a long time. He is having mild fever since i have started to give Betnesol drops. Is it bcoz of the new medicine ? Why is my baby taking so long to get rid of the cough in his chest ? Pleaaaase help.

Answered by Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (2 hours later)

Hi.

Thanks for the query.

The nasal block and the chest congestion in the babies are very common and is mostly due to the faulty feeding techniques and the aspiration of the milk and the salivary secretions.

It so happens, whenever the child is breastfed in the supine position (i.e. in the straight position) some amount of milk from the mouth will regurgitate into the nose and the ear. This will cause nasal block, because of the nasal block the child starts breathing through mouth and also feeds through the mouth simultaneously leading to aspiration. Recurrent aspiration will cause chest infection and wheeze.

I doubt the fever is secondary to the usage of Betnesol drops. Betnesol drops are the steroid oral drops used to reduce the inflammation and the allergic problems. Paracetamol drops can be given to child if there is fever and also wait and watch for couple of days; if the fever does not subside then the child would require examination by a good child specialist and managed accordingly.

I would suggest you to use saline nasal drops for the child if there is any nasal congestion and do not stop breastfeeding. Also, elevate the head of the child while feeding and after feeding put the child over the shoulder and XXXXXXX the back so that any accumulated air in the stomach is removed.

Hope I have answered your query; I will be available for the follow-up queries.

Regards.
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Jyoti Patil

Follow up: Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (11 hours later)

Thank you for your answer. I do agree that may be I am unable to breastfeed my baby properly. But my baby is very restless during daytime while feeding and it becomes difficult to hold him in right position while feeding. Right now i breastfeed in the straight position.Though I make sure that he is fed with his head elevated ( I keep him in sitting position with my one hand below his neck) and also XXXXXXX his back to burp him. He weighs around 5.600 kg right now. I will be highly obliged if you suggest good way to breastfeed so that my baby do not face problem while breathing n gulping. Hope there is no other reason for his chest congestion. He also appears to be breathing fast after crying and while feeding. The other person is also able to hear his breathing. Today my baby has no fever. Thank you

Answered by Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (1 hour later)

Hi XXXXXXX

Thanks for writing back.

The position what you are using to feed the child seems to be alright and patting over the back post feeding is also correct. There are no other techniques apart from this to feed the child. The weight of the child is ideal for the age, do not worry just follow the same techniques as mentioned.

Secondly, fast breathing and sometimes breath holding spells are common in the children. Noisy breathing could be due to blockage of the nasal secretions in the nose. Try using the saline nasal drops; if you feel it is not improving, it would be better to get the child examined by a good ENT specialist as well as a child specialist.

I hope, this helps. Please accept my answer in case you have no follow up queries.

I wish him good health.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Jyoti Patil