is he congested?

my LO always sounds congested when he's eating. we aspirate his nose after using saline every night before bed and whenever he eats, he sounds like he can barely breathe. we use the nosefrida bc the hospital aspirators don't work for us.
is he congested? is there something else we can do? we run a humidifier in their rooms 24/7, too.

 

I would ask a doctor about that. He may have allergies and need medicine.

 

Or asthma and need nebulizer treatments? What has doc said. My son has only sounded like that 2x-never have had to suction either LO. I would address it quickly with doc-it could be little problem like small sinus or allergies or larger problem like asthma or ear problems

 

It's perfectly normal for babies to be congested sometimes, especially for awhile following a cold. But, if he's like that all the time, I would talk to your doctor.

 

I agree with Tina.

 

How long does he sound congested? Is it only during and right after feedings? Does he usually stay upright after feedings or does he lay down?

The reason that I ask is that I have a son that has had some major feeding issues. We worked with a feeding therapist and she told me that the congestion was him not swallowing everything. So he was at risk for aspirating the formula into his lungs. We have found that just changing his positions and rubbing his back a bit helps him swallow and clear everything out.

He didn't drink from a bottle for his first seven weeks because he had no gag or sucking reflex. Working with a speech (feeding) therapist really helped him and now he is a great bottle drinker! But he is a loud eater and we usually hear what sounds like congestion. But it only lasts about 10 minutes or so after he eats. We do what we can to help him clear it.

 

it's only after feedings, yes! and it's only at night, really. during the day we pull the bottle out and we can see formula in his mouth; like he doesn't drink it all.
we give him a bottle and lay him in his crib but lately he cant stay asleep. we almost feel a rumble in his back when he breathes.
what should i do?

 

I am guessing that you are hearing it more at night because you are lying him down right after his bottle. Is there any way you can try to hold him upright..even just lying him on your chest while you are sitting. Try to rub his back. It sounds to me like he is just not swallowing everything. This is what Carter does all the time. So I have to wait to set him down because I don't want him to choke. He is pretty good about clearing his throat out after a few minutes. If your son is having a difficult time, I just may try to move him into a few different positions. I don't usually put Carter down to sleep right after he eats..if that is your routine, it might be more difficult for you.

Just hold him upright and rub his back, try burping a bit...I imagine it should only take him several minutes to clear everything out. Once he can get everything swallowed he should be fine.

Carter gets tired and because of some brain trauma at birth he has lost some coordination skills. That is why we have to make sure that he is ok before we lie him down. I had a huge problem today because he is drooling like crazy because he is teething and he was having trouble swallowing all the extra saliva in his mouth. He sounded congested for about 1/2 hour this afternoon because he just couldn't clear it. I just sat with him and tried moving him around a bit to help him. Unfortunately there isn't too much you can do for him!

I hope that this helps you a bit! Good luck!