It’s Saturday night at midnight. The pediatrician’s office is closed for the weekend, you have a baby with a fever AND a stuffed up nose, and you don’t know what to do. You know your baby has congestion, but how do you help them? If you’ve ever experienced this type of scenario, or if you are expecting a baby, then listening to today’s conversation can go a long way in helping alleviate your baby’s discomfort when they have an upper airway infection.
Today, I’m joined by pediatric ENT, Dr. Steven Goudy @drnozebest (IG) to discuss upper airway congestion in babies. Hopefully, this information will help you feel more confident in your ability to combat some of the upper airway congestion that often happens to little babies. As a mama to twins, one of my babies had lots of upper airway problems that ultimately led to his needing ear tubes. In this discussion, we talk about all of this and more!
When the baby is in utero, the baby’s lungs are filled with amniotic fluid. Usually a baby will have their nose and airways suctioned immediately after birth to clear their airway so they can begin breathing air. A pediatrician or nurse will often be there to do this right after delivery. Some babies might require more attention after a C-section over a vaginal delivery because in a vaginal delivery some of that fluid is actually pressed out of their bodies during delivery. No matter the case, the baby is going from in-utero, getting oxygen through the umbilical cord, to suddenly having to breath all on their own. A clear air passage is essential!
Clear air passages are crucial because a baby cannot breathe out of his/her mouth. They must breathe out of their noses. Newborns’ anatomical structure allows them to be able to eat and breathe simultaneously. When anything disrupts the ability to breathe and eat simultaneously, then the baby can have trouble eating.
Dr. Goudy has created a new product called The NozeBot which is an electric baby nasal aspirator. Unlike the small bulb syringes that cannot be cleaned and provide only a low level of suction, the NozeBot offers three levels of hospital-grade suction.
It sucks (in a GOOD way)!
The NozeBot is also easy to clean with a dishwasher-safe nosepiece, tubing and disposable filter. And of course, what is most important with a little fussy baby, is that the NozeBot is EASY TO USE! The nosepiece (designed by Dr. Goudy) occupies two fingers only, leaving other fingers and hand free to comfort and stabilize your child.
It is HSA/FSA eligible so you can use your healthcare spending dollars to help your baby breathe. Go to DrNozeBest.com and use code “BABYDOC” to get $20 off!
Keeping your baby’s air passages clear of boogers, snot, and other buildup can help alleviate a lot of discomfort for your baby. It can also help reduce infections as the longer congestion sits in the baby’s airways, the more likely it is to develop into an infection.
Shannon M. Clark, MD, MMS is a double board certified ObGyn and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist, and founder of Babies After 35. In her roles as a clinician, educator and researcher at UTMB-Galveston, she focuses on the care of people with maternal and/or fetal complications of pregnancy. Dr. Clark has taken a special interest in pregnancy after the age of 35, which according to age alone, is considered a high-risk pregnancy.
Follow Shannon on TikTok @tiktokbabydoc, Facebook @babiesafter35, and Instagram @babiesafter35.
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