Among young mothers, the topic of a cold in newborns is in the first place. Of course, in childhood one cannot do without abrasions, coughs or diarrhea, but snot in a baby is observed several times more often. Self-treatment does not always lead to good results, therefore, when the first signs of rhinitis appear, you should consult your doctor. In a newborn, a runny nose can occur for physiological reasons or as a result of exposure to a provoking factor.
A baby's snot may appear as early as 2 weeks after birth, which requires special attention and the correct choice of drugs. Few medicines are allowed for infants that have minimal risk of side effects. To quickly cure children, you need to know the cause of the disease.
To make a diagnosis, the pediatrician conducts a physical examination, focusing on the respiratory tract and ENT organs. A mandatory part of the examination is auscultation of the lungs to assess breathing and detect wheezing, which helps to establish violations of the bronchopulmonary system.
We focus on the fact that in the first two months of life, the mucous membrane of the nasal cavities continues to develop, due to which some functions cannot be performed in full. The increased secretion of mucus in this period is called a physiological rhinitis.
The appearance of nasal discharge in the first 2-3 months of life does not always indicate respiratory pathology.
In a newborn, snot may occur due to:
- colds. It develops after general hypothermia or exposure to a draft;
- viral infection (ARVI, influenza);
- living in poor conditions. This applies to dampness in the nursery, dry, dusty air. The nasal mucosa is irritated by environmental factors, which leads to increased mucus production as a protective reaction;
- an allergic reaction. The specific response of the immune system to irritants can be observed after inhalation of pollen, use of hygiene products, or contact with animals.
Clinical features
It doesn't take much effort to notice a runny nose in a newborn baby. It is enough to pay attention to the act of sucking and nasal breathing. The clinical picture of rhinitis may include:
- sneezing;
- Difficulty nasal breathing. Note that even a slight swelling of the nasal mucosa leads to a complete cessation of breathing through the nose;
- mucous discharge from the nose, which gradually turns into yellow snot. Usually, a change in the color and consistency of the discharge occurs 3-4 days after the onset of the disease;
- lacrimation, as a result of swelling of the nasal mucosa and impaired outflow of tear fluid through the nasal passages;
- rejection of the breast, due to the lack of nasal breathing. As soon as the baby begins to suckle at the breast, breathing becomes difficult and he begins to cry. Weight loss can be a serious consequence. To normalize the nutritional regimen, you must use a syringe, a feeding spoon;
- rejection of a dummy (for the same reasons);
- subfebrile condition (characteristic of an infectious disease).
With a large accumulation of mucus in the nasal cavities, it begins to drain into the throat, bronchi, irritating them. This can result in coughing and shortness of breath.
It is necessary to treat a newborn from the first days of the disease, because the risk of complications is high:
- weight loss (due to malnutrition);
- convulsions - against a background of high fever, if the disease is caused by infectious pathogens;
- otitis media, which is characterized by ear pain and decreased hearing function;
- pharyngitis, which is manifested by pain when swallowing, tickling and hyperemia of the mucous membrane of the posterior pharyngeal wall;
- bronchitis. The child has a cough, difficulty breathing, and hyperthermia may increase;
- the appearance of peeling, microcracks in the skin of the wings of the nose, which makes the child moody and whiny. Redness of the skin is observed due to frequent rubbing of the nose with a handkerchief made of a rough material, which some parents like to do;
- sinusitis, in which green snot appears in a newborn;
- conjunctivitis, dacryocystitis (due to obstructed outflow of lacrimal fluid, penetration of infection into the conjunctiva);
- digestive dysfunction in the form of diarrhea, vomiting. The appearance of dyspeptic disorders is due to the swallowing of air during feeding against the background of difficulty in nasal breathing.
The reason for the development of complications is the spread of inflammation and infection to the surrounding healthy tissues, which is highly undesirable for an infant.
Prohibitions in the treatment of a newborn
To cure the baby, and at the same time not harm him, you must follow some rules:
- do not often use an aspirator to remove mucus from the nose. Few people know that mucus is a protective reaction of the mucous membrane to the effects of irritating factors. To clear the nasal passages of dust particles and microbes, the production of mucus is intensified, so that it flushes the dirt out;
- it is not recommended to abuse drugs with a vasoconstrictor effect for instilling the nasal passages;
- it is forbidden to use nasal drops with antibacterial action without medical advice. When using antiseptics, there is a possibility of disruption of the flora of the nasopharynx and increased rhinorrhea.
It is forbidden to use medications in the form of a spray or inject them with a syringe into the baby's nose. Babies are at a greater risk of developing otitis media than older children.
Mode recommendations
A runny nose in newborns must be treated not only with the help of drugs, but with the obligatory adherence to a special regimen:
- walks on the street. If the snot in a newborn is accompanied by fever, walks are prohibited until the temperature returns to normal. As soon as the child's condition improves, two-hour daily walks are indicated. They allow you to saturate the body with oxygen, provide natural debridement of the nose and facilitate breathing;
- bathing restrictions apply to the period when the fever exceeds 37.5 degrees and green snot flows;
- microclimate in the children's room. To reduce irritation of the mucous membrane of the nasal passages and facilitate breathing, regular ventilation, wet cleaning, control over temperature (20 degrees) and air humidity (65%) are required;
- it is better to prevent contact with sick people, because infection of the body is possible against the background of a cold and a decrease in immune defense. If rhinitis in a newborn is caused by viruses, the risk of secondary bacterial infection or the addition of another type of virus increases;
nutritious diet. Particular attention must be paid to the nutrition of the child. Snot in newborns makes it difficult to breathe through the nose and, accordingly, the act of sucking. Because of this, babies give up breast, dehydration develops, and weight loss. To facilitate sucking, you must first clean the nasal passages with an aspirator and a solution with sea salt. You can use a spoon or feeding cup if needed. With older children, it is a little easier, because after six months, complementary foods are introduced. If the child has already tried compotes, you can give it in addition to milk or baby food.
nutritious diet. Particular attention must be paid to the nutrition of the child. Snot in newborns makes it difficult to breathe through the nose and, accordingly, the act of sucking. Because of this, babies give up breast, dehydration develops, and weight loss. To facilitate sucking, you must first clean the nasal passages with an aspirator and a solution with sea salt. You can use a spoon or feeding cup if needed. With older children, it is a little easier, because after six months, complementary foods are introduced. If the child has already tried compotes, you can give it in addition to milk or baby food.It is important that the baby is getting enough food every day.
In case of fever, it is important to monitor the temperature and not overheat the baby.It is possible to provide heat exchange between the body and the environment by creating an optimal microclimate in the room.
To ensure a sufficient intake of fluid in the body, it is necessary to calculate the daily drinking volume. This takes into account the weight, age of the baby, the presence of concomitant diseases and fluid losses (with sweat, diarrhea, vomiting, shortness of breath).
Treatment activities
Today there are a large number of drugs that are aimed at combating rhinitis. When choosing a medicine, one should take into account the age of the baby, the cause of the disease and the presence of somatic pathology. In most cases, doctors prescribe topical treatment, but medications with systemic effects, such as antivirals or antihistamines, can be used if necessary.
A runny nose in a newborn 2 months old is sufficient to treat by rinsing the nose with saline solutions and aspiration of mucus. Often at this age, a physiological rhinitis is diagnosed. If rhinitis is of pathological origin, a slightly different approach is needed.
What is included in rhinitis treatment? The mainstay of therapy is to cleanse the nasal passages. The easiest way to carry out the procedure is with a special aspirator. It has a soft tip, which prevents mucosal injury. For infants, it is forbidden to use cotton swabs to cleanse the nasal cavities due to the high risk of damage to the mucous membrane.
Thick yellow snot should be treated with saline and saline solutions. In the pharmacy, you can buy Aqua Maris (drops) or prepare your own rinsing solution. To do this, you must thoroughly dissolve food salt (3 g) in 320 ml of boiled warm water. If, when using this solution, rhinorrhea intensifies, sneezing or lacrimation appears, you need to treat the mucous membrane with boiled water and prepare a saline solution with a lower concentration.
In some cases, your doctor may prescribe oil drops. They are necessary to moisturize the nasal mucosa and gently remove dry crusts. To do this, it is enough to apply eucalyptus oil to the purified mucous membrane once a day.
Vasoconstrictor drugs can be used in a short course. It is better to stop the choice on homeopathic remedies, for example, Delufen. It is prescribed for infectious, atrophic and allergic origin of rhinitis. The drug is approved from birth. If the vasoconstrictor effect is insufficient, you can instill Nazol baby or Nazivin 0.01% once a day.
The listed drugs have a vasoconstrictor effect, as a result of which the swelling of the mucous membrane and rhinorrhea decreases. Frequent and prolonged use of these drugs is fraught with overdrying of the mucous membrane and addiction. Note that the effect of drugs with a vasoconstrictor effect is short-term, so re-administration is required.
If an allergen is the cause of nasal congestion, you must stop contact with the child. With continued exposure to the allergic factor on the baby, it will not be possible to eliminate the symptoms.
In rare cases, a pediatrician may prescribe:
- antiseptics (Protargol, Bioparox);
- immunomodulatory agents (Nazoferon in the form of nasal drops or Viferon - suppositories);
- antipyretic drugs (with hyperthermia above 37.7 degrees). To do this, you can use Efferalgan (suppositories) or Nurofen (syrup).
Separately, we will highlight the drug Derinat. It differs in plant composition, has an immunomodulatory effect. It can be prescribed from birth for therapy and prophylaxis during periods of an epidemic. The main prevention of disease is a healthy diet (breastfeeding) and proper childcare.
