My baby is nearly 8 weeks old but almost since birth he has been breathing rapidly. Usually during the evening but occassionally in the morning too he will begin by panting incredibly rapidly, this gets faster and faster and he gets more and more worked up and is extremely difficult to calm down. Can someone tell me if this is dangerous or normal? And offer advise on how to calm him down or stop him doing this please? Thank you
Hi! Thank you for choosing Chat Doctor ! Congratulations on your new baby! For 2-month-old babies, the normal respiratory rate can be as high as 50 breaths per minute. But other than how fast it is, you must also check if the breathing seems labored and deep. Do you see this while he is calm and asleep or only when he is irritable? When they are crying and fuzzy, breathing can be faster. I would advise that you consult your doctor. It would be best for him to be examined thoroughly so as not to miss any serious causes of the fast breathing. Also, try to feed the baby upright with his head a little elevated to prevent aspirating the milk to his lungs. Hope this helped you. Sincerely, Handle Dulay-See, M.D. Pediatrician