The newborn’s transient tachypnea is a situation in which the baby has shortness of breath shortly after birth, which can be seen by the bluish color of the skin or by the baby’s faster breathing. It is important that this situation is identified and treated quickly to avoid complications.
Improved symptoms of transient tachypnea in the newborn may occur 12 to 24 hours after starting treatment, but in some cases oxygen may need to be maintained for up to 2 days. After treatment, the newborn has no sequelae or increases the risk of developing breathing problems such as asthma or bronchitis.
Symptoms of transient tachypnea in the baby are identified shortly after birth and there may be:
When your baby develops these symptoms, it is recommended that diagnostic tests, such as chest x-rays and blood tests, be done to confirm the diagnosis and begin appropriate treatment.
Treatment of newborn tachypnea is usually done only with an oxygen booster to help the baby breathe better, as the problem is resolved. Therefore, your baby may need to wear an oxygen mask for 2 days or until oxygen levels are normalized.
In addition, when transient tachypnea causes very rapid breathing, with more than 80 breathing movements per minute, the baby should not be fed by the mouth, as there is a high risk of milk being sucked into the lungs, causing pneumonia. In such cases, your baby may need to use a nasogastric tube, which is a small tube that runs from the nose to the stomach and normally only the nurse should use to feed the baby.
Respiratory physiotherapy may be indicated during treatment to facilitate the baby’s respiratory process, usually performed by a physical therapist who uses certain types of positions and exercises that help reduce the stress of the respiratory muscles and facilitate the opening of the airways.
Transient tachypnea of the newborn occurs when the baby’s lungs cannot remove all amniotic fluid after birth and, as a result, there is an increased risk of developing the problem if:
For example, one way to prevent the development of transient tachypnea in newborns is to inject corticosteroids directly into the mother’s vein 2 days before cesarean delivery, especially when it occurs between 37 and 39 weeks of pregnancy.
In addition, maintaining a healthy pregnancy with a balanced diet, regular physical activity and a decrease in the use of substances such as alcohol and coffee help reduce the number of risk factors.