I had a friend who constantly tries to breathe through her mouth, making a hoarse noise while doing so, because she suffers from nasal congestion.
She goes through a lot of agony and gets breathless rather quickly when she has to exert herself, because she has cold and her nose is blocked and she is not able to take a proper deep breath.
If she, as an adult, feels that nasal congestion is simple and plain torture, then what would a newborn baby feel like if her nose was blocked and she was unable to take deep breaths through her nose?
Nasal congestion may sound like a simple issue, but it can in fact prove to be extremely dangerous for a newborn infant, because it would not only cause fatigue and irritability, thereby hampering normal growth, but also cause sleep apnea, which causes temporary moments of not breathing when the newborn is asleep.
The baby’s sleep quality would be affected, and this in turn would affect all other areas of her development, including her growth, speech and hearing development and so on.
At the same time, most colds are completely harmless, and disappear on their own after they have run their course. I know how you feel however, when you watch your baby struggling for her breath when her nose is congested.
The best remedies are natural ones. Are there any natural cold relief methods that you can use on your newborn, you may wonder. Do not worry; here is a list of some of the tried and tested techniques for you.
Here they are:
- You can try steaming up the bathroom with hot water, and then sitting in the bathroom with your infant as she breathes in the steam. This will help clear her nasal passages to some extent offering instant relief.
- Prepare saline and water drops at home, use a few drops at a time in each nostril. This will offer immediate relief from a blocked nose.
- Do not discontinue breastfeeding.
- Also give your baby plenty of water to help prevent dehydration.
- Certain experts believe that colds are caused by food allergies. If you suspect that this is the case, then do not delay; use the recommended methods to find out what food your baby is allergic to, and eliminate them immediately from her diet to bring instant relief from her troubling cold.
- Visit a health food or an organic food store. These shops usually stock completely natural cold relief medication for a newborn, but nevertheless, do not rush into it. Give the cold some time to disappear naturally, and only then, try giving medication to your newborn. I say this because all medicines cause side effects, and you may not be prepared for the exact side effect the cold medication may cause in your newborn.
- No matter what you give your baby, make sure you read the list of all the ingredients that the cold medication contains. Remain aware of these ingredients in case of any complication.
If you have decided to try natural therapy for your newborn, stick to it and don’t give up. Natural remedies are the best, even though some people may not believe it. Conduct your own research before you use any cold relief medication on your newborn.
Remember, home remedies are best!
