2 week old nephew has pneumonia :(

I am so sad to say that my newborn nephew has caught pneumonia.  My sister took him to the hospital last night and from what they said they caught it quick enough and he should be fine.  The hospital sent him home last night.

Here is the saddest part of the story and the reason I am posting this thread.  The father of the baby is a father of 3 other healthy children from another woman.  His 4th child died due to pneumonia at just 4 weeks old but they classified his death as SIDS.  

This story is so complex that I just want to shout with frustration.  I preached to my sister about keeping her baby AT HOME and not running up and down the roads with him.. I preached about keeping at HOME at night and not at a different home in a different town every night.  She did not listen.  She had him bouncing all over the place.  She would stay at her house, then she'd stay at the father's house, then she'd go stay with my mom, or my other sister, she would stay with my cousin, and she would skip off and stay at her friend's house.  The baby was exposed to a lot very quickly in life.  During that time she traveled in a dozen differen vehicles and allowed people to smoke around him.  I am so aggravated with what she did.  

I am proud of my sister for one thing... she is breastfeeding him.  Although she is STILL popping percocet (spell??) for pain.  She had a c-section and is still complaining about the pain.  She is a heavy set girl.. and because she kept wearing tight clothes her incision opened up on her after her staples were removed.  She was too damned hard headed to listen to ANYTHING I told her.  She is working on her 2nd prescription of pain meds and the baby is only 2 weeks... the doctor did not question why she had used up 30 days worth in 2 weeks, he just wrote her another prescription.

I'll stop bitching now and get on to what my questions are...


1)  Is there a higher risk of SIDS for this baby because he had a sibling die of SIDS?

2)  What affects do smoking ciggaretts (Sp?) have on her breastmilk.  I will research for myself to see as well.

3)  What could have caused his  pneumonia?  Was it bouncing from house to house, from car to car and being exposed to too much too quickly?



I am sorry this sounds jumbled I didn't sleep well at all last night.  

[jenstam]

Just the smoking alone increases the risk of SIDS significantly. Especially since she is breastfeeding and he is also exposed to second hand smoke. He is getting some nicotine through her breastmilk. Even being a boy alone increases the risk slightly. Not only that, but having pneumonia this early in his life is very serious and quite a risk. I wouldn't doubt being bounced around definitely increased his risk. I feel so bad for him!!

[jenstam]

I just found out a few minutes ago that Brody has pneumonia! He has been so sick, I feel so bad! In our case, we do not smoke but I know a lot of people in this area that have it. When they are little I just feel so sorry for them because they don't understand why they feel the way they do and why mommy can't fix it!

[RockRose]

Wow,  BH.  Hm.  Since you do know what the other baby died from specifically - pneumonia - that probably affects the picture of how at risk the siblings are.  

A lot of things can cause pneumonia - I agree with Jenshim that smoking adds to the danger,  but the baby may also have "aspirators pneumonia" from a swallowing problem.  Breastfed babies,  as I understand it,  are less likely to aspirate liquid into their lungs,  but it is still something to think about.

Hope the baby recovers quickly.  : (

[BabyHardiman]

Could his tongue being tied down cause "aspirators pneumonia".  His tounge is tied down at the tip.  I asked my sister to speak to her pedi about that, but my mom advised against saying that it would cause the baby to have a lisp.

He has had milk run from his nose on a couple of occasions so she took him to have his lungs checked on Friday.  Friday he weighed 6 lbs 2 ozs (he was born weighing 5 lbs 6 ozs) and his lungs sounded clear.  Well today my mother took him back to the pedis office and Devin now weighs 4 lbs 12 ozs, and has lost 2 ozs since last night.  He has not been able to keep anything on his stomach.  I feel just terrible about this.  I should not be blaming my sister for everything that she has done wrong, instead I should be focusing on ways to help her.  I am going to be watching her 3 year old while her and my mom go to the hospital with Devin IF they admit him this time.

Please keep him in your prayers.  

[RockRose]

I don't know if being tongue tied increases his chances of aspirating,  but maybe.  Actually,  usually people who get aspirators pneumonia are drunks who aspirate their vomit,  but I've seen a baby with "poor suck" get it a couple times because he had trouble coordinating swallowing and breathing.  

That weight loss is alarming,  BH.  He's in my prayers.

[BabyHardiman]

If he were my baby I would consider having his tongue clipped, I would not worry about the lisp.

I called his pedi's office which happens to be Ava's doctor as well, they told me to monitor Ava closely.  My sister's 3 year old passed on a cold to all of us and from what the nurse said that is how pneumonia is spread, through a cold.  His cold turned into a sinus infections (lots of sickness being spread around here).  His mucous is a yellowish greenish color.  

Ava has congestion that causes rattling in her chest, but she is able to cough and the rattling stops, the nurse said that is good.  She has not had a fever.  I am keeping my eyes and ears open.  Her mucous is clear.  Like I told her Daddy last night, I just want to put my baby in a bubble to protect her from all the sickness going around.  :(    

[Cheyenne_08]

In her defense, I did everything the doc said, and two weeks after I had Ashtyn, I was still taking percocet (spelling). My incision killed me for about 4 weeks!

I am sorry to hear about your nephew and I hope he gets better! That has to be super scary since he is SO little :-(

[BabyHardiman]

Thank you Cheyenne.  It is scarey.  They did not admit him to the hospital.  She came by here with him and he could barely cry.  He opens his little mouth to cry and just squeaks come out.  She decided to take him to another hospital for a 2nd opinion.  From what our Pedi's office said his blood results show negative for pneumonia.  

It is a hard call to make for her.  I wanted her to do as the Pedi directed her and feed him 1 to 1 and a half ounces of Gentle Ease (SP?) every hour.. make sure he burps every half ounce, elevate him after he eats and keep him on that cycle until Friday.  Carol is scared to death of SIDS so she is taking him to DUKE Hospital.  I guess I would be torn too as to what to do if it were my baby.  

The baby came in reaking of smoke.  WHY do parents DO that to their BABIES?????  I'll NEVER understand it.

[BabyHardiman]

He was coughing by the way.  He sounded pitiful.

[RockRose]

I'm surprised at that weight,  in that condition, he wasn't admitted.  : (   I hope your sister can keep up that exhausting schedule of feedings - this really sounds so scary to me.  

[have 2 kids]

So what do they think is wrong with him.   I've very surprised too that with that weight loss they didn't admit him immediately.   Sounds like a failure to thrive.

[Cheyenne_08]

Gosh, that sounds horrible. That poor little guy! I too can't believe he was not admitted. That is so scary. Hopefully he starts to come around or the ped can step in and do something! Please keep us posted on this little guy's condition!!!

[babypooh]

Oh, I'm so sorry for what your family is going through. I hope and will pray with all my faith and heart that the baby gets better and that there are no complications. Good luck.

[peekawho]

I'm also shocked he wasn't admitted.  He has gone from 6#2oz to 4#12 oz in just a matter of a few days.

Did he have chest Xrays?  There really isn't a "blood test" for pneumonia, she may have meant a blood test for sepsis.  

I'm worried.

[RockRose]

I'm worried too.  I've been thinking of your little nephew all day,  BH,  and I hope you post back with hopeful news.

He's so little.  : (

[BabyHardiman]

They did finally admit him last night at about midnight.  They had to run the IV through the top of his head because his veins were calapsed from being dehydrated, that is what my mom told me.  

They did chest x-rays the day before yesterday and also drew blood.. and that hospital sent him home... then he went yesterday to see his pedi and he sent him home also.  I am glad that they sought a second opinion (but I guess that would really have been the third).  

Duke hospital is the best around here.  She called this morning and said that he finally pooped this morning and he was able to keep the last bottle they fed him lastnight down.

How do they run an IV in the head?  I know his soft spot was sunken in, but had gotten worse over the course of just a few hours, he looked sooo pitiful yesterday.

I am going to get some much needed sleep.  I have had her three year old and it's tough watching him.  He is constantly trying to feed Ava pennies!  I finally figured out he was going into my room and stealing the money from my fiance's change jar.  I did not even realize that he had left the jar on the lower shelf!  I have been asking myself how my mom did it with 5 of us... it's soo nerve racking.  =)

[1nana]

You can pretty much stick an IV in any vein. It's not uncommon for an infant to have an IV in his scalp.

I'm so glad that he is finally getting the proper care he needs.

[RockRose]

Whew,  this is good news.  It just sounded like he was going downhill so fast . . . glad he's at Duke and getting good care.

[jenstam]

Great news BH! Thanks for the update!! I wish she would stop smoking around him though ): Do you kindly remind her of that? It wouldn't be so hard to go outside. Poor baby!!