What're the symptoms of infant respiratory distress syndrome?
The breathing of an infant with infant respiratory distress syndrome will be rapid and labored either at birth or within a few hours of birth. The chest also appears to move inward when the baby takes a breath, and the baby grunts when exhaling. The ribs, which are very flexible in young infants, move inwards each time a breath is taken. Before long the muscles that move the ribs and diaphragm, so that air is drawn into the lungs, become fatigued. When the oxygen level in the blood drops severely the infant's skin turns bluish in color. Tiny, very premature infants may not even have signs of trouble breathing. Their lungs may be so stiff that they cannot even start breathing when born. In severe cases, the immature muscles responsible for breathing become tired. When this happens, breathing becomes ineffective, the oxygen level in the blood becomes low, and the baby’s skin and lips appear blue. Complications include collapsed lung (pneumothorax) and bleeding in the brain. |
