Question
The baby’s throat sounds wet, with no other symptoms. Could it be pneumonia? Can you please advise, thank you?
Answer
According to your description, the baby may have developed neonatal pneumonia. Unlike pneumonia in older children, neonatal pneumonia has more distinctive symptoms. Most neonatal pneumonia presents with atypical symptoms, with only a few babies experiencing common symptoms such as coughing and fever. Key features include purple discoloration around the mouth, vomiting white foam, difficulty breathing, lack of energy, crying less, not crying, and breast refusal. Sometimes, the symptoms of neonatal pneumonia can be similar to a common cold, such as nasal congestion and milk regurgitation. However, upon close observation, you may notice that the baby breathes very fast (over 45 times per minute, usually 40-44 times per minute), and even experience difficulty breathing, such as tightness in the upper part of the sternum, intercostal spaces, and depression under the xiphoid process. Treatment for neonatal pneumonia should be adjusted according to the condition and requires close attention to treatment effects to determine the prognosis.