Quick baby question

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Ok I am an lpn and honestly I am not a moron but I dont work with babies. My grandson is 1 month old he was premature born to diabetic mom. He weighed 7lb,14oz healthy went home in 4 days. I just notice that his resps are 48 per minute Is that normal. I cant remember. He is gaining weight and doing well I just wondered about the resps.

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Well...a newborn's resps are normally 40-60...not too sure about a 1 month old but it's not too much different. Does he have trouble breathing at all? Any nasal flaring or grunting when he breaths? No blue lips or limbs? Then probably fine. Hey, if you're really worried and have a stethoscope, you can always take a little listen to his lungs!

Amanda :)

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Specializes in NICU.

Angelbear, resps of 48 are ok with a baby, they will slow down as he gets older.

He was a chunky baby for a 36 weeker, r/t mom's diabetes.

We always worry about our grandbabies, but it's so nice to be able to give them back when they are fussy!

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I did take a listen and he sounds great just trucking along Not cyonotic at all but I promised his daddy my son I would ask ya all. So nice to know there is almost always someone here to help. Thanks Bunches

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.

Keep an eye on color and whether there are any retractions, signs of respiratory distress, lung sounds clear in all quads. It's best to observe respirations when the baby is sleeping, because they will rise when baby is awake, active, stimulated, crying, etc. Infants of diabetic moms are more at risk for respiratory problems during the neonatal period (to 28 days) due to generally less surfactant produced in utero. Infants of diabetic moms are also more at risk for congenital cardiac anomalies. Observe color and respirations while feeding. Any difficulties with feeding, frequent spits, emesis, color changes while feeding, etc? Gaining weight is a good sign.

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