Paediatric nurse reveals why you should film your baby breathing

Do you know what's "normal" when it comes to your baby's breathing?  Here's why knowing this is important and how it might save you during croup season. 

Recently, we shared a reel across our CPR Kids platforms and within a week, it blew up with 1.9 million views. Why? It’s a great health tip that not everyone knows about.

Record their breathing BEFORE they get sick

It's important to record your little one's normal breathing in case you ever need to refer to it, and to help you get to know their "normal". 

So why is this important? The best way to answer this question is to share a real experience.

We are so grateful to the mama who sent us her story to remind others. 

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Do you know what normal breathing and laboured breathing looks like? Image: CPR Kids / Supplied

Mum's scary warning

In the first part of the video (which you can watch above), we can see signs of visible respiratory distress. This little one has abdominal recession (sucking in at the ribs and/or tummy), and a tracheal tug (sucking in around the neck). ⁠

In the second, you can clearly see the difference in comparison to the first video, and what this little one's "normal" breathing looks like. 

"My 5-week-old son is currently in hospital after contracting a cold from his older siblings. He seemed well, happy, and otherwise completely normal (feeding normally, sleeping, and generally settled). But I noticed he was sucking in under his rib cage and took him to emergency," the mum shared.

"This was the best decision I made because yesterday while in hospital he stopped breathing briefly, exhausted from the effort to breathe. He is now on the mend after spending several days in hospital assisted by oxygen and managing his congestion to assist his breathing and conserve his energy."

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RELATED: What you need to know about croup 

The mum goes on to share that the baby is her third, and thankfully she's very familiar with what "sick" looks like.

"Even for me, the most surprising (and scary) thing was that before I took him to hospital he seemed otherwise normal and happy. His older siblings had both had colds so I was watching him closely in case he became unwell. The ONLY sign something wasn't right was the recession under his rib cage. Had I not known to watch for that, we would not have realised he was unwell at all, let alone in early stages of respiratory distress," she added. 

"I only wish I had taken an earlier video of his chest when breathing normally for comparison - this would have eliminated a brief period of me second-guessing myself and trying to recall what his normal breathing looked like!"⁠ ⁠

How to tell if your baby isn't breathing normally

So what should you be looking for when bub is unwell? 

Look at their face:

• Are they flaring their nostrils?
• Is their head bobbing up and down?
• Is their colour different to normal?

Look at their neck:

• Are they sucking in at the front of their neck?

Look at their chest and tummy:

• Are they sucking in around their tummy or between their ribs?
• Is their breathing faster than usual?

Listen to their breathing sounds:

• Does their breathing sound noisy or different to usual?

Another tip worth noting is to take off their clothes so you have a really good look at what their tummy, chest and neck are doing.

That’s why having a recording can be very useful - you can quickly compare what’s usual for your child, to what you are seeing when they are unwell. 

Know how to respond in an emergency involving your little one. Book a baby + child CPR & First Aid class today.

Sarah Hunstead is a Paediatric Nurse and founder of CPR Kids. She is also the author of  ‘A Life. A Finger. A Pea Up a Nose’ CPR Kids essential First Aid Guide for Babies and Children.

Originally published as Paediatric nurse reveals why you should film your baby breathing