It is never fun when your baby is sick. Croup is one of those things that will probably affect your baby sometime in his or her young life. Most of the time, this illness can be treated at home, but it sometimes does require hospital treatment.
Croup is an inflammation of the lining of the upper airway, around the vocal cords and the upper windpipe. It usually affects babies who are three months old to three years old. This is because of the size of the windpipe. A larger windpipe in a larger child generally removes the chance of getting croup.
The familiar barking cough is usually a sign of croup. Call your doctor and begin home treatment. If your baby is breathing fast, wheezing or appears to have blue lips, it is time to call the doctor and seek medical attention right away.
If your baby’s croup is bad enough to require hospital treatment, here is what you can expect.
The first thing that will probably be done is to give the baby steroids to reduce the inflammation. This can be done orally or intravenously (with an IV line). Steroids are also sometimes given via a shot in a large muscle. In serious cases, aerosolized racemic epinephrine can be helpful to reduce the swelling immediately.
Your baby may be given a cool mist to breath and even extra oxygen. This will make the baby more comfortable.
A neck x-ray may be required. This allows the doctors to rule out any airway obstruction, such as a foreign object or a bacterial infection.
Finally, in the very worse cases when the swelling is severe, the airway of the baby is protected with a tube through the vocal cords. In extremely rare cases, a tracheotomy may be performed.
While this all sounds scary, keep in mind that most cases of croup will resolve themselves with home treatment in a matter of days.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. Starting June 1st, don’t miss her articles in the Baby Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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