Baby gets blue/white lips when feeding

[karen24]

My 4wk old baby when hes finished feeding often has blue/white lips has anyone else experienced this. I'm seeing the health visitor tomorrow. or should I see her today. (I had a c sestion and cant get to the clinc, husband i working away i've no transport and a 2yr old son also)

Any advice

[RedheadbyChoice]

Honestly, I'd call your doctor and today. Blue/white lips seems to indicate a lack of oxygen/not breathing correctly----it's certainly not normal, at any rate. Even if it's not happening at every feeding, I find it very concerning.

I'm neither a HCP, nor do I play one on the internet or TV, I'm 'just' a momma. And I don't run to the doc willy nilly. What you've described, though, would warrant a phone call and a visit in my book.

[karen24]

Thanks
I think, i know that but, I start thinking am I being over the top, we nearly lost him that's why I had the emerency c section and I've being over protective since. my toddler now has chicken pox I was woundering if this could be the cause of it.

[RedheadbyChoice]

I don't see how chicken pox would cause baby's mouth/lips to turn blue.

Call your doctor/hospital, sugar.

[karen24]

I hear that the chicken pox can cause Chest infections although the baby hasn't any spots at the moment it could be affecting him. I don't knw just thinking aloud I surpose.

[jtmonique]

This is nothing to worry about. In very young nursing infants this happens as a combination of reduced oxygen while nursing due to the lack of co-ordination dealing with breathing and drinking as a nurse we can monitor infants on an o2sat monitor while this is happening and though there is a drop in oxygen it is not serious. The whiteness of the lips may continue all through your child's breastfeeding career due to the fact that lips are erectile tissue and this is just a natural response in a sensitive area. All in all dont worry as long as it's only your childs lips that are turning blue if the child gets dusky and limp during the feedings then I would be concerned. My daughter never had this but my son had the blue lips for the first few weeks and they still swell and turn white with each feeding now He is happy and healthy so I speak from a nursing as well as a mothers point of view.

[RedheadbyChoice]

That sounds plausible, jt, but as it's something I've never seen or experienced or heard of, it would certainly give *me* cause for a phone call.

[jtmonique]

when in doubt you should always make a call I spent time as a NICU nurse and it is especially common there with the premature ones but it happens with term infants as well. Just offering up an explanation!

[RedheadbyChoice]

I'm glad you did. :) I had some wonderful NICU nurses.

My son was in the NICU, so anything like that (or that sounds serious or off) would make me call. And I'm not a call-them-willy-nilly person. ;)

[nowinteknicolor]

that happened to my daughter when she was first born, she never has figured out how to breathe and nurse and we found out she has problems with the her eustachian tubes and sinuses being angled incorrectly so when she would nurse all the milk would drain into her sinuses and she couldn't breathe. But she would be gasping for breath every few seconds, if your baby isn't doing that, I wouldn't think he's not getting oxygen (but I'm not a medical professional, well actually I am but not about these things, lol).

Blue lips are usually an indicator of a lack of oxygen though, so I think you're right to be concerned, but I also don't think it sounds like an emergency if your baby seems to be breathing well and it only happens while nursing, defenitely speak to your health visitor about it I think.

[DecemberBaby]

Blue lips could be normal or not. Call your HCP.