Mum’s video shows what an asthma attack can look like in babies

By Livia Gamble

Two years ago, a mum shared a video on her Instagram page, showing other parents what an asthma attack in a baby can look like. Today, the video is still helping parents spot the warning signs that something isn’t right. 

Sophie Cachia, AKA The Young Mummy, posted footage of her daughter Florence, saying asthma runs in the family so they knew what to look for.

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A post shared by SOPHIE CACHIA🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈 (@sophiecachia_) on Oct 16, 2017 at 9:07pm PDT

“She’s working really hard to breathe”

“This is what we took her back for on our last night. No, we’re not doctors or trained professionals, but with Bobby being an asthmatic (and has been hospitalised multiple times with asthma attacks), we’re well aware of the signs to look for. 

“The sucking in under her throat & her ribs means she’s working really hard to breathe. We used prior knowledge & listened to our gut and Jaryd took her in just before bedtime.”

Sophia says it was lucky they did because her daughter spent the night hooked up to oxygen.  

As for the video, she took it before they left “in case she got to the hospital and was breathing fine, I always prefer to have something to show them upon arrival.”

“I’m lucky I saw this”

Since posting in 2017, many parents have left comments thanking the mum for sharing this video.

“I just want to thank you so much for this post and the more recent ones you have posted,” one parent posted recently.  “I honestly knew nothing about it and when it happened last night to my 13month old I knew to take him to the hospital. Thank you so so much for that video. I would’ve just assumed he was grizzly and had a bad chest cold if I hadn’t seen your video. So thank you so much!”

Another commenter said: “I’m lucky I saw this years ago… this is how hard they have to work just to breathe ❤️”

“Thanks @sophiecachia I took my little boy to ER today because of this post. We have been admitted, and he has been receiving excellent care. It could have been a lot worse if I didn’t know what to look out for and got him to the hospital in time. So thank you from the bottom of my heart. My boy has just been diagnosed with viral induced wheeze so we are very new to all of this,” another parent wrote. 

Signs of breathing difficulty 

According to Asthma Australia, “signs of breathing difficulty which could indicate an emergency include: 

• Distress, irritability, restlessness more than usual 
• Fatigue and listlessness 
• Deep sucking movements in their chest and throat when they try to breathe 
• For all children, especially the younger ones, look at the gap at the bottom of their neck, where it meets the breast bone. When that area appears to be sucking in and out during breathing, this is a sign of difficulty breathing. Same for the spaces between the ribs. When they seem to be sucking in and out – this is a sign of breathing difficulty 
• Inability of the child to finish their sentences when talking due to breathlessness.” 

Read more:

• How to decode your baby’s cough