P22.1: Transient tachypnoea of newborn

The lungs are on the left and right side of the ribcage. They are also connected to the nose and mouth via the bronchial tubes and windpipe (trachea). You need lungs to breath. When we breathe in, oxygen enters the lungs and accumulates in the blood. This blood then flows to the heart. The heart then pumps the oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. All of the organs are supplied with oxygen as a result.

The lungs are made up of lots of small alveoli. These are air sacs with a thin wall. Before birth the child’s pulmonary alveoli are filled with fluid. Usually some of this fluid is expelled through pressure in the birth canal during birth. More fluid is expelled from inside the pulmonary alveoli after the child's first breath.

It may be that there is still too much fluid in the child’s pulmonary alveoli after the birth. Less air will then flow into the pulmonary alveoli and the lungs will absorb less oxygen than usual. As a reaction to this, the child’s breathing will temporarily be too rapid. There may also be breathlessness. The child’s nostrils may move vigorously when breathing. The child’s skin may also turn blueish.

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