Final answer:
Administering blow-by oxygen or initiating positive pressure ventilation are the appropriate actions to consider for a baby with labored respirations, clear airway, and heart rate above 100, since these interventions can assist the infant's breathing efforts.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a baby is breathing, the heart rate is above 100, the airway is clear and correctly positioned, but the respirations are labored, you may consider administering blow-by oxygen or initiating positive pressure ventilation. Since the baby's heart rate is above 100 and the airway is clear, there is no immediate need for chest compressions or epinephrine. The labored respirations indicate that the baby is having difficulty breathing on their own, and providing blow-by oxygen can help increase the oxygen available to the infant. If the baby's breathing does not improve with blow-by oxygen, positive pressure ventilation (PPV) could be necessary to mechanically assist with breathing until the baby can breathe effectively on their own.
Medical advances, such as the application of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), pulmonary surfactant therapy, and ventilators, have significantly improved treatment outcomes for conditions such as respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) which can cause labored breathing in infants. Supportive therapies, including supplemental oxygen and assisted ventilation, are often administered to premature infants facing respiratory challenges. Conditions like meconium aspiration can also lead to labored breathing, but the clear airway indication suggests that this is not the case here.