9 week old with nasty cough

[MrsHelsBels74]

He's coughing so violently that a few times he's been sick. Is there anything I can do for him at all or should it be a trip to the doctor tomorrow? He's also got a cold & is generally not too happy at the moment.

[twolittlebundles]

Strip off his clothes and have a look at his chest- when he is breathing, can you see his belly sucking inwards? If so, he's possibly not getting enough oxygen and needs to be seen fairly quick.

[MrsHelsBels74]

Ok now I'm worried, he is breathing fairly fast but is asleep.

[twolittlebundles]

The rate of breaths per minute should be between 40-60. I think if it is above 50/55 you are meant to take them in. It always seems very fast from an adult point of view but might be perfectly normal for him.

[MrsHelsBels74]

Took him to the doctor this morning. It's bronchiolitis so not serious but we have to ensure he's getting enough fluids.

[Sirzy]

Glad he has been seen, do keep a close eye on him as bronchiolitis can get much worse before it gets better

[narmada]

bronchiolitis is not always benign, so do keep a close eye on him. He is still very small.

If he doesnt get better soon ask to gave him tested for whooping cough. It is around at the mo and he may not have any immunity to it.

I am not trying to scare you, just don't want anything to be missed .

[BouncyPenguin]

I hope your ds is on the mend now. If not you may want to consider whooping cough. There is a little test that the medics do called capillary refill something and you press their skin (eg on their chest) so that you get a white finger mark and count how may seconds it takes for it to turn pink and normal again. In a healthy child this should be within 2 seconds. If it takes longer this is an indication that they are not getting enough oxygen. Also if it is whooping cough the chest would be clear. You would need to video the child coughing and take it to show them at the doctors or A&E. My ds had whooping cough at 3 weeks old. He was sick on or after most feeds and lost a lot of weight. He would cough and cough to the point of choking and turn bright red and struggle to breathe. In between he would seem ok but gradually got a pale blue tinge to him. He was admitted to hospital twice and was given oxygen for a few days. He was very poorly. I had to take him back to the doctors several times and the first time he was assessed in hospital they made an incorrect diagnosis and said it was bronchiolitis. He is now 5 months and recovering but still coughing. I hope none of this sounds familiar to your ds. But if it does video him and keep persisting with doctors/A&E as you will have seen on the news that 13 babies have died this year of whooping cough.