I have a 7 - 1/2 month old and i am trying to figure out how to identify if he is struggling to breath he also has a cough and i thinks its when he inhales while coughing he has sort of a barking sound ...
Well i took him to the Dr today and they tested him for whooping cough i wont know the results till tomorrow or Saturday but the Dr started him on antibiotics right away anyway because if that comes back negative she thinks it may be something like a sinus infection causing irritation... so fingers crossed that it comes back negative cause i have heard if positive then every one in the household needs to be on antibiotics... has any one else heard of that?
Found out its not Whooping cough ... But he seems to be getting worse... Any ideas?
Take him to the doctor. A barking sound cough needs to be evaluated anyway.
Re: breathing... Are his lips bluish, is he taking short or fast breaths? If yes go to the ER.
Oh sweetie, get your child to the ER. NOW. He most likely has whooping cough. It's highly contagious and I hope that your family has had your TD boosters.
PLEASE go now - don't wait. It's scary how fast your baby will all of a sudden not be able to breathe. If he's not in the hospital, you might not be able to make it there on time.
Please update us after he has had medical attention. We are worried for you.
Dawn
Could be croup.
Please call your doctor.
Difficulty to breathe is not a "wait and see" situation!
Google "stridor."
I agree. He needs to see a doctor. If you're wondering he should be checked. Could be wheezing, croup, RSV or less likely, but as others have suggested, whooping cough. I have kids with a history of croup and asthma and best to be safe and have him checked, especially at that age. Good luck.
Call the doctor back and tell them he's getting worse. Sounds like he might need an albuterol nebulizer treatment. If it is croup there are a couple of things you can do (and it always gets worse at night). 1) Take him into the bathroom, close the door, sit with him in there (but not in the tub or shower) and run the shower as hot as possible until the room gets steamy and you pretty much run out of hot water. 20 min. if possible. OR 2) Bundle him up and take him outside into the cool air for a little while. Not so long that he gets cold. What my husband did once is put our little guy in his car seat and drove him around in the winter in the van without the heater on.
Keep his head elevated as much as possible. Hope he's better soon, but I would call back.
If he's barking, it may well be whooping cough. He needs to be evaluated TODAY. It's curable but it needs intervention.
Croup has a loud sound too - turn on the shower, HOT, and close the door, and sit in the steamy bathroom with him, which can help relieve some of it. I'd say he still needs to be seen.
Your pediatrician has an on call doctor or nurse at all times - use that free service even at night or on weekends, to help decide what to do in the future.
AfterSWH 2: out of ideas without seeing him. If he is worse or even the same, call the doctor back and tell him.
After SWH: So glad you took him to the doc. It is scary to have to wait on the test. I am glad he is on antibiotics. Yes, your whole house is at risk if it is whooping cough. Not on that but they could spread it to many others. The vaccine doesn't last as long as they thought. Older people need booster vaccinations. With so many people choosing to opt out of vaccines, the once under control whooping cough is back with a vengeance.
Tell everyone you know to get vaccinated, whether or not it turns out to be whooping cough.
Could be many things but yeah, he needs to be seen by a doctor.
Could be whooping cough, croup, or a number of other things.
Watch his chest. Is his chest sinking in when he inhales? Go to the ER. Does he look like he is struggling to breathe? It sounds like he is having difficulty.
You need to get him evaluated, ASAP.
Keep calm and see the doctor.
Croup most often occurs at night, and sounds like a seal barking. It can be very dangerous, or it can just sound bad---it all depends upon whether he has stridor with it (pulling in at the neck/chest when trying to breathe). OR it could be whooping cough, which is making a resurgence these days.
Please take him in for an evaluation, immediately. And yes, if it is croup, taking him outside and breathing in the damp, cool air can help. That is what we did with our son--the steamy bathroom air did nothing for it.
But you need to have him evaluated, regardless.
Sounds like croup, but definitely call your ped.
When our so was 4 months old he woke us in the middle of the night making that sound. We jumped in the car and drove to the ER. By the time we got there, he was no longer making that sound or having any problems. The doctor explained to us that he had croup and that it was an inflammation that some people get when they have a cold. The reason it stopped is because we had bundled him up and taken him outside in the cold. The cold air relieved the swelling. Now we know how to help him (and little brother, who gets it too). Humidity helps, too, so sometimes we run the shower and hang out in the bathroom.
But there are other things that could cause this, so definitely call your ped. Hope it's just croup (annoying but easily treated) and not something more serious.
Good luck!
Take him to pediatrician now.
