First time mom question . . . Can you help?

Syd was running a fever (lower grade) for 2 days and was fine for 2 and now she has a cough. Nothing productive sounding (yet) but a cough. Kaysie started running the fever 2 days after Syd so I am thinking same thing- maybe a cough in 2 days. What do you think this cough is? I only worry because of their extreme prematuriy and past medical history. I guess my questions are- how do I treat her cough- like what do I do if it gets worse. Her lungs don't sound crackly (yet- hopefully not ever) so I am just trying to be proactive in my treatment- like tonight (because everything happens in the middle of the night)- what to do if she gets uncomfortable.

 

Syd was running a fever (lower grade) for 2 days and was fine for 2 and now she has a cough. Nothing productive sounding (yet) but a cough. Kaysie started running the fever 2 days after Syd so I am thinking same thing- maybe a cough in 2 days. What do you think this cough is? I only worry because of their extreme prematuriy and past medical history. I guess my questions are- how do I treat her cough- like what do I do if it gets worse. Her lungs don't sound crackly (yet- hopefully not ever) so I am just trying to be proactive in my treatment- like tonight (because everything happens in the middle of the night)- what to do if she gets uncomfortable.

 

I would ask your doctor tomorrow (even if the cough doesn't get worse) just so you aren't worrying about this again tomorrow night.

In the meantime, there is not much you can do for a cough (some people say cough meds help, I haven't found that they do). If it sounds like she's got gunk in her chest, or if the cough is high-pitched and barky (i.e. croup), it can help to take her in the bathroom with the door closed and the shower running on hot. Keep her in there 15-20 minutes to breathe the steam. I don't know if this really makes any difference, but the ped always says to do it, and they seem to enjoy watching the shower run.

The danger signs are pretty obvious. I don't know how their medical history would affect this, but when Sarah had RSV, the ped said to watch for:
turning blue
gasping for air
sucking in around the collarbone or ribs
more than 60 breaths per minute (i.e., more than 1 per second -- very fast)
acting very lethargic

As long as she seems pretty happy and is getting enough oxygen (even if her breathing sounds gunky), it's not an ER-type thing. But obviously if it sounds bad, call the doctor in the a.m. He also said that if she was having that much trouble breathing, she wouldn't be able to sleep -- so there is no need to wake her up to check her breathing.

Hope this helps ease your mind for tonight at least. I hope it's just a mild cough!

 

Thank YOU SO MUCH! I haven't had to deal with a cough yet so I wasn't sure what to do. (The last cough they had was due to ear infections so I knew what was going on). We actually have our 18 mos well baby tomorrow- not sure if it will be a "well" baby. HOpefully the cough results in nothing else.

 

Sounds like it *could* be RSV. I would watch them very carefully. My two boys have RSV right now. John is home right now. Will is in the hospital on a ventilator. I think that Minette is right, watch for the signs of RSV. If you see any, go to the pediatric office. With them being preemies, RSV can be fatal.

Good luck!

 

Also wanted to add, the ped said a cough is often just caused by nasal drip. Sarah gets a cough nearly every time she gets stuffed up and it can last for weeks, but barely even bothers her. Have a good appt tomorrow!

 

I would keep an eye on her too...sometimes suppressing a cough isn't the best thing to do either, in the case that she should be coughing the mucus up to help get rid of it, so I've been told???? But hey, I'm a first time mom, too

 

We have our 18 month well-baby today and I called to make sure they could still give the imnmunizations and they are going to- so we will see what is causing this cough. Kaysie has followed suit with the fever, and now the cough, too. I'll update later this afternoon. THANKS all for your suggestions!!! This first time through these things can be hard. I just want Syd to be able to sleep without coughing all day and night long.

 

The first thing our pedi's office always asked us when we called was wether we were running a cool mist humidifier. We make that a practice still during the dry winter months.