prolonged cough in 6 month old

My daughter turned 6 months 2 weeks ago. Since she was about 4 months old she has had this cough (I know - LONG TIME!). It sounds "wet" and when she coughs it seems she clears some phlegm in her throat. It used to be that it was just in the morning so we elevated the head of her bed and have tried running both a cold mist and a warm mist vaporizer which doesn't seem to make a difference. The pediatrician saw her a week into it, said ears were good, lungs were good, no fever, acting ok, just wait & see. Four weeks into I took her in again as she was acting fussier and just not herself. This time lungs still good, etc but Dr. thought to try a 10 day round of Amoxicillin which really didn't do much. Two weeks after that I took her back in as the antibiotic didn't work and Dr. said lungs clear, etc just watch. No sense in another round of antibiotics since 1st one didn't work. We just had our 6 month appointment last week, Dr. still recommends wait and see though she did appear to be puzzled by this cough.


In the beginning the cough was just in the morning or when eating her bottles, after about a month into the cough it seemed to be sporadic throughout the day but the last few nights she is waking up with coughing fits in the middle of the night. Overall she's been a bit fussier but they did just have shots last week so I don't know if it's that. No fevers, has been eating ok. Apparently kids at this age do not have fully developed sinuses so environmental allergies are not possible? (per Dr.) I have occasionally given her some Benadryl to see if that helps & it doesn't seem to do anything.

What do I do? See pedi AGAIN and ask them to try something beyond wait and see? See another Dr. in that practice (we've only ever seen her) or try another practice? I worry that it's something more serious (asthma, pertussis, etc) that we should be addressing!

 

I don' t know. I'd be bugging the doctor for an explanation. Just wait and see wouldnt' cut it for me.

I do know that at this age babies cough "for attention". Or so I've read and heard. Could that be it?

 

QUOTE(mandyfish3 @ Aug 8 2007, 11:56 AM) [snapback]361537[/snapback]
I don' t know. I'd be bugging the doctor for an explanation. Just wait and see wouldnt' cut it for me.

I do know that at this age babies cough "for attention". Or so I've read and heard. Could that be it?


Definitely not a "for attention" cough - it is productive and last night in the middle of the night she had trouble catching her breath between coughs - we're planning on taking her in to see the Dr today. I'll give her pedi another chance as this as worsened but if I'm not happy with her answer we'll be trying another Dr's office

 

One of my sons coughs too. I've determined it's because he has SO MUCH EXTRA SALIVA due to teething. All of the spit builds up in his mouth, especially when he's laying down, and then he has to cough it out of the back of his throat. But maybe yours is a more extreme case? Anyway, just wanted to throw this idea out there.

 

Could be extra saliva from teething. Or maybe a formula allergy?

 

We are in the same boat here with both boys. Jonah actually has asthma (per a pediatric pulmonologist) but Morgan is "unknown". I'm actually going to see if I can take Morgan to see the pulmonologist as well to get her opinion. Sometimes peds are not quite aggressive enough in my opinion. It's okay to wait and see for a week or two but it's not okay to continue to have a cough for so long. My ped has said the same stuff to me as well. (Not to mention that this group was against me taking Jonah to the pulmonologist in the first place...but I was right to take him because he has asthma not just a case of RSV...don't get me started...I'm switching docs because of this.)

I would talk to the ped about taking him to a pulmonologist and/or an allergist. Something else is going on. Morgan has a lot of saliva as well but this is not just clearing his throat coughing. This is a "chest" cough. Is that what you are experiencing?

Shannon

 

My boys had the same persistant cough from 3 1/2 months to about 5 months. I think I went in to see the pedi about 4 times...each time same thing! (clear ears, lungs, etc.). We never did get an answer. But, at 6 months, it has pretty much cleared up. There is a cough from both of them occassionally throughout the nighttime. But, it is not like it was (practically choking!). It was scary, regardless!

I hope that you get some answers!