Persistent chesty cough in 6mo

[Ughnotagain]

DD is 6 months and has had a cough for probably 2-3 months now. It's worse at night, and sounds chesty, like she's trying to bring something up. She'll often wake herself up coughing. She's often a bit snuffly and has had a few colds but aside from that no other symptoms to speak of.

I've taken her to GP over it before; they listened to her chest, checked her over and said it was nothing, just a cold or viral infection. But this has been going on so long I'm thinking I need to take her back really.

Has anyone any experience of this, any tips as to the sort of questions I need to be asking?

She doesn't seem to be in pain at all, but it's frightening sometimes when she wakes in the night and it really is like she's struggling to cough something up.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

I would raise one end of the cot/mattress so she's nit flat.

have you checked her room for mould? does her room get smoky from neighbours outside etc?

[Gileswithachainsaw]

dies asthma run in family?

[Ughnotagain]

No smoke, and no mould I don't think (she's still in with us and we've actually recently switched to another bedroom in the house, and still the same). I did wonder maybe dust mites as we're not exactly the best housekeepers

No asthma that I'm aware of (not from my side at least), though DH does have hay fever so could have had asthmatic tendencies as a child perhaps. I'll check with him.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

Did you change milks when this first started? or switch from.breast to bottle feeding?

(promise it's not a feeding judgement I ask.bevaee constant congestion coukd be linked to an intolerence of some kind)

[Ughnotagain]

Nope, she's always been breastfed. Started on solids last week but doing baby led weaning so she's not actually eaten much!

[Gileswithachainsaw]

I would start a food diary. (you and her) see if its worse after she's eaten something or fed from.hou after you ate something.

I would take her to see a different gp though that's not normal

[Ughnotagain]

Yeah I'll give them a ring today. I've just managed to take a video of her coughing so I'll show them that as well.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

Good luck. hope they can help

[MillieMoodle]

DS had what sounded like a chesty cough from around the age of 9 months, I kept taking him to the doctors and they said his chest was clear and the rattling noise was in his throat rather than chest. He had it for months, then when he was 16 months he seemed to be struggling for breath one day so I took him to the doctor who sent him to hospital where they gave him steroids and monitored his oxygen levels. He was kept in overnight and his cough had completely gone within a few days. He's had a couple of times since where he's needed steroids to clear his chest/cough. He's almost 5 now but if he has a cold he generally ends up with a pretty chesty cough or a chest infection and we have a salbutamol inhaler for if he's struggling. I'd keep taking her back to the doctors if you're worried.

[captaincake]

I kept taking him to the doctors and they said his chest was clear and the rattling noise was in his throat rather than chest. He had it for months

This was what my DS went through along with being breathless in the day. The poor boy was chronically sleep deprived as he couldn't sleep for constantly coughing every time he was asleep. Eventually I found a gp who prescribed a brown inhaler twice a day and the turnaround was remarkable.

[Ughnotagain]

I managed to get her in today and they listened to her chest again, said it sounds clear but have prescribed a blue inhaler in case she gets bad in the night. We shall see!

Weirdly she really likes the inhaler tube thing and keeps putting it near her face (inhaler not attached!) and laughing. I've never seen her laugh so much. So at least that's something!

[Gileswithachainsaw]

That's really fab :). keep letting her play!!! hopefully (if she needs it in two years time that is) you can avoid the pinning g down screaming toddler senario.

hope it helps