OK - my 4 week old has a cold - he hasnt been imuunised yet - worrying myself stupid...HELP!

[becaroo]

...should I take him to the GP?

He hasnt got a fever (I dont think) and he is feeding ok - not as much as usual but ok.
His poo has gone a bit runny though. He is sneezing and coughing.

...what would you do?

Make sure he takes plenty of fluids on board.
Keep an eye on him and if you are at all concerned about him ring NSH24

don't panic if he doesn't have a fever

you can get snuffle babe to rub on his chest (IIRC you can use it from birth)

a little bit of olbas oil on a tissue tucked into his crib/basket too

think common sense is to keep an extra close eye on him in case he gets a fever

...and if they don't answer, try NHS24

what's the worry re the immunisations though?

I would get used to it. DS got his first cold at 4 weeks and has had one about ever 3 months ever since! You can't immunise against the ocmmon cold, so don't see the relevance of him not being immunised?
Try to relax, give him nice steamy baths, put some tea-tree oil or olbas into an oil burner and get one of those snot sucker things (amazing and so satisfying! )

Keep feeding,to make sure he is hydrated and if wheezy or poorly go to gp. Saline drops may help a stuffy nose but little more available. The immunisations are a non issue - he won't catch anything he would then be immunised against from a cold virus.

Try and keep his head slightly elevated while he sleeps too - a small towel or something under his mattress works well.

prop his cot/moses basket up on books

Have a shower and take him into the bathroom with you to breathe in a bit of steam

Myt HV told me it was also OK to put a couple of drops of olbas oil onto a hanky/muslin and put it in DS1's room when he was that age

Keep feeding him as normal

Don;t worry re. immunisations. They can still have them if they have a cold too - they can't have them if feverish though.

Enjoy your first OF MANY snot-fests!

don't feel bad about going to the doctors, its ok to be over cautious wwith a new baby

Immunisations don't protect against colds - so he has this cold irrespective of whether he has been immunised or not.

DO NOT use olbas oil/vicks/karvol/menthol type inhalants until 3months. All the patient information says only suitable from 3m...I can't remember the details of why but I think that it can actually inhibit the respiratory system.

end of cot/moses basket on books to raise head a little will help keep nose and chest clear

Oh bless him - do try not to worry, its horrible when they are ill, but you do get used to it.

Immunisations don't protect against colds as everyone so rightly said here - if only they did eh All immunisations do is prime our own immune systems to do the job they are designed to do.

Your son will have a fully functioning immune system that he inherited from you and his daddy. He has all the "tools" he needs to fight off this infection, and fight it off he will. If you are BF even better, but even if you are not, he still has a flourishing immune system.

You can help him by making sure he has loads to drink, if you BF offer lots of feeds as that is drink too. Keep an eye on his hydration - you can do this by monitoring his wet nappies, if there are no wet nappies in a day then he is dehydrated and needs medical attention, but if he is feeding well then this is highly unlikely.

Its so easy to worry when they are so small. Lots of good advice here - raise the end of the bed, keep him warm but not over warm, and sit it out - that will be one strain of cold he will be immuned to in the future - just another twenty million strains to go

And maybe get yourself some of that Vocks First Defence stuff in case you start to come down with it. It makes things twice as aweful if you;re both sick, and I dound the vicks stuff worked amazingly!

I mean Vicks! And it's for you of course,not the baby!

Thank you all very much...my ds1 was 6 months before he got his first cold so I am feeling a bit worried - he is so small!!!

I have raised the matress on his moses basket but thats about all I can do I think...contacted the local pharmacist and basiclly they cant have anything except saline nose drops til they are 3 months!!!

I ahve got a sore throat and am a bit snotty, but not too bad yet.

Thing is, he is a bit wheezy, but only occasionally...feeding mostly ok. Nappies ok.

Will keep an eye on him and possibly ring docs for an opinion tomorrow. Thanks again.