When to see GP when not to??

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DS 15 months has a cough keeping his awake and making him sick. Been coughing for about 1 week but just getting over 8 weeks of no eating due to being poorly with the MMR on and off. He has lost weight as a result and was just starting to eat well and gain energy and now he has a cough!!

I think GP won't be able to do much but DH thinks I should take him along?? My GP isn't the most welcoming and often says "total waste of timr bringing a baby along for this......" so don't want to waste their time!

What do you think??

if you are worried then i think you should go. Can you see another GP who may be less negative? (i've only been once with dd and was made to feel a fool for 'worrying'
better safe than sorry tho, methinks. good luck.

Thanks thecat, yes I will see someone else. I feel like I always seems to be there though as I always say better safe than sorry etc! He is fats alseep now but coughing like a smoker!

A good GP is always willing to see a baby if the mother is worried. Can you not change to someone with a better attitude?

Yes I think I will have to. Is a bit mad not wanting to go as GP puts you off!

I think you should go. The answer to 'total waste of time bring a baby to GP for this' is' well I'm not a GP so I couldn't have known'.

I think you have as mjuch right as anyone to see your Doctor and they are taking the piss to say to you that you are wasting your time.

Bloody GPs, why must they make Mothers feel like crap just for caring about their kids?

change GPs!!!

When my DD had a rotovirus infection when she was about 8m, we took her to the docs three times in one day! I was worried about her, she was fine, the doctor told me she was fine but said if i were worried to take her back - so thats what i did, he probably thought, OMG stop panicking woman, but he never showed it - he took a stool sample - sent it off, probably to humour me! By the time we got the results she was better .

I have to say, there is probably very little your GP can actually DO about the cough, but she can listen to baby's lungs and make sure it is not a chest infection. Coughs tend to self perpetuate themselves, i think we all had one pretty much all winter in this house. Its worse of a night because you are laying down. You can help by lifting the end of the cot a little so he isn't sleeping flat. Maybe have some karvol but thats about it really. Can't use the cough mixtures now can you?

If you are worried, don't even hesitate about going to the doctors. I take my DD to the clinic over every little scrape - usually sent away with a "there there, she's fine, don't worry, thats what we are here for" - the one time i questioned taking her, thinking, oh, its only a small cut, i'll deal myself (the only reason i took her was because we had to walk right past the clinic to my house) was the time she actually needed treatment!

No decent GP ever feels that seeing an unwell very young child is a "waste of time". I always take my (basically healthy) 3.6 and 10 month olds for a check up if they have anything other than the most short lived, mild illness. Sometimes nothing can be done, sometimes they have needed antibiotics or other medication, or I have needed advice. I have had several appointments this winter. No doctor has ever made me feel that I was wasting their time. Change GPs

Anyway, I hope your little one gets better soon - it's awful when they have a bad run of illnesses.

I accept that GPs only have a finite number of patients they can see if one day and repeatedly visiting for untreatable illnesses like a bit of a cough or sniffle must be frustrating. However, when a parent is concerned about a child and just wants the GP to give a quick check that there is no more serious complications developing (chest infection, ear infection, tonsillitis etc) then they should be a little more sympathetic, frankly.
Our GP operates a triage system and a phone consultation prior to appointment. This way, if they call you in they cannot blame you for wasting their time their decision to see you. They can advise those over the phone for conditions that just need bedrest/paracetemol etc and deal with those that should be checked out in person. Much better IMO

I would change your GP to one that likes children

I am with others on this thread: if you are worried, see doc.
Every Gp worth their salt will see young children at short notice for parental concern; that is a perfectly valid reason to see a doctor.
As you said yourself, for lots of childhood illnesses there is not a lot anybody can do (other than Calpol, fluid, rest.. oh, and lots of TLC ) and you still need to let nature run it's course.
But, if you are worried, get DC seen, even if for no other reason than to rule out more serious stuff and to reassured DH you.
If you find last GP unsympathetic, change to somebody else (there are GPs out there with young children themselves who know all about the misery of sleepless nights with unwell kids .)
Hope your DS feels better soon. Good luck.

A triage system sounds a great idea. If he hadn't been unwell on and off since Christmas and hadn't lost wait recently I wouldn't go. BUT I am worried that he may not shake it off as easily etc or it may be worse as a result etc...
I think that as my surgery don't offer any other system then to call in the morning and turn up I will just have to take the flack if they think I am being OTT!

Our practice has a nurse practitioner and we are offered this as an alternative. It is good because for something like a cough you can go and be reassured that the chest sounds clear. If the NP has any concerns they can ask a doc to see the patient, so it is often a good way of getting seen and not "bothering" the doctor. I think they can prescribe anti biotics too, stuff like that , but not sure. We have a male NP and he is always more than happy to see children over the "small stuff". He always says that there is no such thing as a paranoid parent!"