Humour me - Persistent cough in nearly 5 month old

[angel1976]

Hi all,

Could do with some advice... DS2 was born with a runny nose. And it's been really runny since then. About 3 weeks ago, we went skiing and he didn't cope with the cold/altitude too well and had a really nasty bug - gunky eyes, really yellow snot, very runny nose, some vomiting, evil runny poos and a cough. Took him to French doctor who went a bit mad with the medication. We only gave him the cough medication and it seemed to do the job. Just when we finally thought he was over the bug, the cough has come back with a vengeance.

We suspect he had a touch of reflux from birth, he was always coughing and then bringing up his milk big-time. Since about a month or two ago, he has been much better at keeping the milk down. But the cough has always been there. And a lot of muck (but clear muck). He had his BCG immunisation yesterday as well.

He's a very happy baby otherwise. Should I be worried? I have suspected various things (lactose-intolerance but apparently, the poos would be evil! Cystic Fibrosis - he had the heel prick test that didn't pick it up and my nurse friend told me it's very uncommon in Chinese people - I'm Chinese, DH is British) but is it possible this is something he will outgrow and once the weather gets better. Literally, it's the coughing that's driving us nuts as it mostly happens at night when we are trying to go to sleep! No temperature and I don't think it's chesty either... Anyone has/had babies like that who turned out fine? Just looking for re-assurances!

Thanks! Ax

If he is mostly coughing at night, does it sound like a throaty loud bark, or a relentless muffled cough? Does he bring up clear sticky mucus. Reflux can cause a throaty croup type cough with or without vomiting milk and this could come on at night because he is lying down. If it is like the other type of cough it could be a touch of asthma / wheeziness. Both of these can be treated and he'll out grow. If he's had the cough for a week or more you probably should discuss it with your GP or health visitor.

Definitely clear, sticky mucus. The cough is like a persistent hacking cough (does that make sense?). He will go most of the night with no coughing (I suspect it has to do with how deep his sleep is as we are still sharing a room and it tends to set him off when we come to bed) but when he gets the cough, he will cough and cough unless I sit bolt up right with him and then it usually eases off. He sleeps on his front as he won't sleep otherwise and I raise the cot on one end, which seems to work until he slides down the other end! Do you think it sounds like reflux still? I have just started to wean him but stopped because of the cough, I was hoping being on solids will help the reflux. Like I said, he is getting much better! He used to bring up whole feeds 2 times a day in the beginning, now we only get a bit coming up with the phlegm. Thanks.

I didn't think reflux produced phlegm - its definitely worth a trip to the GP.