8 week old with bad cough, lost appetite - can I have some advice please?

[Hopeitwontbebig]

Hi, as the title says, I have an 8 week old baby who has come down with quite a bad cold. It seemed to come on yesterday late afternoon. She has got a very bad cough, sounds quite chesty. She is also phlegmy(sp). What is worrying me is she isn't feeding very well. She is ff, since 11am she has only had about 2oz, and that took early 2 hours for her to take. She is sleeping quite a lot too.

I've been to the chemist and spoken to the pharmacist (who was useless). I bought her some Calpol, but everything else states not to use before 3 months.

I'm a bit concerned she will start to get dehydrated if this carries on. Unfortunately she doesn't like water. Is it ok to make up a rehydration solution myself out of sugar and a tiny bit of salt?

She hasn't got a temperature.

argh! just typed really long post and lost it

don't make up your own solution, little babies cannot deal well with salt, even tiny amounts, so that could be really bad idea

steam, prop up cot/ moses basket , keep her upright on you to help pleghm drain away.

you can use a medicine syringe to give her cooled boiled water

listless, floppy baby need checking urgently as does a baby with a sunken fontanelle...

unless she is feverish, don;t bother with the calpol , imo

I'd give NHSDirect a call on 0845 4647.

I'd give NHS direct a call too, or out of hours doc. 8 weeks is little, no doctor will mind being called out/visited for a teeny one with a cough. Its playing safe, and you will get peace of mind

No temp doesn't mean much, IME - my dd2 had RSV bronchiolitis with a temp of 37 - the main thing to look out for is, as you say, dehydration (watch fontanelle and skin generally, if you can pinch it on back of her hand and it stays up - as opposed to flopping straight back down - she's dehydrating) and breathing. Have a look at her ribs, if they're pulling in when she breathes in, I'd get her checked.

Hope she's better soon, its horrid when tiny babies are ill xxx

I would n't self treat such a young baby. Doesn't sound right to have fed so little and slept so much. Worth getting her checked in case of a nasty infection as they can dehyrate and become poorly rapidly. dd had bronchiolitis at about 3 1/2 months and was pretty unwell. Sleeping, poor feeding then being sick and not crying properly were symptoms. I had a really anxious night before seeking medical attention

Don't self treat her, get her seen. ANYTHING with a baby of 8 weeks old is automatically considered urgent by NHS

Thanks everyone for your advice.

I phoned the NHS Direct yesterday and was given an appointment by the out of hours doctor at our local hospital. The doctor wasn't too concerned but said she should be checked again today.

Thanks again.

hope she is ok, and if she seems worse, or not getting better, then see docs again

Thank you x

RSV bronchiolitis is the worry at this time of year. Is she breathing faster than usual? She is very small - she may be too breathless to feed. Keep a very close eye on her and take her back to GP or A&E if she doesn't improve.

Ditto Lulu and 3littlef/s - but hopefully its a cold, and she'll be on the mend very soon. Let us know, and don't hesitate to take her in if you think she's breathing too fast or her ribs are pulling in when she breathes.

Hi all, I took her to the doctor yesterday and she listened to her chest and said it sounds clear. She hasn't got a temperature either. Doc said to keep an eye on her and bring her back if she gets any worse.