Very persistant cough in 11 mo - bit worried

[Ettenna]

LO had a rotten cold about 3 weeks ago and the terrible cough is still very much with us. He coughs extremely hard especially during the night, which wakes him. It sounds awful but a doctor has twice listened to his chest and said it's clear. They've taken swabs to test for whooping cough (I thought this was unmistakeable though?). A friend suggested that it might be asthma?

Does anyone have similar experience they could share and some advice please?

Dd1 had similar sounding cough (ie following a cold and mainly at night), she would also be sick sometimes with the force of it,she also seemed to get a chest infection every time she had a cold. I think she was about a year old at the time and doctors were reluctant to diagnose asthma, but eventually she was prescribed a preventer (the brown inhaler) and the cough improved pretty soon after. She is now nearly 2, still takes her inhaler,and is seen regularly by an asthma nurse. I was pretty upset at the time, but am hoping that it is something she will grow out of (I had asthma as a child, which stopped in adolesence).

I hope your lo's problem gets better, maybe they will try an inhaler to see if it improves the situation, as they could always stop if it has no effect.Good luck.

Thanks, hazeyjane.

Anyone else?

DS (3.6) had a persistent cough off and on for 2 years whenever he had a cold, was often sick with it. We recently moved house so new Dr - DS was prescribed brown asthma inhaler 2 weeks ago and is a different child! He seldom coughs, has lots more energy, and just seems happier in himself. No one even suggested to me that he could have asthma before, and some Drs seem v reluctant to diagnose that so early - but I have to say I am delighted with our asthma diagnosis iyswim as the inhaler is working so well.

Sounds like asthma..very common cause of a persistent cough in LOs

Eeeek! Bit scared by the whole asthma scenario. Does anyone know about baby asthma? Do they grow out of it?

My dd2 is in the same boat...persistent cough, entirely at night, and has occasionally been sick from the force of it. She did have a chest infection, she doens't normally cough with a cold...but this one is hanging on, and as she had bronchiolitis as a 4 week old baby she's at high risk for asthma

That said, I do understand the worry about asthma - it totally freaked me out when GP said dd1 (4) had it mildly. I have never had it, it doesn't run in my family, I know nothing about it (dh's family has some). But I've learnt a bit, and it needn't be so scary - dd1 uses her brown inhaler at the first sign of a cold, and her blue one, and that stops them going to her chest. She never coughs at night, only if she exercises very hard (rare!).

Babies and asthma though...how do they use inhalers? Do they have mask thingies, is it the ones called nebulizers? Sorry to be so ignorant, I think I'll probably be learning about all this in near future unfortunately...

I can't imagine how a baby uses an inhaler! Does anyone have any info please?

Hi ettenna,

Sorry just saw your message. My 11 month ds has been using an inhaler through a spacer. Had terrible winter so can ofer advice and sympathy if still needed, let me know x

Is this the first time your baby has been so unwell - is s/he generally OK?