Whooping cough - can anyone please help ?

[GentleOtter]

Both my children have whooping cough and despite finishing a course of antibiotics our 12 month old baby seems to be really conjested and is being sick quite frequently.

We are propping him up at night but he prefers to sleep face down and the 'whooping' episodes are down to about two a night now but is there anything else we can do to help? Has anyone else experienced this disease?

I am pretending to be calm for the family but am really scared.

Anyone ?

how does he respond to steam?
it's a bit old-school but they used to boil kettles constantly in the nurseries of children with croup or whooping cough because the warm moist air soothes the airways so you get less whooping episodes.
Try him in a steamy bathroom and if his breathing is easier ti migh be worth investigating a humidifier / wet towels on radiators etc (less scald risk than kettle).

We are in a draughty old farmhouse but although he is sleeping nicely now, should I boil kettles up in the bedroom and maybe try a damp towel over the radiator?
How long should we do the steam for? I have a humidifyer (for reptles normally) It pours out 'mist" should I try that?
It is so cold here that it is difficult to get the steam to stay.

i would try that can only hope they are all better son dont they say that it only last for say bout 2 weeks no this dont help tho i would be scard to

oww for got to say when mine have croup i put a few drops of carvoil u know the menthal stuff lol i carnt spell hahahahahah in to a bowl of hot water in the bedroom away from the kids so they carnt get it and also put it in a old ketel and turn it on this might help

oww for got to say when mine have croup i put a few drops of carvoil u know the menthal stuff lol i carnt spell hahahahahah in to a bowl of hot water in the bedroom away from the kids so they carnt get it and also put it in a old ketel and turn it on this might help

it's just about increasing the moisture content of the air - if the rads are on stick some wet laundry on them - but I think the humidifier you have sounds like quite a large droplet size (cause you can see the mist) so I might give that a miss.

If it's really cold, keeping the room warmer might help too.

Try no to worry too hard - it;s scary while it lasts but the rsik of complications is very low, esp as he's has the antibs. How long ago did he finish them? Might be worth popping back to the GP (or ringing them) in case she recommends extending the course.

Hang in there

GO, have no personal experience but a BF of mine has two dds, who both had whooping cough as young children. She says it was very scary, and they were sick with the 'whoopings' too - sounds awful.

My dd2 has breathing issues and I've found humidifiers very helpful, but its not a good idea to put them in a very humid atmosphere if its cold (or so the GP says) - so if your ds's room is chilly, I'm not sure you should add mist to it. If its warm, then definitely try it.

And if you think he's struggling to breathe between episodes - his ribs pulling in, or throat tugging, or any blueness around his mouth - do take him to A&E, even if its for peace of mind.

Hope they're much better very soon.

ps our humidifier makes visible mist, every 3 minutes (or every 2 when her nose is very congested too, it helps) and is fine. I put it about three feet from her cot.

Thank you SO much for your help, it is much appreciated.
The 10 day antibiotic course finished on Friday and during the day his general health is quite good but we have been wrapping him up and getting him outside in the fresh air a lot -it is night time that causes so much worry as the whooping is worse then and can make him vomit.

I have kettles on upstairs and have put an extra radiator with a wet towel over it so it will hopefully be steamy when we take him up to bed. He has been sleeping between us while he has been unwell so we can help him the minute he struggles with breathing.

I had whooping cough when i was 6. i remember lots of sitting in the bathroom with steam from hot taps running and lots of stories.
oh and a whole term off school which was brilliant! and i've never had anything chesty wrong with me since.
hope your DCs are better soon - I think the whooping goes ona long time after you actually stop being really ill.

Totally understand the anxiety and loneliness (for want of better word) of night time worries with LO who is sort of ok during the day. And he sounds on the mend, overall, from what you say.

And yes, my BF said that vomiting after whoop episodes did go on for a good while, and for what felt like forever. Hang in there, as someone else said...

BTW, you sound like a lovely Mum, am sure your LOs feel well cared for even when whooping

Thank you. I feel much more positive now after a really dark time....

Poor you and your children - it is a horrible thing to have. My DD1 got it when she was 12 months old and was really ill with it for awhile. She also was sick quite a lot during this time. I also found propping up helped. She also slept on her tummy, so I raised the actual cot up and when she was really bad she slept on me for periods. I also did the steam things as other have said. My DH and I actually also got it and I remember being so thirsty and so I found feeding her regularly (I was still bf) milk or water helped. As did getting outside for a brief bit of cool air. But it did pass and each day it slowly got better. By 12 months they are pretty strong and it always sounded a lot worse than it actually was. Take care.

It was a much better night for the baby last night as we managed to get the room quite humid with LOTS of bowls of water, kettle boiling with the lids up, etc and he managed to cough some of the sputum himself without the 'whoop'.

We are doing the same in the bathroom just now - getting the place to fill with steam - then he can have a long play in his little bath.

Thank you all for helping us