4 month old chesty cough... Any experience

[CrystalFlower]

My just turned 4 month old has a chesty cough, he has lost his voice (crying is more hoarse and has trouble crying) -he has been given erythromycin antibiotics luckily today and he is on 5 and a half mls per day but I am scared as when he coughs he sounds so congested.. Any experiences? I am using a humidifier every night and keeping him propped up more in his moses basket... Just so scary being a parent at times as you worry.. How long did you notice if your little one improved?

Thanks in advance

Hi, my 9 month old currently has this. I can feel the mucus rattling around in him when I hold him. It's been about a week now, some days better than others. But he is feeding fine. The thing to look for is any pulling or sucking around his chest and neck when he breathes - if you can see his ribs for instance. If means they are labouring to get air and can make them tired and if this is the case you need help. It sounds as though he is being well looked after but here is the link my gp sent me. Hope he feels better soon xx

what0-18.nhs.uk/parentscarers/worried-your-child-unwell/cough-and-cold

And

what0-18.nhs.uk/popular-topics/bronchiolitis-and-rsv

Sorry to hear your DS is unwell OP. It's unnerving when your baby is ill, isn't it.

I'd keep a close eye out for signs of bronchiolitis. DD was diagnosed with this after I noticed that she was breathing faster than usual (you can count resp rates and check against normal expected numbers online) and that I could see her tummy sucking in as she breathed. It was easily treated in her case with a short hospital visit where we were sent away with an inhaler but in can be nasty and need inpatient hospital treatment.

It's tricky at 4 months because you can't have them sleeping very upright which otherwise can be helpful for chest infections/bronchiolitis, whereas DD was older when she had it so I even had her sleeping in the pushchair (but this definitely wouldn't be safe at 4 months).

It's also worth making a mental note of frequency of wet nappies and if it's much less than usual that's a flag for seeking medical advice.

I know 111 are busy but they are there for things like this. They were brilliant when I called about DD and signposted me to get the correct help. Obviously if you're really concerned at any point, with such a young baby, trust your instincts and get more immediate medical help.

I can't remember her age but she was below 6 months and sounded so much worse laid down so I'll be honest I sat up all night on sofa with her asleep on my chest. Not sure this is recommended tbh but she slept well, I didn't at all. Took it in turns with her dad. I get this isn't possible for everyone. I will say I didn't sleep I just watched TV but figured with how laboured her breathing was laid down I wasn't going to sleep anyway!