Cough - Montgomery,AL

I do not want to scare you but I would have your dr. check for pertussis (whooping cough). Just to make sure that it is not that. My daughter was doing the same thing and the dr. told us it was just a cough, two days later we were in the hospital for whooping cough and we didn't leave for 13 days. I hope this is not the case with your daughter, good luck.

My first thought is that she may be allergic or having some reaction to perfume or deodorant or body powder that you wear.

The closer she gets to you, the more she inhales. I have two sisters who are both allergic to certain ingredients in some frangrances, and they will both go into coughing frenzies when the are near it.

Your daughter may have mild reaction, meaning she has to be very close to you, such as she would be when breast-feeding, but when you bottle feed, most people don't hold a child quite the same way. Breast-feeding puts her in close proximity to your bare skin and especially your armpits, and if she is having a reaction to your deodorant, that would explain it. Most people when bottle feeding a baby do not have their faces so close to the bare armpit.

If this isn't the case, then I have no other ideas. Try breastfeeding her one day right after a shower using non-perfumed products and BEFORE using your deodorant. If she still has a coughing problem, at least you will know it isn't from any frangrance you are using.

Good luck.

Could it be lotions or something you are putting on or around your breast or nipples? Try wiping your breast and nipple with a clean bath cloth.

Hi A.! Acid reflux can cause upper respiratory symptoms such as a cough. My daughter of 9 mos. now was put on Axid (to treat reflux) at about 4 mos. b/c she had similar symptoms that wouldn't go away. My pediatrician told me that Acid reflux can peak at about 4 - 6 mos, and usually they outgrow it by 9 mos. Unfortunately for me, my daughter hasn't outgrown it yet, but it's constantly getting better & better. I have weaned her off of the Axid several times, but have always had to put her back on it. Talk to your Doc about that, maybe ya'll can do a trial run with it. It may a take a couple of weeks after she's on it, but it's worth a shot if her lungs are clear.
Good Luck

If the doctor isn't worried, we always put my girls in a hot and steamy shower. The water may be too hot for it to run on her, but you can hold her and let the water run until all of the hot water runs out. The steam will really break things up. You might want to check with another dr. if a few sessions of this doesn't break it all up.

A.,
Put a little bit of Vicks Vapor Rub
on the bottom of her feet then put socks
on her. You will notice this works
N.

If this is happening only when your breast feeding it may be when your milk lets down that it is coming out too fast at the beginning and its making her cough. This happened to a friend of mine and I think she would pump for just a few minutes to get the milk to let down and then the milk would come out slower and then she would put the baby back on to nurse and the baby wouldn't get choked by the milk coming out so fast at first - she also would let the baby nurse until her milk let down and she would let it spurt into a towel till it slowed down and then would put the baby on when the milk slowed down. She got all this advice from the lactation consultant at the hospital where she had her baby. You should call your hospital and talk to the lactation nurse and see if they can give you some good tips that will keep your baby from coughing/choking. The lactation nurses seem to know allot more tips on feeding than some doctors do.

Good on you, being an x-ray tech you know the dangers of too many on a young body, especially for a girl. Milk does create mucus, it might just be building up while she eats. You might also start journaling what you eat - she could be having a reaction to something. I noticed when I ate broccoli, my little ones got farty, etc. They literally "were" what I ate. What you eat should take about 12-24 hrs to process into milk, so add that to your calculations and check to see if she's having reactions to certain things. Try cutting out all processed and prepackaged foods and drinks first, and eating more antioxidant rich foods and drinking lots of water. This should also help flush her system of irritants. It'll take some time, so be patient. I hope this helps :}

You said that the doctor has given her the "all clear" as far as her lungs go, and since this only seems to happen when she is breastfeeding, then she goes back to normal, I would guess that you may have an overactive milk ejection reflex. This is common, and really no cause for concern. If you have her sitting up a bit more when you breastfeed, or if you breastfeed while reclining, this may help with this a bit. As she gets older, and is able to handle that quick burst of milk, my guess is that she will no longer cough. She is also at the age when some babies will begin to produce more saliva due to the early stages of teething. This will cause some to cough. If she is otherwise happy and showing no signs of illness, then I wouldn't worry too much about it.

You may want to have her checked for her swallow reflex?? If it is mostly when feeding it seems reasonable to have that checked.

She may have an overactive salivary gland which is causing her to choke on her saliva, acid reflux, or you mentioned she has had mucus drainage. In all of these cases, the coughing is most likely caused by her being in a reclined position where the saliva, acid, milk, or whatever is gagging her. You mentioned that it only happens when breast feeding and not with the bottle, is she sitting more upright when she takes the bottle? My suggestion would be to try breastfeeding in a different position...sit her up as straight as possible. If that doesn't work, you may have to pump your milk into a bottle for her. Another thing to think about...you said this only started 4 weeks ago so is there a soap, deodorant, perfume, etc. that you started using in the past 4 weeks that she may be allergic to?