Sick 7 Week Old

You might try a humidifier and propping up the head of her bed (put something under the mattress). Good luck.

Poor little thing! I know it's hard not to be able to make it all go away! You might try putting a humidifier in her room at nap and night. Colorado is so dry...that has always helped my little guy. Don't get the kind where you add vicks to the water. She is too young for that. The pharmacist told me that under age 2, the camphor vapors cause moisture to become trapped in baby's lungs and can make things worse. If she seems to be having a hard time breathing during the day, I would bring her into a steamy bathroom (hot shower running) for a few minutes. I hope she feels better soon.

I am sorry you have a sick baby, that is always hard as a first time mom. My oldest son was a premeie and had RSV a few times. One of the best things was letting him sleep sitting up- in the bouncy seat or in the swing. I also took him in the shower with me or his dad did. That seemed to help. Plus there are some soothing baby washes out there that make them feel better. Do check with your doctor and keep him updated on what is going on, or take her in. Hang in there-she will get better!

It sounds like she is coughing a lot, if it's making her spit up. At this young, it's better to be safe than sorry - I'd take her to the doctor - or at least call them. We're still at the tail end of the RSV season (and my youngest even had a bout with RSV in the summer, so it's always a possibility). It probably isn't, but the faster you catch it the easier it is to treat. Signs to watch for are mostly respritory (sp?)distress - if she seems short of breath after coughing, or at any time.
Even if it is just a cold, young babies are obligate nasal breathers - they just don't have the reflex to start breathing through their mouth if there nose is stuffed up. So make sure that you keep her nose as clear as you can.

You could always use a humidifier in her room. It really helped my son.
Good Luck! I have a 3 week old and I know how hard & sad it is when they are sick.
--V.

Hi K. - I am really really sorry your daughter is so sick. My son who is almost 3 had this same kind of virus - it's everywhere right now and it's brutal. It hangs on for a good 10 days. My doc called it a parainfluenza or flu-like virus. He still has a little trouble with coughing and it's been over 2 weeks.

You should definitely have your daughter seen by her pediatrician today so that they can evaluate her condition, listen to her lungs, make sure she is oxygenating well, etc. She is just so little, this isnt something to mess around with. My son was seen a couple of times and my doc's office followed up several times on the telephone because they were concerned he might take a turn for the worse.

Also, don't give her any kind of OTC cough or cold medicine whatsoever. Ask your doc if baby tylenol or motrin is okay to give her. She is also too young for honey because of botulism concerns. Keep her well-hyrdrated since she is vomiting with her cough. A humidifier in her bedroom at night will really help her as well.

I hope she bounces back soon!

Sorry your baby is sick. I think your Doctor is whacked. If they said you didn't need to go in. My 5 month old had a horrible hacking cough 3 weeks ago. I read it may be croup and took him steaming shower and that was supposed to work right away. It didn't. The book told me if it didn't go away to contact the Doc. I did. This was on a Sunday. The on call nurse was not convinced this was ok so the on call Doc called me back and he said because of his age that we should go to urgent care and get it checked out. We waited for 2 hours but he was diagnosed with Bronciolitus, a virus (no medicine to give)and was told to "suck" the mucus out, which they did. BUT, I had a friend with a daughter the same age take their daughter in. IT was RSV. She stayed in the hospital over night, very scary. If its broncholitus, it "peaked" at day 4 and was gone by day 6, just watched if the "weezing" gets worse.. But just to be safe, take her in....

Seeing that she is only 7 weeks old, I would at least consult with your doctor to see if there is anything they can do or that you can do for her. A call to them dosen't hurt you and won't cost a penny. Give them a call before it gets any worse. Colds in adults present differently then it would in our little one and your little girl is too little to fight off infections and the like.

If she spikes a fever, take her in straight away. Other than that I'd just call and describe her symptoms and your dh's to her phone nurse or doc. Just to be on the safe side when she's soooo young :)
When you say 'giving her saline drops.' Do you mean dropping them in and leaving them up there? I was told by my dd's doc to always put the drops in there (boy did she hate them) and then waiting 10 sec or so and then sucking out with bulb syringe everything that would come.
I'd also put on a cool mist humidifier, to help her get through all the congestion.
hope she feels better soon :)

Just to let you know, try a humidifier. they work great. If that seems like a lot of money depending on what your budget is, try a vapor plug in by vicks, get at most stores. Or you can turn your shower on hot hot close the door sit on the toilet with her, and have her breathe in the steam. hope one of these works. good luck.

Any illness under 2 months requires a trip to the doctor to me, no matter how trivial it may seem. Their systems are just to small to play with. I hope you both feel better soon.

Take Care.

It still wouldnt hurt to take her in. Never know she might have RSV. My son came down with it, but never ran a temp. My daughter had it for about a month before any signs of being sick other then a commen cold. I almost lost her to RSV. If you feel there is something wrong take her in, never hurts to be on the safe side.

Do not give her any medications, but do take her to see the doctor. I am a pediatric nurse and pretty much all I do all winter is take care of babies with RSV, influenza, paraflu, etc. Does she look like she's having a hard time breathing (is her nose flaring when she breathes, is she pulling her skin up under or in between her ribs)? Is she breathing especially fast? Does she ever have any skin color changes (around her lips especially)? All these are signs that she's having trouble. I would continue to use the saline drops, but use them to loosen the secretions in her nose then suck them out using a bulb syringe. Sometimes the bulb isn't enough and the babies need to be admitted to the hospital for oxygen and suctioning. You definitely want to take her in and have them listen to her lungs and check her oxygen saturation. Good luck, I hope she feels better soon!

Because of her age, I would take her to the Dr. or at least call to see if they want to see her. Better safe than sorry. Good luck, it is terrible when they are sick.

You should try the baby Vicks on her chest and also rub it on her feet and then put socks on before you put her down. It is amazing how that will releave her cough and help open up her nose. A warm humidifier going all the time will help keep her nose loose so you can suck it out too.

I have two children who have been through a few illnesses. I would take her into the doctor if you can afford it, because it always makes you feel better. Plus if it is something more serious then you're more likely to catch it. Put a humidifier in her room and keep using the nasal drops. I think she'll be fine in a few days. You are not supposed to give infants cough syrup but I did give my kids a little bit when they were small, like a quarter teaspoon. That is your judgement call though :) good luck!

Poor little gal! When our babies get sick, it's the worst! My son has had quite a few of these cough/nose colds and there's a couple things that have helped. Saline drops definitely before bedtime and in the morning, also Johnson & Johnson Vapor Bath also helps esp. with the cough before bedtime. I just put him in the tub with that (can be found at Target, etc.), shut the door and we sit together and breathe those vapors in. I also used Vicks Baby Rub. And of course a humidifier at night. Hope that helps a little!

I'd check with your doctor. In the meantime, suction her nose out with the bulb syringe after doing the nasal saline. If it were me, having dealt with the seriousness of RSV in an older child, I'd take her in to get her checked out. RSV can progress very quickly. My son was 18 months old when he had it and was on oxygen in the hospital for 3 days, as well as several weeks of nebulizer treatments at home. You don't want that to get out of control. Chances are she has nothing, but it doesn't hurt with such a young one to have a doctor tell you that. You'll sleep better, too. :) Congratulations!

I think that you need to take her in. This could be serious. Just because she dosen't have a fever she still needs to be seen. Babies with this can go down hill fast, they get tired and do not do well. my husband and I both are nurses and worked with pediatrics. i think you should demand to see the doctor and tell them your husband is sick too.

Also use one of those nose suction bulb things. You have to hold one nostril closed and suck the other one out. We also use baby Vics rub on our daughters chest...
The combo of saline drops, the bulb and Vics is about all you can do. A humidifier is also good in the room.

It can be a tough time, but it sound like your little one is doing great with it, so be happy about that! Some moms aren't so lucky and have a cranky mess on their hands.

Going to the doc really will be a waste of time at this point. Of course if she gets a fever or you just notice something is not right, then for sure go. But for now if she is eating right, having bowel movements and peeing well, then you are good to go. Hang in there, it will pass...

in general, theres really nothing they can do for her at the doctors either. Keep a humidifier in her room to help with her breathing. Keep up with the saline drop and suction her nose out like crazy with the obstetrics bulb. If her breathing gets really labored (like she's sucking her stomach in and heaving her chest to get a breath) take her in... they can write a prescription for her to have her respiratory tract suctioned out at the hospital. Other than that, just keep feeding her often and try to make her feel good.

K. G,

A humidifier!! My darling baby had her first cold at about that same age and it was terribly heartbreaking. But your angel seems to be dealing with it better than mine did!! I was up for three days straight with little to zero sleep holding, rocking, bouncing her in her bouncy chair, or doing the USUAL mom things (feeding, changing, etc).

My sister in law has an amazing humidifier that I'm going to get one of. It is a Vick's brand, blows HOT humid air and has a little holding cup for the Vick's brand smelly stuff. It helps her kids tons when they are sick and it helped me even when I wasn't sick but was sharing a room with one of her sick-os last week (and I'm pregnant!)

Um, what else would help... Don't feel guilty about her catching something. It isn't like you gift wrapped it and gave it to her. She would likely have caught something else (better or worse) anyway.

V.
married 9 yrs, daughter age 7, another due in April! Dog will be 2 in July.

I would take her to the doctor just to be safe. We have had alot of rsv in our community and that can go from bad to worse quick. And it seems to hit the little ones the hardest. I am not trying to scare you but better be safe than sorry.

well girl it sounds like your are doing just about everything that you can. My daughter is 9 months old and she had respitory problems a couple of time already. The dr told me to do the same thing that you are doing. Giving her saline drops and sucktioning her nose. I found that warm baths also helped my daughter loosing the congestion too.

Have you talked to your doctor already? They will tell you exactly what to do. You might want to monitor her temp. A baby under 2 months who has not had vaccines yet is really vulnerable. good luck.

This situation might merit at least a phone consultation with your pediatrician because RSV can progress really quickly. You're right that probably time and good home care are your best options, but you want to rule out RSV or anything else that might require a breathing treatment or might spread to an ear infection.
At home, I suggest keeping her close and snuggled and happy--the less energy she burns up complaining about how miserable she feels, the more energy she will have to fight this off and heal. You might like carrying her in a baby sling so she can be close to you but tipped up slightly to promote nasal drainage.
Consider using some of your milk as nose drops--the antibacterial qualities of human milk are amazing and can help keep this infection in check.
Best wishes!

Welcome to motherhood! It's so hard to see a little baby struggle with a cold! Yes, I'd certainly call the doctor anyhow (and promptly), even though she doesn't have a fever. With a child this young, it's good to check with the doctor's office. You may be asked to bring her in, or you may be given some directions over the phone. Do you have a humidifier at home? Sometimes that helps a stuffed head and chest. Colds generally take about a week to get through, and sometimes a little longer to get rid of all the "stuff" inside.

Hello! We just went thru this with our 7 weeks old son. (The big difference he eats every two hours so I don't get a lot of sleep! You are so lucky.) I was so worried and had an apt. with my doctor for my 6 weeks check, so I got to have a doctor see him too at the same time. I had to wait in the office for someone who was available but it was worth it.

Here is what she said: 1) What to look for & 2) What to do!
What to look for:
Temperature: if it is more than 100.4 go immediately to the ER! (When feve you can give TYLENOL TYlenol only based on his weight. She weighed him and told me how much I could give him.BUT again if he has a fever even a little or if you are not sure he does, she said DO NOT hesitate go to the doctor, if he has a temperature they will send him to ER)
Feeding: if he does not eat,or eat less (because he will choose breathing over eating, and its hard to do both) and his diapers are dry, bring him to the doctor
Breathing: Check two place, rib cage and neck, if when he breathes, they are a hole/gap, skin get sucked in, go to the doctor.

WHAT TO DO:
Keep feeding him.
Use a thing to suck his nose's mucus. Make sure there is a good seal.
Check his temperature
Check his diaper to make sure there are wet
Check his breathing, by looking at his neck and torso
It can take up to 10 days to clear up!!!

I hope this help! For your peace of mind, I would make an apt. with a doctor or go to one of those 24 hours open /walk in doctors office.

Oh and as she was loooking at him, she noticed a rash on his torso and belly. She said that could be an indication of viral infection.

Take Care!
N.

Oh it is so hard to have them get sick when they are so little! I know how you feel. YOu can try using a humidifier, esspecially at night. Or just take her in the bathroom and have a hot shower running so the room gets all steamy. The saline is good, you should put the drops in and then use a nasal aspiator to suck as much gunk out as you can, she will hate this but it helps. Just remember to wash your nasal aspirator after each use, I would suck up some rubbing alcohol and shake it, then squirt that out and suck up and squirt out water several times. I hope that your baby feels better soon!

Use a humidifier. My doctor also asks us to keep their head elevated when they are asleep the help with the drainage. We just put a pillow underneath the crib matress to prop it up, but he recommends letting them sleep in their car sear or bouncer.

I would say take her to the doctor. These colds can last for weeks and you want to be sure that it does not get in the lungs. I would have them check her out, just in case and then she/he can let you know what to look for if anything gets worse. Good luck and congratulations on being a mom!

Sounds like you're doing everything right. I would try two more things: the first is to keep a cool mist humidifier in her room or near where she sleeps. This will have a similar effect as the saline drops. The second thing is to try to get her to sleep a little more upright. There are lots of instructions out there on how to do this ... If she's co-sleeping, you can try to keep her head and chest a little more elevated. If she's in a crib, people recommend folding up a couple of towels and putting them underneath the crib mattress so she can be a little more elevated. If she will sleep in a swing, that was the one I was most comfortable with. Keeping them a little more upright will help their nasal passages drain better.

I agree with the other moms though — since she's so young, you may want to insist the doctor sees her.

She sounds like I real gem! :) Have you tried the cool mist humidifier? That might help the congestion. Good luck!
J.

My 6 mo old and 2yr old just got over RSV. My 2 yr old never got a fever and my 6 mo old didn't get a fever until about 3 days or so after I took her to the Dr. You can also try a humidifier. Keeping the air moist should help with the congestion as well. I would at least call the Dr to see what advice they may have for you. I bought a Vicks Hot humidifier that has that Vicks medicine to go with it, but unfortunately you can't use that on infants, you just have to do the steam. They say RSV can last up to 2-3 weeks and just regular colds about 7-14 days. My little one was a trooper though and it never spread to her lungs and was over it in less than 2 weeks. Again just at least call your Dr to see what they have to say, expecially being as little as she is.

I always had a humidifier in my babies rooms. It helps especially with a cold, but it is really beneficial all the time. Give it a little time and give her a lot of love and things will be good after a while.

HI K. G
the best thing you can do for your daughter is make her fill comfy , keep using the saline and clean out her nose every time you do the saline. eventually it will go away.

You should definitely take her to see the doctor. Even if they don't need any medicine they will want to check out her lungs and all.

My naturopathic Dr. told me to use Eucalyptus or peppermint oil and dilute it w/ olive oil- rub some of it on my 5 week old's chest and rub a little on the soles of her feet.
It helped her to breathe easier. I also put some straight oil in a diffuser and let it evaporate into the room 3-4 times a day. Her pediatrician told me to watch for fever or wheezing or not eating at all. She too, vomited about 4 x over the course of the cold lasting about 10 days. I think she gagged on junk from her nose or throat. My pediatrician did say she could have tylenol since she weighed over 10 lbs. She took .06 ml of the infant kind. That helped her the couple of days when she felt the worse, especially at bedtime. I also ran a vaporizer in the house and bedroom. Good Luck, trust your instincts. If you feel your baby is getting worse or something is wrong, visit the Dr. The worse they can tell you is she/he is okay... No embarrasment in being a concerned mommy. This is my # 6!

I just hate it when my kids are sick, especially when they are so tiny! Hang in there. That being said, just because she doesn't have a fever doesn't mean she isn't doc-worthy. These little ones are so vulnerable to so many things. I have had all three of mine admitted to the hospital at one point or another with what seemed like just the common cold. These things can just be more serious than you initially think and upper respiratory stuff can get serious very fast. Just take her in, even if it's nothing it's worth the peace of mind.

I would definitely have her bee seen. The RSV virus is going around and it can be terrible. They say the season for RSV is from Novemeber to April. You are right you can't give them anything because they are too young and because it is only virus. But you can keep putting the saline drops in her nose and try to suction her out often. If you have a humidifier you should be having that run on her all the time. I have a 4 month and he battling the same thing and it breaks my heart seeing him so miserable. But like your daughter he still smiles if though I know he doesn't feel good. They say you can have the RSV virus until the season is over. So good luck.

You can use EFT - Emotional Freedom Techniques for so much. You can do some "Tapping" on the meridian points of your baby's body to clear the "blockages" that are keeping her stopped up. Check out www.emofree.com to download the FREE manual and start using it for all kinds of issues with your family.

Also, massaging her hands, feet and ears gently will also get things moving faster. Those areas are "referral" points for the whole body and will get the lymphatic system (the garbage can of the body) moving.

Use EFT for yourself to releive your stress over not knowing what to do for your family.

It's all learning - you'll get it!

I have 5 grown children and 11 grandchildren so I've been there! I'm also an Infant Massage Instructor and Wellness Coach.

This stuff Works!

Blessings,

E.

I am so sorry your little one is sick.
If she was exposed to upper respitory illness I would take her in, that isn't to be messed with in newborns at all.
It can be bad even without a fever if she has congestion in her chest. Take her in to be sure.
My daughter got a cold at 6 weeks, she stopped feeding well as she was so stuffed up. We actually had to take her to Childrens Hospital where they ran a tube up her nose and cleared out a TON of mucus to help open her up. They suggested before laying her down for sleep to take her in a steamy bathroom to help open her airways. At this age you can maybe prop the head of her crib up a bit if she is still swaddled and in a back positioner, that will help as when they lay flat it can build up in their nose.
I also did cold bottles at the hospitals suggestion, I pumped and put the bottles in the fridge and alternated with formula in the fridge. The cooler bottles are more soothing and seem to help go down easier. After that my daughter only wanted bottles from the fridge, hee hee.
I would not mess around with a cough, take her in just to be safe!! Hugs and you are in my prayers she is better soon.

I am not sure age range for the vicks vapor plug ins, they work like a night light and fill the air up with that smell. She is too young for the rub on her chest but ask about the plug ins, we use them all the time with coughs and colds as no medication is given however it helps them rest comfortably. It is great she is eating well!
Hugs

Use a vaporizer when she sleeps, and suck out her nose with a bulb syringe. If her cough seems to be while she sleeps, you might need to elevate the head side of her crib (but not so much that she'll roll). My daughter had problems like this too. Take care, and good luck! Hang in there!

You've gotten a ton of advice--listen to your instincts. Not sure why your doctor said not to bring her in. I would do that asap--even on a weekend. Not all children or people run temperatures like others. If you are breastfeeding, nurse as much as possible to keep her hydrated. And watch the Vicks--many do not recommend it for kids under 4: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9936...

Hang in there--you're not alone!

I would try to find her something over the counter. Call your local pharmacy. They can tell you what to use without having to go to the doc. Good luck and I hope she feels better soon.