4 Month Old with Whooping Cough

I had whooping cough as a child about 4 yrs old. All I remember is coughing soooo bad I almost threw up. I don't remember seeing a doctor or any medication. But I was really little.

Right now she is under the care of a qualified medical staff. SLEEP if possible have them bring a bed into her room or just sleep on a couch in the lounge. But sleep now, once she is released she will still be sick and you may miss a few night's sleep then.

Audrey, I'm so very, very sorry! I don't have any experience along these lines, but for every mom who writes on here dogging vaccines, I'm going to copy your thread as my answer.

Lots of us will be praying for you and your baby.

Dawn

Audrey,

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I really hope that the other mamas on here will respect your feelings about vaccination and not bring that into their answers. It's a moot point anyway as your sweetie already has it and most cases of pertussis are among the vaccinated population.

There are many resources online for more natural approaches to treatment. Here were some I found:

http://www.holistickid.com/whooping-cough/

http://holisticmamas.com/natural-remedies-for-coughs-in-b...

I don't think the hospital would release her if she wasn't breathing consistently on her own, but taking turns watching her at night isn't a bad idea...

Another option would be to have her sleep closer to you so she could nurse for comfort and you could get some rest. As pertussis is contagious, you and your husband should take care to strengthen your immune systems - eat whole foods, drink raw milk / yogurt (if you can get it) for the immune-system enhancing probiotics, drink lots of water, take vit C, and supplement with something like elderberry. Try to take it easy.

Dr Sears and Dr. Tennpenny are also holistic pediatricians who are vaccine-friendly and invested in a more holistic approach to care.

Praying for you! Please keep us posted.

ETA: @Jo - Someone already alluded to using her post in a vaccine argument. I searched her history and found that she feels conservatively about vaccines. I wasn't the first to bring it up.

I am so sorry, your baby is going through this.

I actually had whooping cough last year. I was sooo, ill. Went to the hospital 2 times. There really were times when i could not catch my breath. Lets of rest and medications and we were able to beat it. it took me many many weeks, to get my strength back.

I would cry, because I kept thinking of the babies and children who had gone through this, It is very frightening.

The hospital is not going to allow your child to go home, unless they are sure she is going to be alright. They are going to help you with the medications and the different things you will need to watch for.

Once you go home with her.. You must try to get rest. You could always place a palette on the floor of her room or move the crib to your room so that you can hear her.

It is so hard to see our children suffer, but we stay strong and get through it for them.

If you need to call family to come and help so that you and your husband can get rest, Do IT.. this is the time to call in the troops if you need them.

i am sending you all strength.

Audrey,

I am so sorry your family is going through this. So scary! My #1 suggestion is while she is in the hospital, sleep as much as you can. Tell the nurses that you are going to sleep for a few hours and to please watch over your daughter---you will be a much better mama if you are able to rest and get some sleep. Decisions aren't made best on 2 hours sleep. Rest up so that when your baby does come home, you can be ready for anything to come. I don't know much about whooping cough, but my suggestion would be to take turns with your hubby in watching her at night asleep etc. Hang in there and she is in good hands.

First I would get yourself and husband vaccinated if your not already. Second I know it's tough but try and rest, she needs you to be healthy to. Sorry I don't really have any home tips, but trust the drs and ask questions! Even if they seem dumb, it's their job to answer! I'm praying for your sweet baby's quick recovery :)

I am so sorry this is happening to your family. It is hard to watch and worry.

I know that it was a blessing for you to be right there and hear her stop breathing. She is so blessed right now.

Here's what I would do. I would have hubby take turns with you and one sleeps for a few hours while the other one keeps watch. This is the man you trust most in life and can give him that authority, to watch over her. This should allow you to sleep. I know that you'll still sleep with one ear awake to listen for her. But knowing he is there watching over her will allow you to fall asleep at least a bit.

Do not let them dismiss her from care until she is completely free of this disease. Please just be firm with them, as long as she is in the hospital she is able to have immediate care if she has a coughing fit and can't catch her breath.

I agree with the other moms who have said, don't let them discharge her until she is 100%. If you have to leave the hospital, stay close to the ER and don't hesitate to bring her in if she gets even a tiny bit worse. Sleep in shifts and call on your friends and family to help, especially if you have other kids. If anyone says 'how can I help?' give them a job you need doing.

Get some sleep now if you can, you need sleep to be able to make decisions and to monitor those caring for her. You and hubby could take turns, one could be holding and singing to baby (or as close as possible) and one could be sleeping.

i hope your baby gets better really soon.

I can only imagine how scary it is to have an infant with this. I don't have any advice but I did want to tell you that my 9 year old was diagnosed with whooping cough on August 2. She still has daily fits of coughing although it is not nearly as bad. (It has been weeks since she used her inhaler for this).
She is vaccinated and is not scheduled to have her booster shot until she is 11. The CDC and the county health department informed me that the only reported cases of whooping cough is in vaccinated kids. Also, my whole family was treated with antibiotic (Z-Pack) as a preventive measure.

"I'm so sorry you're going through this. I really hope that the other mamas on here will respect your feelings about vaccination and not bring that into their answers." Isn't that just what you did?

I didn't even catch anything in this question about Audrey's opinion on vaccinations!

So anyway, a girl from our office, her twins got whooping cough from a kid at their daycare. Since they were preemies and only five months, they were on a delayed schedule. The kid that infected them wasn't immunized. I digress, the hospital did not release the babies until they were able to breath on their own so there really wasn't any additional at home care.