Oh no, my terrible nightmare has come true. Before I gave birth, DH came down with bronchitis... his bronchitis went away but he still had a cough. Then he passed down the cough to me... so we both got sick except that he's well now... as for me, I'm still coughing and have passed it to DD2. DD2's cough is not as bad as mine... she only cough a little especially when she's drinking from the bottle. I was bfeeding before I got the cough.. but since my cough started, I am taking some cough syrup hoping to get rid of the nasty cough before it spreads to DD1 too hence my reason in stopping the bf. I am planning on to reestablish bf as soon as my cough gets better and 1-2 day after having stop taking the medication so at least my body is free from medication since medication can be transferred to DD2 by bf...
In the mean time, does anyone have any suggestion on what I can do to get DD2's cough away? (at the moment, my mom is helping me out in taking care of DD2 so I am staying away from her until my cough gets better... I also am wearing a mask at home to prevent the spread)...
There isn't much you can do about her cough at the moment. But if you and DH have both had Bronchitis and DD2 has now developed a cough, I would get her checked out (considering her age). At such a young age, it is best for her to be checked out and monitored.
DH's bronchitis was cleared before DD2 was born. He only had a few cough here and there as he wasn't so punctual taking his anti coughing medication. He has finished his antibiotics for his bronchitis. As for me, I am just having a dry cough most likely due to fatigue and picking it from DH's residual cough. DD2's cough is very minimal... only when she drinks her bottle, she's got a cough or two... I am seeing her doctor this Thursday, should I go in for an earlier appointment or is it okay to get her checked out by her doctor this Thursday?
So sorry to hear that your family members have been sick.
A cough in a one month old could be a result of a few different things. We are currently in the middle of a pertussis (whooping cough) outbreak, in particular in NSW, so I think it would be sensible for you to take your little one to the GP to be checked out, and maybe have a test done where they sample a little bit of mucous from the back of the nose and test it for pertussis.
I am also heartbroken to hear that you have had to stop breastfeeding because you have been taking cough mixture. I would strongly, strongly recommend that you call the Mothersafe Hotline, on 9382 6539 to see whether stopping breastfeeding is really necessary. Often, even when the medication or your GP says that you may have to stop breastfeeding due to a certain medication, when you speak to a breastfeeding expert, you may find that it isn't true. But the good news, at seven days of age, if you can continue breastfeeding, it's not too late to start again - it might take a little bit more work to get your milk supply going again, but it's really an option for you. Especially as your little one is sick right now, if it is safe for you to breastfeed her, it is porbably the best treatment you can give.
Oh Carmen what a bummer about being sick! Congratulations on your beautiful baby though!
I agree with Schmickers, definitely get a second opinion about the cough medicine, if you could breastfeed your baby through this cold it would do her the world of good - your breastmilk has so many great things in it, like antibodies to help bub's immune system.
As for helping, do you have a humidifier? They make the air a bit more humid, and can make it a bit easier for babies to breathe, kind of like the steam from a shower can. I think you can get them from most chemists? I've used one with my boys when they've been snuffly - my first often had a cold too.
Also you can get some saline drops (a common brand is Fess), which also has this delightful sucker thing for removing mucous from bub's nose - a lifesaver when they mainly breathe through their nose!
Yes, what a bummer of me being sick. So, at the moment, DD2 is cared for by my mother. I haven't been near her fearing that I might pass down the nasty cough to her. According to my mother, DD2's cough seemed resolved... well, I am not even quite sure if it was the cough she got because she "coughed" only when we feed her the bottle... I am starting to wonder if it's because she wasn't used to the bottle as she was bf... so, maybe she hasn't quite gotten adapt to the bottle's flow and had a little reflux issue... Aside from the few cough we hear when she drinks from the bottle, we have not noticed that she coughs... do I make sense?
As for me, I am still coughing. I feel bad not to be able to hold DD2 in my arms as she's got no/low immune system which is why I'm completely staying away from her and wearing a mask all day long since I don't want DD1 to catch my cough either. I'm not so scared about DD1 as she's nearly 18 months thus has an immune system built up... but I am still wearing a mask for the sake of my family.
I will definitely consult someone and discuss if I could still bf while taking the cough medication. Since I have been taking the cough medication, I still pump my milk out on a regular basis to keep up the supply... so I am not running out of milk... rather having too much milk in my breasts right now... I think more than what DD2 can drink atm. As for the milk that I pump out, I just discard it since I don't want to take a chance of keeping milk that contains medication... but I will definitely speak to someone about this matter. Only thing is I have to find someone local to discuss about this issue because I live in Canada... I guess I could try to talk to a lactation consultant?
I am so hoping that my cough would just go away because it really sucks not to be able to hold DD2 after my 40 weeks of pregnancy....
Cough in a 1 week old? What can I do?
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