Cough in a 1 week old? What can I do?

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.

I hope you all feel better soon!

MG

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?

Hi Carmen,

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!

Thank you Schmickers and Nelle....

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.... :wall::wall::wall:

I would talk to a lactation consultant, and a GP - I never usually had an issue with being sick around my kids, because the antibodies I created in my breastmilk helped create immunity in my kids - please get a second opinion, because it must really suck not having your bub around, and I'm not sure it's necessary to be separated. :hug:

I saw my GP today... Right now, I am taking a strong antibiotics which will last for about 5 days plus the cough medication he has prescribed to me. I asked him whether it's okay to breastfeed my baby while I'm on the medications... Right away, he rolled his eyes at me...:doh: Apparently, the cough medication he has prescribed to me is known as a central nervous system depressant so women are advised not to breastfeed as it will cause an effect to the baby... I have also spoken to a lactation consultant who agreed with my GP. SIGH... I guess as long as I am on the cough medication, I have to refrain from bf which really sucks as my bf would definitely help DD2 in building up some immunity. I have thought about not taking the cough medication, but my cough is just horrifying at the moment.. If I don't take anything to help it, I'm afraid it will even worsen...

Right now, I feel like a bummer.. I mean, I was waiting to hold this little one and now, I am stopping myself from holding her because I'm scared of passing her my cough. I feel guilty, awful, and just hate myself for coming down with this cough at the wrong time...:wall::wall::wall::wall: I feel a little scared too because it might take another 3 days for my cough to go away... and meanwhile, my mom is taking care of her... seeing my mom holding her and comforting her makes me feel horrible... I should be the one doing that... what if DD2 gets attached to my mom thinking that she's her mommy... then I'll be left out!!! I know I sound silly, but this is really how I feel now. I just don't want her to feel like I am a stranger to me...

Carmen, could you tell me what medications you have been prescribed? I still think your GP and the lactation consultant my not be entirely correct here, and I'd hate to see your breast milk supply compromised because of bad advice.

Schmickers, I am currently taking Dimetapp mixed with codeine. Dimetapp is just an over the counter cough medicated syrup, but because it's mixed with codeine, my doctor and lactation consultant both agreed that codeine has a bad effect on the newborn. I am also taking a 5 days antibiotics (Azithromycin 250mg/day from day 2 to day 5 ; and 500mg on the first day)

I may be really offbase but... after the c/s my midwives were giving me panadeine for the first few days... which is paracetamol and codeine, and also encouraging breastfeeding. They said as long as the panadeine wasn't prolonged the effect is minimal to bub so ... I'll be interested to see what Michael says. I also had to take panadeine when I got a wisdom tooth out last October, and still breastfed, so :dunno: The pharmacist said it was ok just as long as it wasnt prolonged...

Big :hugs: to you for not being with you your DD, how heartbreaking :( I hope you are better soon, and can give your DD huge hugs! I agree with Nelle, the sooner you can get back to bfing the better, the antibodies will help your DD to fight off illnesses.

Oh no... *hugs* hope you feel better soon.

My experience has been this: I had a cough when DS was born. Poor little mite would jump in fright when I coughed in the middle of a feed! The midwives & nurses TOLD me to take pandeine as codeine can help suppress the cough. I didn't end up taking it as I figured we'd survive without it.

I'd be mortified if my GP rolled her eyes at the breastfeeding, especially with such a new bub!! There are antibiotics that are breastfeeding friendly and my GP knows they're the only ones I'll ever take, and as for other cold & flu meds, I don't know much about them. I'm more inclined to not take something so as to keep breastfeeding just as I didn't take anything that would cross over the placenta. I've learnt to live with not taking much medicine (and I've actually been healthier for it!! LOL). Breastmilk is the best medicine/preventative you can give bub.

I hope you can sort out your meds soon so that you can get back to breastfeeding.

In my uneducated, non-medical opinion.. I would be breastfeeding & cuddling my baby throughout the cough. They are resilient little creatures, and are very protected with your breastmilk. Generally if they catch it, they don't get that sick (providing it's not something serious like whooping cough of course :) )

Oh Carmen, it is very unfortunate that your doctor has given you codeine. The reason that LCs and doctors recommend against breastfeeding is that there is a very small percentage of the population that has a genetic disorder that converts codeine to morphine at a particularly high rate. Without knowing whether you have this disorder, it is impossible to know whether it would be safe or not for you to breastfeed while you are taking codeine.

I would suggest switching to dimetapp without the added codeine, or alternatively, you could probably minimise the amount of codeine that passes to your baby in breastmilk by taking the cough medicine immediately after a breastfeed.

The antibiotics are certainly safe for use during breastfeeding, though.

:o Well i was way off base, interesting to know about the codeine Michael, as I've been told it might just make Jazz a bit sleepy!

Schmickers, thank you for your info. I felt a little weary about the codeine too. So, I resisted from breastfeeding... just I am pumping but discarding my breastmilk. What a waste! I just finished taking my antibiotics today... my cough is much better so I will probably skipped the dimetapp with codeine and suck on cough drops if needed. However, I was wondering how long does it take for my body to clear out from all the medications? I had a dose of the dimetapp with codeine this morning around 6am... since then, nothing except my last dose of Azithromycin at 11am. When could I resume breastfeeding DD2 with no medications in my breastmilk?

The last of the codeine should be out of your system about six hours after taking it. So if your last codeine was was 6am, it should be out of your system by midday.

Yay! Enjoy your cuddles Carmen! :)

Thank you Schmickers... I will resume breastfeeding and enjoy all the cuddles I missed out all those days... My cough is much much better now. Still a cough here and there, but nothing major.. at least, now, I don't have to wear a mask around the house. :dance::dance::dance: So, back to being a cuddle machine!!!

glad you are feeling better carmen. enjoy the cuddles!

I am SO happy that I finally got to hold DD2... unfortunately, she's got the cough... no temperature, just a little cough. It's not bad, but it's just there... poor DD.... now, I feel guilty of passing it to her:wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall:

I have resumed breastfeeding as I have completely stopped taking any medications since Sunday... I am so hoping that my breastmilk will help her fight off the cough... in the mean time, she's always in my arms as she feels much better being with me... just crossing my fingers that the cough will go away asap

aaah carmen dont blame yourself - littlies get sick, its part of life!!!
keep her in your arms and enjoy - that will make her feel better
i hope the bf is going well too.
xxx

I'm so glad you're back breastfeeding and cuddling your baby Carmen! :D
Never mind about her cough, your breastfeeding is a huge help there, hopefully she'll be better in no time!

thank you girls... I'm busy keeping her in my arms most of the day... hopefully, the cuddles and my breastmilk will help her feel better soon. It's such a bummer to see the little ones sick especially when they are this young... she probably thinks it's much better staying inside my belly because there she's so much comfier and no cough will get to her!