My son, 7mo, just recently started coughing and sucking in air like he can't take a deep breath. He's been drooling alot more and he's been a little fussy. No fever. I keep chalking it up to teething (you can see the tooth buds on his top gums) but the coughing and sucking in air gets a little more frequent each day. Started about a week ago. He was diagnosed with a very small murmur in his lungs when he was born, so of course my Momma mind goes straight to that as the cause. I'm trying to focus on teething or him just figuring out a new sound, but I still worry.
Also, he's been crying in his sleep at least once a night. Always happens about 2hrs after bedtime then sometimes in the early morning. More times than not, he is laying down and seems to still be asleep when he starts crying. He cries so hard that I have to pick him up and rock him for at least 5min to get him to calm down. Once I do, I can give him his pacifier and he drifts back off almost immediately. My cousin and brother both had night terrors when they were babies. Does this sound like the same thing? It started when he was about 3-4mo, but it's getting more frequent.
I'm not one of those Mommas that call the doctor for every little thing, and he has an appointment on tuesday for a weight check (he had the stomach flu a month or so ago and they just want to make sure that he's gaining enough weight since he had a hard time getting his appetite back). Do these seem like situations where I should call the doctor and try to get an appointment for tomorrow or saturday? Or should I just wait until tuesday?
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks Mommas! :)
Thanks for the advice everyone. Ended up taking him to the doctor this morning, and I'm glad I did... He has pink eye, an ear infection and croup. Poor little guy. I had a feeling it was more than him learning a new noise or teething. Thanks again Mommas :)
with the coughing and his thing at birth i would call his dr tomorrow and get him in there tomorrow for the check up to make sure nothing is going on
I think, if you are seeing an increase in gasping and working to breathe, the doctor is a good idea. It might be a cold, but if it isn't... it would just be good to know.
that sounds like asthma I would get him checked tonight. he quits crying when you pick him up cause it is easier to breath upright if your having an asthma attack I prop pillows when I have mine. The sucking soundis what scares me along with the coughing. sounds like a combination of wheezing and cough variant asthma. Sucking air like he can't breathsounds like asthma and it getting progressively worse is how asthma works. Asthma sets in it isn't already immediate. I never noticed that till another asthmatic told me that and he is right. Is he pale? lethargic? more signs of asthma. Not eating is normal when you have an asthma attack at least for me. jmo take it or leave it.
If the symptoms are getting worse he needs to go to a doctor to make sure nothing is wrong. He could be having night terrors or could be crying from pain (not sure if that stuff causes pain). All I know is he needs a doctors appointment!
Sounds like it could be asthma. He definitely needs to be checked by a doctor. I'd call the office tomorrow and describe what his happening. The inability to breathe easily can worsen quickly.
My granddaughter has had asthma since she was a baby. When she was a baby she didn't cry out loud. She whimpered. I'm guessing because she didn't have enough breath to really cry. Once she was in school we discovered that heavy crying could start an asthma attack.
Not trying to scare you-but just sharing our experience. about a month ago our son started doing the exact same thing. No fever, crying, moaning in his sleep, he'd calm down when I'd comfort him-until about 5 days in during the day he seemed fine. Turns out he had strep & scarlet fever. doctor said often strep causes nausea as opposed to the sore throar you always hear about. I initially thought it was night terrors too, since he's had them since he was 8 mo, but then he got worse during the day so that was our tipping point.
I would just call and get an over the phone consultation :o)
Oh poor guy, I just read your response and noticed that he had croup. My son when he just over 1 yr old got croup and it's the most scary thing for both him and I! Anytime they cough and appear to try to suck in air or have a hard time breathing - I've learned to get a doctor appt for. More recently, my now toddler son had this bad cough and was breathing as if he couldn't get air in his lungs -- I took him to the doc suspecting asthma and instead he had the early stages of pneumonia.
Oh, my heart breaks for your little guy and you. We hate to see our children suffer. I might have to agree with everyone on here. It could be asthma; I just don't know since I'm not that familiar with it. However, I would say get him into the doctor as soon as possible. Even if it was just a cold, then you would know that you did everything in your power to help him. I'm not one to run to the doctor for everything either, but when it comes to kids and their little bodies, I think it's better to be safe than sorry. I hope you can get in to see one as soon as possible. Both you and him will sleep better too. Good luck J..
