Do you need to take 3mo to doctor for cold?

Log in / Sign Up

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following My Posts Bookmarks

Private Messages Advanced Search Rules New User Guide FAQ Advertise Contact Us

Forum -> Children's Health

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

amother

Fri, Nov 17 2023, 9:40 am

Ds turned 3 months a week ago. He just started coughing and sneezing. The cough doesn't sound bad, just like juice in the throat. His nose runs clear when he sneezes.

But I remember hearing that for very little babies you need to take pretty much everything to a doctor. And it's a short erev Shabbos so if I get worried later then it won't be easy to check with a doctor.

What's standard protocol advice for little babies starting to come down with so far mild cold/cough on erev Shabbos? I never did this before!

amother

Topaz

Fri, Nov 17 2023, 9:43 am

In general, if there's no fever or no concerning symptoms (lethargy, struggling to breathe) then you can wait and see. However, yes, on erev shabbos I would go, at the very least so you can get clear instructions on what to do if things get worse over shabbos.

Orangehead

Fri, Nov 17 2023, 9:51 am

no need to get checked out if he is eating well, happy, fever free and you have no concern about his breathing

amother

Feverfew

Fri, Nov 17 2023, 9:54 am

Yes, I would definitely bring him in to be checked before shabbos. Something that you can't do at home is hear his lungs and see his oxygen saturation and you never know. Things can decline very quickly. Speaking from experience.

lucky14

Fri, Nov 17 2023, 10:01 am

Call them! My pediatricians office has always been helpful in letting me know if it’s something to come in for vs something to monitor at home- and they let me know what to look out for that could show a visit in person is necessary.

amother

Navyblue

Fri, Nov 17 2023, 10:26 am

I have come in and IME it doesn’t do any good. They can’t tell from checking baby if things are going to get worse or not. Otoh it doesn’t hurt to go in.

amother

Celeste

Fri, Nov 17 2023, 10:40 am

amother Feverfew wrote:

Pediatricians offices don’t always have a way to check oxygen saturation on such small babies. If that’s your priority ask first before you waste a trip.

amother

Fri, Nov 17 2023, 10:49 am

So the reason I posted here instead of calling the doc is because my doc office is a little more on the alarmist side and would rather say to come in no matter what.

And yes there is what to lose when it's 1pm and Shabbos is at 4 and the food is only partly cooked and the doc is at best 15 min away with zero traffic and no wait in the office.

Sometimes experienced moms are more helpful, at least to understand what the options and possibilities are.

Right now he's nursing fine which tells me his breathing is clear enough. He slept more than usual this morning but was fully alert when he wasn't sleeping. (The cough started after noon.) He doesn't seem unhappy - he actually seems to think it's pretty funny when he sneezes!

If it's a matter of listening to lungs I do have a local frum doctor community member who is generally willing to do these things, I would never rely on taking advantage but if it's the middle of Shabbos and I'm not sure whether to start worrying about something that was fine before Shabbos, then I'd ask him.

tweety1

Fri, Nov 17 2023, 10:59 am

If he's acting fine, fever free, and cough doesn't sound bad I think you can wait.

amother

Peru

Fri, Nov 17 2023, 12:41 pm

I do check bandies under 6 months. I had a traumatizing experience where a cold turned into pneumonia overnight and the baby had to be hospitalized. I feel like it doesn’t hurt getting checked. It does hurt not to know.

amother

Fri, Nov 17 2023, 1:02 pm

amother Peru wrote:

I'm curious though if there was any way to know before overnight that it would turn into pneumonia. I had something like that happen to one of my kids at 5 years old and I doubt it could have been caught earlier. Around noon we were at the doctor and got a throat culture and zehu, and by 5ish I called hatzolah because she was suddenly breathing really badly and going limp in my arms. Could we have known sooner? I don't know but it doesn't seem likely.

Page 1 of 1