7 day old baby and daddy might be coming down with a cold

Hi ladies. So, Luca had his big 1 week birthday today but I am very stressed out b/c it seems like DH is coming down with something. He is an allergy sufferer, so it's a tough call, but his mucus is colorful (can also be a sinus infection) and I am NERVOUS. At this point if he DOES have a cold it is probably safe to say the baby has been exposed as we have all been simmering together in the hospital and now the house for a week straight. I plan to call the Dr. tomorrow morning but thought I would ask you ladies for advice- the first of many times probably, lol.

PS I am not bfing (which is kinda killing me b/c I know baby would be more protected).

TIA

Re: 7 day old baby and daddy might be coming down with a cold

any fever? Make sure to call your ped tomorrow! I'm not trying to worry you but newborns need to be seen as soon as you know they're sick.

Re: 7 day old baby and daddy might be coming down with a cold

Posted by nrthshgrl

any fever? Make sure to call your ped tomorrow! I'm not trying to worry you but newborns need to be seen as soon as you know they're sick.

Re: 7 day old baby and daddy might be coming down with a cold

OK, just because DH has a cold does not mean that the baby is definitely going to catch it. But here are some things to look for (based on my experience with DD)

If your baby does catch the cold, you want to be on the lookour for a few things. If there is only congestion, there is not much that the ped is going to do for you. I would make sure to have saline drops and a bulb suringe handy so that you can suction out DC nose if there are boogies that need to come out.

If the baby gets a fever or starts having trouble breathing, that's when you definitely have to call the ped. When you change the baby, look at their chest, just under the arm pits. If when they breathe, it looks like the skin is pulling in there, that means they are working too hard to breathe. Also, you can count how many times they breathe per minute. I think the babies are supposed to breathe between 35-50 times per minute. If it's more than that, call the ped.

I say these things from my experience with DD in December when she was 2 weeks old. Basically you just have to closely watch when they have a cold because it could either turn into nothing, or it could turn into RSV. My DD caught a cold from my DS and she ended up with the RSV virus which gave her bronchiolitus. When I got her to the ped, she was breathing about 70-80 times per minute. She is fine now, it was just not a fun few days.

If DC gets a cold, watch to see what happens about 4 days after the symptoms first appear. If they get RSV, the symptoms get to be their worst around the 4-5 day mark. Oh, and if it does turn to RSV they usually get a cough too.

Just trust your mommy instincts and call the ped if you are unsure!
Oh, and don't get down on yourself about not BFing... I am EBF DD and that didn't prevent her from getting sick, so you never know how the kids will react to these types of things.

Message edited 3/4/2010 3:46:50 AM.

Re: 7 day old baby and daddy might be coming down with a cold

Posted by jerseypanda

OK, just because DH has a cold does not mean that the baby is definitely going to catch it. But here are some things to look for (based on my experience with DD)

If your baby does catch the cold, you want to be on the lookour for a few things. If there is only congestion, there is not much that the ped is going to do for you. I would make sure to have saline drops and a bulb suringe handy so that you can suction out DC nose if there are boogies that need to come out.

If the baby gets a fever or starts having trouble breathing, that's when you definitely have to call the ped. When you change the baby, look at their chest, just under the arm pits. If when they breathe, it looks like the skin is pulling in there, that means they are working too hard to breathe. Also, you can count how many times they breathe per minute. I think the babies are supposed to breathe between 35-50 times per minute. If it's more than that, call the ped.

I say these things from my experience with DD in December when she was 2 weeks old. Basically you just have to closely watch when they have a cold because it could either turn into nothing, or it could turn into RSV. My DD caught a cold from my DS and she ended up with the RSV virus which gave her bronchiolitus. When I got her to the ped, she was breathing about 70-80 times per minute. She is fine now, it was just not a fun few days.

If DC gets a cold, watch to see what happens about 4 days after the symptoms first appear. If they get RSV, the symptoms get to be their worst around the 4-5 day mark. Oh, and if it does turn to RSV they usually get a cough too.

Just trust your mommy instincts and call the ped if you are unsure!
Oh, and don't get down on yourself about not BFing... I am EBF DD and that didn't prevent her from getting sick, so you never know how the kids will react to these types of things.

Re: 7 day old baby and daddy might be coming down with a cold

my DH was sick when I delivered and the day after we can home form the hospital he was only getting worse. He went to teh Dr and was diagnosed with pink eye and a was put on antibiotics for cough/cold. I was terrified DS would get sick but we were careful, washed hands, no excessve contact etc. My DH was better in a few days and no one caught anything. Just watch out for any changes in your DS and I think you should be fine.

Re: 7 day old baby and daddy might be coming down with a cold

Re: 7 day old baby and daddy might be coming down with a cold

Message edited 3/4/2010 4:54:11 PM.

Re: 7 day old baby and daddy might be coming down with a cold

The day I brought my DS home from the hospital, my 2 year old came down with a cold. I was FREAKING out!!! I called the ped and he wasn't worried, just told me to keep them separated as much as possible and lots of hand washing.