My DD has croup...Update

update: The ped called to check in on her - he said she has spasmodic croup...so we are keeping her with a humidifier and giving tons of fluids and hopefully it will go away soon.


she has some very minor congestion earlier in the week that could have been from teething or a very minor cold -(per the ped) but she has not been coughing, sneezing, fussy, nor has had a fever at all and at her 11 month visit her ears, throat and chest were all clear. The past two days she has been doing great - (no runny nose that was her only symptom). We went to the aquarium yesterday and she was perfectly fine and again fine all day no congestion at all. Then we wake up to strange strangling noises and realize she is trying to breathe and to call us. She gave us a huge scare. She wouldn't eat (BF), couldn't cry, was very pale - but she was breathing.

I called the ped and he immediately answered and he had us take her into the bathroom to steam, after a few minutes and no improvement we were going to take her to the ER - - so we are about to walk out the door when suddenly - her color returns, she was able to talk, cry and eat again. She seems perfectly fine and is now sitting up and I put tv on (she never showed interest in it before).

So the ped says it sounds like from hearing her over the phone croup - we have had the humidifier on her - we use it every night, and we have her sitting in her high chair (he told us to keep her upright). I don't think she has a fever - she isn't warm and won't let me take her temp rectally (is fighting DH and I like crazy) and her forehead one says 98. I'm afraid to go to sleep for fear it will return (we will go to the ER if it does). The thing is she has been perfectly fine for two days - smiling laughing happy, not a sick baby at all or I would not have taken her to the aquarium yesterday.

Message edited 5/25/2008 8:53:16 AM.

Re: My DD has croup...

I am so sorry. I hope she feels better soon.

Re: My DD has croup...

I think one of the reasons that is it so upsetting (in addition to the trouble breathing part) is that she has never been sick before (she is 11 months old). She seems perfectly fine now - so I have no idea.

I thought maybe she has a seasonal allergy (which is why she was fine but the pollen is high and now she gets this after we went outside for the day) but my ped has said in the past when asked about it that she is too young for that.

Re: My DD has croup...

I'm so sorry to hear this! I know how scared you must be to hear that. We wish her a speedy recovery!

Re: My DD has croup...

her ped told us to keep her sitting up all night so she slept in that space saver high chair right next to my head - and woke a few times for about 2 mins. Needless to say I spent the night staring at her not sleeping.

She is all smiles and walking around and wanting to play - but is now wheezing pretty constantly - so I will be calling the ped again later this morning - I don't like the sound of her breathing - but I don't think it is an emergency as I said she is wanting to play and is normal color etc. She still has no fever and is not coughing at all and her nose isn't running either. I just want to make sure it doesn't become a pneumonia or something like that. Of course with today being sunday and tomorrow a holiday - I hope I won't have to take her to the ER and expose her to getting something else if I don't have to.

Re: My DD has croup...

feel better baby

Re: My DD has croup...

The Croup sucks. DS had it (along with every other friggin illness) earlier this year. It is so frightening b/c many times they seem only mildly sick and then all of a sudden they are gasping for air & struggling to breathe.

MAJOR TMI WARNING>>>>>> He had to take a steroid for one day ( 2 doses) to open up his esophagus enough to release the phlegm. He coughed it all up at once and it was massive...bigger than his head. He had no fever and was able to eat normally in a day or two. We took him off of dairy-based formula to try & help.

The croup is the sound that they make when they bark like a seal. That is how the drs know what it is. Apparently the only thing that causes that sound is when that part of the breathing is affected by swelling. When congestion settles there it can cause an infection & inflammation (according to my ped).


Hope your DD feels better soon

Re: My DD has croup...

Posted by MsMBV

The Croup sucks. DS had it (along with every other friggin illness) earlier this year. It is so frightening b/c many times they seem only mildly sick and then all of a sudden they are gasping for air & struggling to breathe.

MAJOR TMI WARNING>>>>>> He had to take a steroid for one day ( 2 doses) to open up his esophagus enough to release the phlegm. He coughed it all up at once and it was massive...bigger than his head. He had no fever and was able to eat normally in a day or two. We took him off of dairy-based formula to try & help.

The croup is the sound that they make when they bark like a seal. That is how the drs know what it is. Apparently the only thing that causes that sound is when that part of the breathing is affected by swelling. When congestion settles there it can cause an infection & inflammation (according to my ped).


Hope your DD feels better soon

Re: My DD has croup...

Posted by Lillykat

Posted by MsMBV

The Croup sucks. DS had it (along with every other friggin illness) earlier this year. It is so frightening b/c many times they seem only mildly sick and then all of a sudden they are gasping for air & struggling to breathe.

MAJOR TMI WARNING>>>>>> He had to take a steroid for one day ( 2 doses) to open up his esophagus enough to release the phlegm. He coughed it all up at once and it was massive...bigger than his head. He had no fever and was able to eat normally in a day or two. We took him off of dairy-based formula to try & help.

The croup is the sound that they make when they bark like a seal. That is how the drs know what it is. Apparently the only thing that causes that sound is when that part of the breathing is affected by swelling. When congestion settles there it can cause an infection & inflammation (according to my ped).


Hope your DD feels better soon

Thank you - if she needs the steroids for a day or two she does - I had very bad allergies as a kid and had frequent brochitis from my allergies - so I am praying that DD didn't inherit this and is what is causing the croup. Dh is going to call the ped again this morning at a normal hour and talk to him and see what we can do for her. I was very scared last night and still am but she is smiling and walking around and demanding to be released let out of her seat or out of our arms to play.

Re: My DD has croup...

Hope she feels better soon!

I started earing "some" wheezing last night with DS. He is still sick.

Just remember tomorrow is Memorial Day so you have a better chance to see a Dr. today if you have too.

Re: My DD has croup...Update

thank you! The ped called us back this morning. This is the one thing I am thankful for is that our ped is a solo ped so when we called last night he answers the phone directly and called back last night and this morning to check in with us.

I'm still worried but not scared like I was last night.

Re: My DD has croup...Update

I hope your little one is back to herself soon!

Re: My DD has croup...Update

my DD had croup last week. its very scary. sit with her in the steamy bathroom. also, i stood with her in front of the open freezer, and that helped to stop the coughing too. my ped told me that during the winter, he tells parents to go outside, but its not cold enough now (the cold air helps, thats why i did open freezer). another thing - croup ALWAYS gets worse at night. she was fine, happy all day, then would be up coughing all night. we had one very bad night, then 3 more so-so nights. my ped told me to call if she has any trouble breathing or i cant get the coughing to stop, then he would meet us in the office for steroids and nebulizer. otherwise he didnt want to medicate, if the steamy shower was helping.
good luck. i hope she feels better soon

oh, also, it took about a week for the congestion to totally clear up. normal, as per my ped.
she may be coughing again tonight, even if she is totally fine today. and, forgot to add, we ran a cool humidifer in her room all night and for naps.

Message edited 5/25/2008 9:56:11 AM.

Re: My DD has croup...Update

Aww. I hope she feels better soon!

Re: My DD has croup...Update

i'm glad she is doing better this morning.

keep in mind, if you need to take her someplace (and its not 2am) there is PM Pediatrics in syossett. they are open noon to midnight on weekends and holidays, and 5-mindnight during hte week. they can do pretty much anything an ER can do, with shorter wait times, and you only pay a specialist copay. if she is wheezing, she might need a nebulizer for a bit. jason always had to have the nebulizer because of wheezing. he only had croup once though.

Re: My DD has croup...Update

i hope she feels better soon!!