View Full Version : 1st time mom needs advice
prbarts
Dec 18, 2011, 07:12 PM
My daughter is 11 1/2 months old. She has a horrible barking/wheezing cough. She wheezes almost every time she breathes out and her breathing seems a bit labored. I have tried everything I could. I am very concerned about this. Should I take her to the ER or take her to the pedatrician? I don't know what to do. Please help me somebody, anybody!
odinn7
Dec 18, 2011, 07:24 PM
When in doubt with a child, the ER is always the best way to go. If her breathing is that bad, she should go now without waiting for a doctors appointment.
Fr_Chuck
Dec 18, 2011, 08:34 PM
If you live in an area and it is after your normal doctors hours, often the "Urgent Care" Centers may be better for illness where they deal with that more. And the wait can be less and the cost.
kcomissiong
Dec 20, 2011, 12:30 PM
Just to add to what Fr_Chuck said here... an urgent care center is generally not equipped to deal with severe respiratory distress, especially not in a baby. If it doesn't stop when they administer medication (for an infant, that usually means a nebulizer) they will refer you to an ER. With what you are describing, you really need to head to the ER immediately. I know you would rather be cautious than sorry.
This happened to my son. What we thought was a bad cold and him being congested was an asthma attack. (This was a first, we had no idea) Our urgent care wouldn't even let us drive him to the hospital, they called an ambulance, and he was hospitalized for three days.