Cough in the newborn: all types and the most effective treatments
The most frequent cause of cough in newborns is that generated following an "upper respiratory tract infection. However, this is not the only type." The newborn may also suffer from barking cough due to laryngitis, whooping cough, cough following the inhalation of a foreign body, chronic cough.
A child who coughs and who may not be able to rest at night due to coughing, generates apprehension towards the parent who often does not know how to manage the baby's cough and above all how to calm it. However, there are several remedies to put into practice and in some cases you can avoid resorting to drugs.
One of the very first things you can do during coughing episodes is to pamper your baby, soothing him. Find out how in the video below.
How does coughing occur in newborns?
In most cases, cough in the newborn is a transient annoyance due to some viral form that has involved the respiratory tract. Newborns are at risk because given their age, they have not yet developed all the antibodies necessary to avoid this type of virus.
Especially during the winter, they get cold and often from a simple cold the symptoms become complicated through fever, until the appearance of a cough.
To immediately reassure mothers and fathers while listening, we want to emphasize that cough is not a disease, it is a passing phenomenon that disappears in a few days and we can also define it as a reflex on the part of the body to defend itself from microbes or irritating substances ( smoke, smog, perfumes). In more serious cases, the body exploits the cough phenomenon to expel real foreign bodies that the infant or child may have ingested.
Thinking about it, therefore, cough is something positive that ultimately serves to protect the body.
The most common symptoms
Coughing is a condition that bothers the child, often accompanied by breathlessness. It may occur at the same time as a fever, may be persistent and interfere with the child's normal daily activities.
The cough in the newborn usually lasts for a couple of weeks and during this time it is common to observe a state of general malaise.
In asthmatics, cough can appear following physical exertion, even of small or medium intensity.
A separate chapter is instead the cough due to the ingestion of a foreign body. Unfortunately it happens that the child, curious to discover new objects, puts them in his mouth and ingests them. The cough in these cases is decisive for expelling the object. question. In the most serious cases, special maneuvers are used to unblock the respiratory tract.
Cough in the newborn: all types
As we said in the opening paragraph, there are different types of cough in the newborn and in children in general that we can distinguish.
Usually a first distinction to be made is between acute cough and chronic cough. In the first case, these are short coughing episodes that disappear within a few days or at most a few weeks. In the second case, however, the cough tends to persist for more than 2 months from its onset, but in this case the causes are attributable to diseases such as bronchial asthma, cystic fibrosis or immune deficiencies.
A second distinction to be made is that between dry cough and fat cough. The first sees absence of phlegm and sometimes throat scraping. The second, on the other hand, is characterized by the presence of abundant mucus.
To avoid confusing dry cough with oily cough, or chronic cough with close episodes of acute cough, contact your pediatrician for a thorough examination.
Let's look at all the other types of cough to know how to recognize them and put the baby in safety.
- Barking cough
It is a type of cough which, as the name implies, is similar to dog barking. It is usually caused by acute laryngitis.
- Whooping cough
In this case it is an infectious disease that has convulsive and stubborn coughs among its symptoms. To heal it is necessary to let at least a couple of months pass.
- Cough from postnasal discharge
The mucus or phlegm that forms in the nasal passages then flows back to the throat and causes irritation. Postnasal cough is one of the most frequent in infants and children. In most cases it occurs following seasonal colds involving the respiratory tract.
- Reflux cough
Sometimes reflux can occur in the infant or toddler and cause a recurring cough. After a consultation with the pediatrician, what you can do is try not to straighten the baby immediately after feeding, the upright position will promote digestion. In the case of slightly older children, reduce meals to frequent small snacks during the day, or eliminate certain foods (eg acidic foods) in the evening before going to sleep.
- Cough at night
Have you noticed that your child starts coughing at night, while everything runs smoothly during the day? A prime cause could be the post-nasal discharge we talked about earlier. But it could also be vasodilation: in a lying position there is a greater flow of blood to the lungs and this can stimulate the cough receptors.
The most effective natural remedies for cough
If as a mother you are wondering how you can relieve your baby's cough when it occurs, know that there are effective remedies that are also natural. In some cases, these are small routine steps that you can put in place not only to fight a cough, but also to prevent it. Let's see what they are.
- Do nasal washes
More than the classic nasal washes, the advice is to carry out real nasal showers or irrigations. They will go to clean the nasal cavity deeper, freeing it from excess mucus.
- Blow the nose well
Taking care of the hygiene of your baby's nose is one of the first things to do. Blowing the nose well helps to get rid of excess mucus, moreover, the pressure exerted serves to uncork the ears, reducing the risk of otitis. For newborns. blowing your nose is very difficult, you can help yourself with tools that help you vacuum.
- Increase hydration
Hydration in case of colds and coughs is essential because it prevents nasal secretions from thickening. In some cases the baby could be reticent to water intake, you must not give up, indeed try again in every way to make him drink.
- Sleep with your head raised
You can think of inserting a pillow under the mattress that raises the head, this will also prevent the baby from having a reflux cough.
- Vapors
The vapors work very well in the case of a laryngitis cough that is not related to the nose. However, this remedy is best applied to children who have already passed the first year of age.
- Aerosol
Aerosol the baby using a mask suitable for his face, could prove to be a good solution. Ask your pediatrician for advice, but basically it would be enough to use a little physiological solution. Cortisone-based drugs can only be used in the most serious cases and on medical prescription.
- Humidifying environments
In winter try to avoid keeping the heating too high; this could dry out the environment and trigger coughing in infants. Always make sure that, especially the rooms where the baby usually stays, are well humidified.
- Avoid contact with smoke
If you smoke, you absolutely must not do it at home. Even if it seems to you that everything has gone away and there are no more traces, children are very sensitive and their bodies can "rebel" even against smoke trails that remain in their hair or on their clothes.
What are the drugs suitable for cough in infants?
If the cough does not seem to diminish, the thing you can do is consult your pediatrician to study an appropriate therapy. Only a doctor can decide if it is appropriate to administer drugs to infants, in fact many commonly used drugs to combat cough are not suitable for children.
- nasal decongestants: they help to breathe better, but it is better not to administer them to such small children for their vasoconstrictive action.
- mucolytics: in most cases they are useless. The pediatrician might prescribe them only in severe cases such as cystic fibrosis.
- cough suppressants: they can give important side effects precisely because they act on the nervous system to quell cough. In the newborn they are to be absolutely avoided.
- local sedatives of the upper airways: they could be effective, but first consult your doctor
- cortisone: only the doctor can prescribe them and usually does it in the most severe cases of laryngitis
- antibiotics: if an infection is in progress it could be useful to take them, otherwise they are not needed. The pediatrician will be able to explain everything to you.
For more information about cough in newborns, please refer to the website of the Bambino Gesù Hospital.
