Does my little one really need antibiotic for her flem??

Question

She is 5 and half months old. For a few days she had a stuffed nose and now a bit of felm in her chest and throat which clears up in day time and appears at night and in eary mornings.

Took her to a GP and she prescribed antibiotic s rightaway. Because of my previous contacts with her I have got the feeling that she tend to medicate patients unneccessarily, so just to get a second opinion I meat another GP and she suggested that since Lungs sounded clear ( at that time) , we may not need to use any medication at this point.

However, last night I felt a pus like smell from her nose and mouth, though I dont see any p**y mucus coming out. Its more like the mucus that accumilate in upper respiratory tract that doen't always result in runny nose.

I was wondering if I should use antibiotics or not??????

She has been on antibiotics before thats why I am a bit concerned to use it again so soon. Thinking if I should get another medical opinion too??????????

Thanks guys.

Answer 1

With small babies, it is often best to avoid medications, if you can.  If the mucus is clear, there is absolutely no need for antibiotics.  It's a minor virus or allergy and the antibiotic won't clear that up.  It's more of a precaution than anything else.  If you lay the baby on her tummy so that the phlegm will drain out on the bed, that may be good enough so she can sleep.  If it is, my inclination would be to do just that, since her lungs are clear.  The smell is not necessarily a good indication, because you might be getting a bit of a sour milk type of smell mixed in -- that's very common with babies as they often spit up a bit of whatever they drink.  If the baby is very fussy, and the mucus has become opaque -- no longer clear, then it is probably a good idea to give the antibiotic.  When the mucus has a yellowish or greenish tinge to it, this is a sign of bacterial infection, which is a little more serious, and the antibiotic will take care of this.  You do want to fight off this kind of infection with the medication so that the baby won't get an ear infection that is hard to get rid of.  Sometimes this happens and the baby has to take a series of shots or oral medications (by mouth), before it finally clears up completely.  But, even that is better than not treating it.  Because you don't want the baby to end up losing some of her hearing!  But don't worry about how recently the baby took some antibiotic before.  Little ones get colds very often until they build up some immunity.  That's very, very common.

Answer 2

just do it.  every day the bacteria can multiply & there's no sense in waiting with a body that small, it can become severe quickly.  better safe than sorry--besides, if there's fleghm & pus, there's infection!