Dear All,

I brought my daughter to see her Homeopath on Thursday morning (ie the day after my post). She was given some remedies but the Homeopath did not reveal what it was. I was to keep her updated after the 3rd dose. By then her symptoms seems to have changed a little. Her nasal discharge is turning yellowish and thicker, still irritable and clingy, coughing more upon waking, I can still hear phlegm when she coughs but not as loose as before. Was told to give her Puls 30X every 2hrs. 3 doses in all and told to leave it alone after that. Yesterday afternoon (1 and half day after the last Puls)I had to call her Homeopath again as babys cough seems to be getting worst. During her first feed (milk) upon waking she have a coughing fit till she throws up (this has happen sevaral times already, ie coughing so hard till she vomits). She is coughing more frequant throughout the day than before. Phlegm is thicker and stickier. Cough is not as loose as before, baby has to cough very hard many times before I can hear some phlegm begin to move. Has to sit up or prop up against my shoulder to cough. Her babysitter says sometimes her whole body will shake (kind of like shiver)when she's coughing. It really distresses my to see her coughing so hard. I'm not surprised if her throat is sore (I'm just thinking here, not that I know for sure). Face is reddish during cough. Baby is very tired after each coughing fit. She'll want to be carried and just rest her head on my shoulder and looks tired. She cries each time she coughs. When she is not coughing she is quite okay, can even play and smile and crawl about. She's much better in open air (ie when I bring her for a walk in the playground)Appitite is low. Not very thristy either. Yesterday afternoon I had to call her Homeopath again and was asked to give her Kali Bich 12X every hour and stop after the 3rd dose. She seems slightly better after the 3rd dose. However in the middle of the night she had a coughing fit again and I gave her one more dose and another this morning. She was also coughing and throws up her milk. I've just spoken to her Homeopath an hour ago and was advised to stop giving her milk and any more remedies for the time being and to update her again on baby's condition in the afternoon. Do you think it's okay to stop her milk for a few days? She's only 8 mths old. Also, I am worried that I and the babysitter might not be accurately describing the symptoms. When the Homeopath ask me what color of the phlegm that was coughed up, I couldn't tell bcos baby does not know how to cough it up. I can see her swollowing it back. By the way, her mild fever was over in 2 days. Right now, her body feels warm only after a coughing fit. I don't think it's a fever. There is still discharge from her nose, sometimes it's clear to whittish and very sticky but sometimes its more yellowish and when she trows up her milk there are some grennish phlegm as well. I'm getting confused and am thinking if i should hang on or bring her to the pediatrician (conventional). Her cold has been 2 weeks and her cough about a week. The good thing is her breathing seems normal (not heavy or wheezy etc). Sorry for such a long post. What would you advise?

Rgds,
Allysa

I would give Bryonia a try, because the cough is painful, the baby cries each time she coughs, Bryonia has hard coughing and vomiting from coughing, and must sit up to cough, so... it may be worth trying in a 30C, twice a day for 2 days, unless it makes her worse, in which case, stop giving it and let us know; and, no, I wouldn't withhold milk from a baby, I'm sorry, it just doesn't make sense.

Snoopy

P.S. I'm assuming that milk is her only, or primary, source of nourishment. I know that many of us believe that milk creates mucus, and for that reason, among others, breast milk is better; but still, it's a baby...what are the alternatives? The right remedy should work regardless of the milk consumption.

Snoopy

Dear Snoopy,

Thank you for responding. I have another dilemma. Her Homeopath has advised me to stop any remedies for now, someone else advised Ant Tart, Carbo Veg, or Ipecac. You're advising Bry. I don't know which to follow.

Baby is taking semi-solids as well (cereals and rice porridges) For today, I've asked her babysitter to give her small portion of these but more frequently since her appitite is low and she is not taking any milk as advised by her Homeopath. Maybe I'll try small amount of milk again and see if she still throws them up. Anyway, her Homeopath advise me to give her 8tsp of sugar and 1tsp salt in 1 litre of water to drink throughout the day instead of plain water.

I'm also wondering, after reading Shauna's post, why my child doesn't seem to respond as fast. She has tried 3 remedies in all already.

Thank you once again.

Allysa

Dear Allysa,

Of the other remedies recommended, Ant-t. comes the closest, in fact...as I went to bed last night, I said to myself, "I wonder if I shouldn't have said Antimonium tart...." But ya know what, when you get down to 2 remedies from 2,000, that's not bad! We always worry that we have to find the exact remedy or we've failed; actually, a more realistic goal is to find 3 likely remedies, and just pick one! If that doesn't work, try the next one; we don't have to be such perfectionists. I say that Bry. and Ant-t. are your top two choices. Try one for a day--30C. Drop it in a disposable cup, give her a sip, a few hours later, stir the water, give another sip, and again, a few hours later, stir...and if no results after 24 hours, go to the next remedy.

Since your on the verge of taking her to the MD, this is kind of homeopathy's last chance, right?

I have to tell you, when my daughter was sick with a similar cough--ending in vomiting--I tried
everything! Ipecac, Ant-t, Spongia, you name it...finally went to the homeopath; he even got it wrong the first time! Came back 2 weeks later, cough was even worse, he retook the case, my daughter kept saying over and over again that she drinks lots of cold water cuz it makes the cough stop--well, that was the clue to the case:
Coughing, cold drinks amel. There are 2 remedies in bold--Cuprum and Causticum. He gave Causticum and she was improved by the next day--all the remedies I gave her didn't stop the right one from working.

I would ask you, is there anything that makes her cough better? Anything that makes it worse, such as drafts, going outside....If milk does, indeed, make it worse, that would be a big one for ant-t.!
Only 2 remedies are listed for Cough, worse milk--ant-t. and Tuberculinum.

So, if you've given remedies and she hasn't improved, and even getting worse, don't think by waiting, these failed remedies are going to kick in--they're not.

The reason your baby hasn't responded to the 3 remedies given so far is because they were the wrong remedies--so keep trying.

Snoopy

Allysa,

You need to do exactly as your homeopath says or take your daughter to a conventional DR... You have given many remedies in multiple doses...some of her symptoms are now likely the result of all the remedies you have tried and even you are confused to say what is really happenig, this is why your homeopath wants you to DO NOTHING, so the case can settle and she can get the true symptoms. If your daughter is mostly miserable and her life is not at risk, DO AS YOUR HOMEOPATH SAYS. If you can't wait because you worry too much it would be better to go to the conventional DR than to keep giving her wrong remedies...... Denise