How To Know If Your Child's Cough Is A Serious Problem

How do I know if my child's cough is a serious problem?

I get concerned with cough if it is prolonged, it has been lasting several weeks, and it really is affecting their daily life. That is the time where we really should check the cough out and make sure there is nothing else that we are hearing in the lungs; no signs of pneumonia or bacterial infection, there is no wheezing or asthma which also can represent as coughing. We also need to work out if during these episodes of coughing, or in general, it looks like your child is working hard to breathe. You know that, not by the sound necessarily of the cough, or the congestion, but by looking at their chest. In a child who's working hard to breathe their chest looks like they are running a marathon. You see all the rib cage moving in, so you see all the little ribs. You may even see that their neck is caving in because they are really trying to force air and work hard. Whenever it looks like your child is working hard to breathe, that should be investigated immediately.