<s>[INST] my daughter is 4 in half mths old she started with a cough last week no other symptoms now she is congested in her nose and sounds like she has a lot of phlem I can hear it when she coughs and she gags because of the phlem I scheduled her an appt for Friday she is having a hard time drinking her milk as well. do you think she should be seen asap or it can wait until Friday? my concern is because she is so small. [/INST] Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.Children frequently suffer from cough which is caused due to certain viral infections. It can often be complicated with secondary bacterial infections. I would insist that you try to see a doctor ASAP rather than waiting for your appointment especially because the child is not feeding well. It would be good if you can give the child steam inhalation for the time being. Just sit with the baby in your lap and put a source of the steam before you. The water vapour will be in the air and automatically the child will breathe it in. It will help by diluting the cough/phlegm.Hope that helps. </s>