5 month old cough...serious or not?

My daughter has had a cold that started this past weekend. Her cough is really worrying me. I could be just a first time mom with lots of worries, but it gets pretty bad. I thought it was whooping cough, but I'm not sure. I'll be taking her in as soon as I can get an appt, but I was wondering if I should be going in sooner. She has an occasional cough like a cold, which is exactly what it seems like, but every now and then she gets a coughing fit where it takes her a bit before she can breathe. It's maybe 10 seconds or less of coughing. She turns red from the exertion, but she's never turned blue or purple from lack of oxygen. Could this maybe be bronchitis or something? I am also sick, but I just have a standard cold. Just stuffy is all. Anything I can do to help her in the mean time?