The other night, my 2.5-year-old was coughing up a storm. I tried all the usual remedies - from Vicks on the feet to sitting in a steamy bathroom to giving him a dose of albuterol to a spoonful of honey (rejected) to sitting outside in the cool air to try to soothe the inflammation - but it was over two hours before the coughing fit ended. I suspect it was some combination of all of these efforts that eventually calmed the spasms. After the poor kid finally relaxed and was able to sleep, around midnight, I lay in my bed, staring up at the ceiling, listening. His bedroom wall adjoins ours, so I can hear him clearly if he does make any sound.
The baby was asleep beside me. The older two kids were cuddled together on the 5-year-old's bed, as they are wont to do, the 7-year-old snoring softly, more of a low hum than the buzz of a chainsaw.
I was tense, waiting for the hacking to start up again, for the thump of his sliding out of bed, the pit-pat of his feet on the wood floor, a "Mommy, I want to come up your bed." But I heard none of these things, to my relief.
I strained for the sound of gentle breathing, the rasping of a half-stuffed nose, the scraping of his water cup against the wall.
I was wired. On nights like these, all senses are on alert for signs of distress. My brain is seeking other avenues of comfort, cataloging the medicines available in the house, running lists of possible remedies, planning for an emergency room run or a phone call to an after-hours nurse line. I am calculating how much sleep is left to me for the night, deciding how badly I need it, figuring out what can be sacrificed the next day, just in case.
But, the extended quiet period continued. My eyes grew heavy. I forced myself to stay awake for a few more minutes, just to make sure. I resisted the urge to go check on him, buried the nonsensical fear that something was terribly wrong, reassured myself that an intriguing mix of bubbe meises (grandma's wisdom) and modern medical knowledge had relieved the coughing so he could sleep comfortably.
It was a while before my body and brain allowed me to drift off to sleep, and I was still half-listening for a new coughing fit to begin. In fact, I was very confused when I did hear someone cough, many hours later, but it wasn't the toddler. It took me a few moments to change gears and realize that it was the baby, cuddled up next to me, who had coughed!
I find that I am so attuned to my kids that I am the first to wake up and become aware when one is unhappy or uncomfortable, often before he himself even awakens fully. I hear the whimpering, the out-of-character squirming in bed, the unusual rhythm of his breath. I lie in bed, eyes open, wondering if and when I'll have to wrest myself from the covers and untangle myself from the baby to check on which ever child is in need.
I suppose that awareness of your kids doesn't end when they grow out of toddlerhood. I remember being 11 or 12 and upset about something late at night. I would cry softly in my bed until my mom would wake up and come to my room to find out what was wrong. I didn't go to her. I didn't call for her. But she always knew that I was unhappy and came to comfort me.
Knowing that I know when something's not right with my babies means that I can relax and sleep when everything's fine. I don't have to worry, because I trust my Mama-sense. Perhaps, one day, I'll be able to sleep deeply and unaware once more, but as long as my children are nearby, I'll have half an ear cocked in their direction, I'm sure.
I'm a breastfeeding counselor with a side hobby in educating parents and caregivers in proper car seat use. I have four sons, one born by c-section and three born by VBAC. I blog about my life with four kids, pregnancy and birth, breastfeeding, and car seats.
Showing posts with label sick baby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sick baby. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Nursing through Stomach Flu
We were struck with a stomach bug this past weekend. It started with 18-month-old G suddenly throwing up on the kitchen floor on Friday evening while I was in the middle of cooking dinner, hands covered in bread dough (I was attempting to make naan to go with my attempt at tofu vindaloo). I didn't think anything of it at first: G sometimes throws up for no apparent reason, often if he's eaten too much too quickly, or if he gags on food because he has too much in his mouth. It's usually nothing, he recovers quickly, and a little cleanup removes all evidence. Fortunately, my mom was there, and she helped get the mess and the baby cleaned up while I finished kneading the naan dough.
Unfortunately, 10 minutes later, G threw up again. And again 10 minutes after that. And again. And again. He threw up in the bath. He threw up in his bed. And again, and again. He fell asleep and was throwing up in his sleep, waking slightly to turn his head, bring up whatever little bit was still in his stomach, then falling back asleep. It was scary. Very scary.
After about two hours of this, I called the advice nurse for help. She asked a bunch of questions to make sure I didn't need an ambulance, then read off her script that we should be concerned if the vomiting persists for over 24 hours. A whole DAY of vomiting every 10 minutes?! Surely not. A few minutes after I hung with her, she called back to say that she'd spoken with her supervisor, and she felt now that, given the frequency of the vomiting, we might consider going to the ER. She said it was, of course, up to me, but that was her new advice.
This was hardly my first stomach flu, just the first time I'd seen a kid throw up so often. We decided to wait and see if the vomiting slowed down on its own. Armed with a pile of towels, the washing machine running almost nonstop, I slept in G's bed, offering to nurse him in between bouts of vomiting, hoping to keep him hydrated and calm, hoping the milk would somehow help wash out whatever had gotten into his system. He slept on a towel, and whenever he threw up, I'd wipe his mouth, change out the towel, and lie down with him again.
The vomiting slowed to once an hour, then longer, thankfully. I called to make an appointment with his doctor in the morning, and they suggested I first speak with the pediatric advice nurse, so I did that. She said it sounded like a classic case of stomach virus, that I should go ahead and keep nursing him, and offer PediaLyte and other fluids, then graduate to bland foods. She promised that it would probably turn into diarrhea after about 24 hours. She also told me that it was probably highly contagious, and I should be prepared for the rest of the family to get it, too. I should stock up on Gatorade and Popsicles for hydrating the kids, and when the diarrhea struck, be ready with BRAT (bananas, applesauce, white rice, toast, crackers, chicken broth) foods. She said a doctor's visit wasn't necessary, that there wasn't much they could do except give IV fluids if he became dehydrated.
The two older boys seemed fine through Sunday, but on Sunday morning, I threw up. I didn't see how I could possibly avoid it, having slept with my face practically in G's vomit all night on Friday. My husband took the boys out so that I and the baby could rest, and in the hope of keeping their exposure down. I nursed the baby and tried to stay hydrated myself. By Sunday evening, he seemed better and had indeed moved on to some pretty gnarly diapers. I was trying to stick to bland foods and Gatorade, hoping not to vomit again myself, and not even certain I was producing milk with how little I was eating and drinking. I didn't vomit the rest of the day, but I didn't feel too hot, either.
The two older boys still seemed miraculously fine until Sunday evening, when S, who's four, and no stranger to vomiting, declared that he had a tummy ache. Uh-oh. Around midnight, he came to our bed, asking to sleep with us because he couldn't sleep in his bed because his tummy hurt. We both knew - we knew - he was going to throw up in our bed, but we felt bad that he was so miserable. Sure enough, around 3:00 a.m., up his Sunday dinner came. Sigh.
I kept N and S home with me on Monday, though N still wasn't exhibiting any symptoms, to keep this thing from spreading beyond our house. I threw up again on Monday morning and felt fairly crummy all day, but by Tuesday evening, everyone seemed on the mend. N went to school on Tuesday, and S would have except he suddenly threw up in the morning. He was fine the rest of the day and went back to school on Wednesday. N, however, finally succumbed and was complaining of a stomach ache Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, so I let him stay home again on Wednesday. Hopefully that'll be the end of it!
The stomach flu seems interminable and unsurvivable when it's making its way through your family, but the good news is that it typically only lasts a day or two, and if you keep up the fluids, everyone should recover quickly.
Information on Nursing with Stomach Flu
If your breastfed baby is vomiting or has diarrhea due to a stomach virus, you may continue breastfeeding him normally. Breastmilk is soothing to the throat and stomach and will not upset the stomach further. It will help to replace vital nutrients and fluids lost through vomiting and diarrhea and can be his only source of food as long as he is ill, even if he is older and usually takes solids. Breastmilk is processed quickly by the body, so even if he vomits up some of the milk, if as little as 10 minutes have gone by, he's likely absorbed at least some of the fluids and nutrients from that feeding. You may want to wait 30 to 60 minutes after vomiting to offer the breast, if the baby can wait, to ensure that the stomach has settled and to maximize absorption of fluids.
If you are vomiting or have diarrhea and are nursing a baby, it is very important that you stay hydrated. Drink small amounts of Gatorade or other hydrating fluids frequently. Even if you are not able to keep solid foods down, you can still produce milk to nourish your baby. Breastfeeding requires additional fluids, so be extra sure to drink as much as you can. You may experience a temporary dip in your supply if you do become dehydrated. When you recover, simply continuing to nurse your baby on demand should quickly bring your supply back up. If you continue to experience low supply after recovering from a bout of vomiting and/or diarrhea, you may want to try increasing your fluid intake and eating foods that encourage milk production such as whole oatmeal. If the supply dip is severe, pumping immediately after a feeding can help stimulate additional milk production as well. If you are concerned about your milk supply after an illness, you can also contact a lactation consultant for advice on regaining your supply.
Unfortunately, 10 minutes later, G threw up again. And again 10 minutes after that. And again. And again. He threw up in the bath. He threw up in his bed. And again, and again. He fell asleep and was throwing up in his sleep, waking slightly to turn his head, bring up whatever little bit was still in his stomach, then falling back asleep. It was scary. Very scary.
After about two hours of this, I called the advice nurse for help. She asked a bunch of questions to make sure I didn't need an ambulance, then read off her script that we should be concerned if the vomiting persists for over 24 hours. A whole DAY of vomiting every 10 minutes?! Surely not. A few minutes after I hung with her, she called back to say that she'd spoken with her supervisor, and she felt now that, given the frequency of the vomiting, we might consider going to the ER. She said it was, of course, up to me, but that was her new advice.
This was hardly my first stomach flu, just the first time I'd seen a kid throw up so often. We decided to wait and see if the vomiting slowed down on its own. Armed with a pile of towels, the washing machine running almost nonstop, I slept in G's bed, offering to nurse him in between bouts of vomiting, hoping to keep him hydrated and calm, hoping the milk would somehow help wash out whatever had gotten into his system. He slept on a towel, and whenever he threw up, I'd wipe his mouth, change out the towel, and lie down with him again.
The vomiting slowed to once an hour, then longer, thankfully. I called to make an appointment with his doctor in the morning, and they suggested I first speak with the pediatric advice nurse, so I did that. She said it sounded like a classic case of stomach virus, that I should go ahead and keep nursing him, and offer PediaLyte and other fluids, then graduate to bland foods. She promised that it would probably turn into diarrhea after about 24 hours. She also told me that it was probably highly contagious, and I should be prepared for the rest of the family to get it, too. I should stock up on Gatorade and Popsicles for hydrating the kids, and when the diarrhea struck, be ready with BRAT (bananas, applesauce, white rice, toast, crackers, chicken broth) foods. She said a doctor's visit wasn't necessary, that there wasn't much they could do except give IV fluids if he became dehydrated.
The two older boys seemed fine through Sunday, but on Sunday morning, I threw up. I didn't see how I could possibly avoid it, having slept with my face practically in G's vomit all night on Friday. My husband took the boys out so that I and the baby could rest, and in the hope of keeping their exposure down. I nursed the baby and tried to stay hydrated myself. By Sunday evening, he seemed better and had indeed moved on to some pretty gnarly diapers. I was trying to stick to bland foods and Gatorade, hoping not to vomit again myself, and not even certain I was producing milk with how little I was eating and drinking. I didn't vomit the rest of the day, but I didn't feel too hot, either.
The two older boys still seemed miraculously fine until Sunday evening, when S, who's four, and no stranger to vomiting, declared that he had a tummy ache. Uh-oh. Around midnight, he came to our bed, asking to sleep with us because he couldn't sleep in his bed because his tummy hurt. We both knew - we knew - he was going to throw up in our bed, but we felt bad that he was so miserable. Sure enough, around 3:00 a.m., up his Sunday dinner came. Sigh.
I kept N and S home with me on Monday, though N still wasn't exhibiting any symptoms, to keep this thing from spreading beyond our house. I threw up again on Monday morning and felt fairly crummy all day, but by Tuesday evening, everyone seemed on the mend. N went to school on Tuesday, and S would have except he suddenly threw up in the morning. He was fine the rest of the day and went back to school on Wednesday. N, however, finally succumbed and was complaining of a stomach ache Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, so I let him stay home again on Wednesday. Hopefully that'll be the end of it!
The stomach flu seems interminable and unsurvivable when it's making its way through your family, but the good news is that it typically only lasts a day or two, and if you keep up the fluids, everyone should recover quickly.
Information on Nursing with Stomach Flu
If your breastfed baby is vomiting or has diarrhea due to a stomach virus, you may continue breastfeeding him normally. Breastmilk is soothing to the throat and stomach and will not upset the stomach further. It will help to replace vital nutrients and fluids lost through vomiting and diarrhea and can be his only source of food as long as he is ill, even if he is older and usually takes solids. Breastmilk is processed quickly by the body, so even if he vomits up some of the milk, if as little as 10 minutes have gone by, he's likely absorbed at least some of the fluids and nutrients from that feeding. You may want to wait 30 to 60 minutes after vomiting to offer the breast, if the baby can wait, to ensure that the stomach has settled and to maximize absorption of fluids.
If you are vomiting or have diarrhea and are nursing a baby, it is very important that you stay hydrated. Drink small amounts of Gatorade or other hydrating fluids frequently. Even if you are not able to keep solid foods down, you can still produce milk to nourish your baby. Breastfeeding requires additional fluids, so be extra sure to drink as much as you can. You may experience a temporary dip in your supply if you do become dehydrated. When you recover, simply continuing to nurse your baby on demand should quickly bring your supply back up. If you continue to experience low supply after recovering from a bout of vomiting and/or diarrhea, you may want to try increasing your fluid intake and eating foods that encourage milk production such as whole oatmeal. If the supply dip is severe, pumping immediately after a feeding can help stimulate additional milk production as well. If you are concerned about your milk supply after an illness, you can also contact a lactation consultant for advice on regaining your supply.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Cold after Cold after Cold after Cold
My youngest, G, now 18 months, has, it seems, been sick for the last two months. He has waxed and waned in his symptoms, from, "I think he's finally getting better!" to, "He was up all night coughing," to being so congested he couldn't nurse, to just a little stuffy, to a double ear infection.
He had his 18-month "well" baby visit today, and I brought up with the doctor my concerns over his being sick so much this season. I asked if there was anything more I could do to prevent his getting sick so often. "I just feel so bad for him!" I said.
The doctor said something very interesting, and not quite what I expected. I expected him to say, "Wash your hands a lot, don't share food and utensils, make your other kids wash their hands a lot," and yadda yadda, all the usual disease prevention stuff that's nearly impossible in a house full of young boys who like to put their fingers in their mouths and wipe their noses on the backs of their hands. (Seriously - what is it with boys? I can say over and over and over, "USE A TISSUE" and "Don't wipe your nose with your sleeve," and two seconds later, I have yet another snot-covered shirt to wash. Ick.)
But he didn't give me the illness-avoiding lecture.
Quite the opposite.
He said there's really nothing I can do to stop it, and that I shouldn't feel bad. He said if you look at kids by age eight, they've all had the same number of colds. He said it's good that he's building his immune system, that kids who live in a very sterile environment tend to have higher rates of autoimmune disorders.
In other words, if he's just getting colds, let him get the colds now. Get it over with, so that when he gets older, he'll have a nice, robust immune system that can handle everything snot-covered boys' sleeves can throw at him.
I've always believed (and am backed up, I understand it, by immunology studies) that we do need to be exposed to germs, that kids get sick for a reason, and that as long as they're not getting secondary infections or life-threatening complications (G-d forbid!), it's a-okay for kids to get colds, get sick, and pass around all sorts of diseases. (I'm talking about colds and other minor illnesses, not pneumonia or whooping cough or norovirus or measles or anything.) Kids should get dirty, they should put things in their mouths, and they should - did I mention it? - get sick.
On the other hand, it's hard to watch your baby suffer through one cold after another, be up with him night after night as he struggles to nurse through a snot-filled nose, take him to the doctor time after time for an ear infection, wheezing, or follow-up, to force bitter-tasting medicine on him or put a mask over his face every day to give him the steroid that will keep his airways open, especially when he's too young to understand that I'm only trying to help him. It's hard to continue day after day, night after night, on little sleep, hard to keep postponing any hope of a better night's sleep, because the baby, once again, has a cough or a stuffy nose and needs comforting all night long. It's hard to suck snot with the NoseFrida or bulb syringe, hard to keep ahead of the constant drip-drip-dripping of the toddler nose, hard to take having mucus vomited in my lap periodically because he swallows so much of it.
It's hard to have a sick baby.
I do take comfort in the knowledge that he'll grow out of it. My two older boys, while they do get colds, aren't affected nearly so badly when they do. They don't need me to sit with them all night. They don't end up with a wheezy cough after every bout of stuffy nose. They don't get ear infections anymore. They don't need inhalers or nebulizers or control medications. They get a cold, and they get better, and it's not such a torturous few days as it is with the baby. He will grow out of it, and I'll forget this winter of constant illness, constant snot, constant coughs, and constant doctor's visits.
Spring will be here soon, and then summer, and by next winter, this will all be a distant memory.
Until the colds start up again.
Maybe I should go wash my hands.
He had his 18-month "well" baby visit today, and I brought up with the doctor my concerns over his being sick so much this season. I asked if there was anything more I could do to prevent his getting sick so often. "I just feel so bad for him!" I said.
The doctor said something very interesting, and not quite what I expected. I expected him to say, "Wash your hands a lot, don't share food and utensils, make your other kids wash their hands a lot," and yadda yadda, all the usual disease prevention stuff that's nearly impossible in a house full of young boys who like to put their fingers in their mouths and wipe their noses on the backs of their hands. (Seriously - what is it with boys? I can say over and over and over, "USE A TISSUE" and "Don't wipe your nose with your sleeve," and two seconds later, I have yet another snot-covered shirt to wash. Ick.)
But he didn't give me the illness-avoiding lecture.
Quite the opposite.
He said there's really nothing I can do to stop it, and that I shouldn't feel bad. He said if you look at kids by age eight, they've all had the same number of colds. He said it's good that he's building his immune system, that kids who live in a very sterile environment tend to have higher rates of autoimmune disorders.
In other words, if he's just getting colds, let him get the colds now. Get it over with, so that when he gets older, he'll have a nice, robust immune system that can handle everything snot-covered boys' sleeves can throw at him.
I've always believed (and am backed up, I understand it, by immunology studies) that we do need to be exposed to germs, that kids get sick for a reason, and that as long as they're not getting secondary infections or life-threatening complications (G-d forbid!), it's a-okay for kids to get colds, get sick, and pass around all sorts of diseases. (I'm talking about colds and other minor illnesses, not pneumonia or whooping cough or norovirus or measles or anything.) Kids should get dirty, they should put things in their mouths, and they should - did I mention it? - get sick.
On the other hand, it's hard to watch your baby suffer through one cold after another, be up with him night after night as he struggles to nurse through a snot-filled nose, take him to the doctor time after time for an ear infection, wheezing, or follow-up, to force bitter-tasting medicine on him or put a mask over his face every day to give him the steroid that will keep his airways open, especially when he's too young to understand that I'm only trying to help him. It's hard to continue day after day, night after night, on little sleep, hard to keep postponing any hope of a better night's sleep, because the baby, once again, has a cough or a stuffy nose and needs comforting all night long. It's hard to suck snot with the NoseFrida or bulb syringe, hard to keep ahead of the constant drip-drip-dripping of the toddler nose, hard to take having mucus vomited in my lap periodically because he swallows so much of it.
It's hard to have a sick baby.
I do take comfort in the knowledge that he'll grow out of it. My two older boys, while they do get colds, aren't affected nearly so badly when they do. They don't need me to sit with them all night. They don't end up with a wheezy cough after every bout of stuffy nose. They don't get ear infections anymore. They don't need inhalers or nebulizers or control medications. They get a cold, and they get better, and it's not such a torturous few days as it is with the baby. He will grow out of it, and I'll forget this winter of constant illness, constant snot, constant coughs, and constant doctor's visits.
Spring will be here soon, and then summer, and by next winter, this will all be a distant memory.
Until the colds start up again.
Maybe I should go wash my hands.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
NJ's RSV Story
Back in March, I had promised a post telling the story of The Time That NJ Had RSV. I'm always on the prowl for blog topics, and when I suggest one to my future self, all the better! Stick with me. This is a good one.
Back in February of 2007, we were getting prepared for a major change. We were moving from Philadelphia to San Diego. This was a move we had planned on, in theory, for many years, but had only actually had about six weeks to prepare for, from the time we knew my husband had a job waiting there for him to the time he was to start said job. NJ was almost four months old. We had planned to rent a U-Haul trailer, load it with (hopefully) everything we owned that we didn't want to part with in our two-bedroom apartment, and set out across country. We expected it to take about a week, what with having to allow time for baby care, resting, and so on. We invited a friend of mine to come along, just to have an extra set of hands and eyes. She agreed.
We planned to leave on Friday, February 23, hoping to be in San Diego by March 2. Early in the week before we had to hit the road, NJ came down with a bad cold and cough. We took him to the doctor, where he was diagnosed with probable RSV. It didn't seem to be a severe case, so the doctor gave him an albuterol inhaler with a spacer chamber, saying that if we should need it on the drive, it would be much more portable than a nebulizer, and just as effective.
By Friday, not only was NJ still sick, but I had come down with an awful cold as well. I was coughing, congested, and generally miserable. Things were not looking up. We had decided to keep NJ's four-month "well"-baby visit for that day. Only, he was far from well. Indeed, the doctor was concerned enough about his wheezing that she gave us a nebulizer and sent us to the hospital. She told us that we should stay in the hospital overnight and that we simply could not leave for San Diego that afternoon as planned.
But at the ER, NJ was happy, playful, and had responded well to a nebulizer treatment. The pediatrician at the ER was hesitant to admit him, saying that he really wasn't that sick after all. We could handle the nebulizer treatments every four hours at home, and we should return to our pediatrician in the morning for a follow-up.
So, we spent the night in an empty apartment. Our stuff was packed and loaded in the trailer. We had no TV, no furniture except our bed and a couch that wouldn't fit in the trailer and a couple of bookshelves that we'd decided to leave behind. We had no food. My mom stayed with us and did NJ's night-time treatments, and we returned to the doctor the next morning.
He was a bit better in the morning, but the doctor insisted that we needed to continue the treatments, and we shouldn't leave town just yet, in case he got worse and needed to return to the hospital.
Well, okay. But we were supposed to be moving to San Diego! We HAD to get on the road by Sunday or we wouldn't make it to San Diego in time for my husband to start his new job.
What choice did we have? We scrapped our plans. The trailer was unloaded and returned to U-Haul. We hired movers to come pick up the stuff on Sunday morning. My husband would head out by car Sunday afternoon, and I would fly with NJ and my friend to Los Angeles the following Tuesday to wait for him. We would stay at my aunt's house in LA until we reunited, then drive down to San Diego together and wait for the movers.
And that was that. My husband hit the road Sunday afternoon, headed to Pittsburgh for his first overnight stop with a cousin there. NJ and I went to my mom's to spend a couple of nights until our Tuesday evening flight. I was still feeling very sick, but NJ started to do better. By Tuesday, I was starting to feel human again, thank goodness.
My friend and I flew out with NJ, as planned. He handled the trip like a pro, and everything went very smoothly. My husband arrived in LA on Wednesday evening, having made incredibly good time. Without a baby or trailer to slow him down, he had driven a good 800 to 900 miles a day!
NJ recovered just fine, obviously, although he was left with some reactive asthma that rears its ugly head occasionally. It amazes me to think how much our lives have changed since that move. Our family has grown by two children, we've bought a house, and we're quite settled here in southern California. It still makes for a good story, though!
Back in February of 2007, we were getting prepared for a major change. We were moving from Philadelphia to San Diego. This was a move we had planned on, in theory, for many years, but had only actually had about six weeks to prepare for, from the time we knew my husband had a job waiting there for him to the time he was to start said job. NJ was almost four months old. We had planned to rent a U-Haul trailer, load it with (hopefully) everything we owned that we didn't want to part with in our two-bedroom apartment, and set out across country. We expected it to take about a week, what with having to allow time for baby care, resting, and so on. We invited a friend of mine to come along, just to have an extra set of hands and eyes. She agreed.
We planned to leave on Friday, February 23, hoping to be in San Diego by March 2. Early in the week before we had to hit the road, NJ came down with a bad cold and cough. We took him to the doctor, where he was diagnosed with probable RSV. It didn't seem to be a severe case, so the doctor gave him an albuterol inhaler with a spacer chamber, saying that if we should need it on the drive, it would be much more portable than a nebulizer, and just as effective.
By Friday, not only was NJ still sick, but I had come down with an awful cold as well. I was coughing, congested, and generally miserable. Things were not looking up. We had decided to keep NJ's four-month "well"-baby visit for that day. Only, he was far from well. Indeed, the doctor was concerned enough about his wheezing that she gave us a nebulizer and sent us to the hospital. She told us that we should stay in the hospital overnight and that we simply could not leave for San Diego that afternoon as planned.
But at the ER, NJ was happy, playful, and had responded well to a nebulizer treatment. The pediatrician at the ER was hesitant to admit him, saying that he really wasn't that sick after all. We could handle the nebulizer treatments every four hours at home, and we should return to our pediatrician in the morning for a follow-up.
He was a bit better in the morning, but the doctor insisted that we needed to continue the treatments, and we shouldn't leave town just yet, in case he got worse and needed to return to the hospital.
Well, okay. But we were supposed to be moving to San Diego! We HAD to get on the road by Sunday or we wouldn't make it to San Diego in time for my husband to start his new job.
What choice did we have? We scrapped our plans. The trailer was unloaded and returned to U-Haul. We hired movers to come pick up the stuff on Sunday morning. My husband would head out by car Sunday afternoon, and I would fly with NJ and my friend to Los Angeles the following Tuesday to wait for him. We would stay at my aunt's house in LA until we reunited, then drive down to San Diego together and wait for the movers.
And that was that. My husband hit the road Sunday afternoon, headed to Pittsburgh for his first overnight stop with a cousin there. NJ and I went to my mom's to spend a couple of nights until our Tuesday evening flight. I was still feeling very sick, but NJ started to do better. By Tuesday, I was starting to feel human again, thank goodness.
My friend and I flew out with NJ, as planned. He handled the trip like a pro, and everything went very smoothly. My husband arrived in LA on Wednesday evening, having made incredibly good time. Without a baby or trailer to slow him down, he had driven a good 800 to 900 miles a day!
NJ recovered just fine, obviously, although he was left with some reactive asthma that rears its ugly head occasionally. It amazes me to think how much our lives have changed since that move. Our family has grown by two children, we've bought a house, and we're quite settled here in southern California. It still makes for a good story, though!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Ear Infections, Asthma, and More: Breastfeeding and Baby's Health
When NJ was a baby, he had quite a few ear infections - six, I believe, in the first 15 months of his life. It wasn't enough for the pediatrician to recommend ear tubes, but not far from it. At four months, he contracted RSV, which caused his airways to become inflamed, necessitating treatment with albuterol using a nebulizer. It also appears to have conditioned him to respond to future colds with what was called Reactive Airway Disease (RAD), basically asthma symptoms that are triggered by a cold. Almost every time he'd get a cold, he'd end up with a wheezy cough that lingered for a couple of weeks. Treatment with albuterol and sometimes oral prednisolone usually had him breathing easily again within a few days. Eventually, thankfully, he grew out of his RAD and he hasn't had a problem with it in several years now.
His ear infections and asthma were yet more fuel for my guilt over not having breastfed him. Maybe if he'd been breastfed, he wouldn't have had so many ear infections. Maybe if he'd been breastfed, he wouldn't have gotten RSV. Maybe if he'd been breastfed, he wouldn't have gotten so many colds. Maybe if he'd been breastfed, he wouldn't have had the RAD.
Indeed, SB's relative excellent health as an infant made me a believer. There's plenty of research out there to show that not breastfeeding increases a child's risk of ear infections, upper respiratory infections, asthma, diabetes, certain types of cancers, obesity, and so on, although the mechanism of protection is not always clear.
I remember reading, when NJ was a baby, that the average infant got 12 colds a year. That's one a month! NJ was certainly at the doctor almost once a month throughout his first year of life, not even counting his well baby checkups. He was rarely "well" even at those. That's not to say he was sickly, just that he often had a cold or drippy nose or cough or ear infection. It seemed like he was either just coming down with something or just getting over something or right in the middle of something, with the rare week of respite. Having a sick baby is frustrating and wearing, even if it's not a serious illness (thank G-d) or chronic condition. (I can't even imagine what it must be like if your child really is always sick. G-d bless all you parents dealing with that kind of stress.) What I began to wonder was, if formula feeding (or not breastfeeding) increases the risk of colds, ear infections, asthma, etc., then maybe it isn't "normal" for babies to be sick every month. Maybe breastfed babies aren't sick nearly so often, and that it's actually not normal (as in, natural) for infants to go around with drippy noses and achy ears almost constantly. Certainly, the fact that SB was rarely at the doctor except for well baby checkups throughout his first year bore out my expectation.
When GI was born, I placed a great deal of faith in the power of my breastmilk to protect him from his two older brothers' constant germy contact. NJ is kind enough to bring home and share every cold that comes his way at school. I will say that he appears to have quite the robust little immune system now, having been exposed to so many viruses when he was smaller. SB, however, being exposed only through NJ to all these viruses, still has not built up the wall of antibodies that appears to be working so well for NJ. At three, SB seems to come down with every cold he's exposed to, but he bears it well, mostly just getting snotty and sleepy for a few days. Both NJ and SB have the terrible habit of having fingers (and toys) in their mouths almost constantly. They like to amuse GI by blowing in his face, giving him raspberries (as in, spitting all over him), touching his hands, letting him put his hands in their mouths, touching his face, eyes, nose, and so on. Still, I had high hopes that breastfeeding would preserve him from the fate of constant colds.
Unfortunately, it seems like GI is sick more often than not, lately. After his bout of bronchiolitis not too long ago, he was healthy and happy for a few weeks. Then, suddenly, he was sick again, with the same cold both of his brothers had. NJ recovered quickly. SB is still a bit snotty but otherwise himself. But GI was up all night a couple nights back, coughing and wheezing. I took him to the doctor yesterday, where the wheeze was confirmed, and I was sent home with a nebulizer machine and a vial of albuterol, as well as oral prednisolone, and instructed to give him a nebulizer treatment up to four times a day and the prednisolone twice a day for five days to relieve the inflammation in his lungs. This was eerily familiar, as the nebulizer and the albuterol and the prednisolone were all standard features around our house when NJ was a baby, too. It's helping, though. He's breathing much more easily, coughing far less, and seems to be himself again. The only problem is that the steroids make it hard for him to sleep. But that will be over with soon enough, thank goodness.
What strikes me with all of this is that despite being 100% breastfed for the first six months and still mostly (like, 95%!) breastfed still at eight months, GI is sick almost as often as NJ was as a baby. The only difference is that GI's only had one ear infection. The doctor gave me the nebulizer machine because he sees this happening again, so we'll be prepared next time. It looks like GI is in the RAD camp alongside his big brother.
I still firmly believe that not breastfeeding increases the risk of a host of problems. I still agree that breastfeeding is normal and offers babies protection from all sorts of germs. I find myself saying, "But I did everything right! He's breastfed! We delayed cord cutting! I'm taking a Vitamin D supplement, and he gets sun almost every day. California sun!" And yet he comes down with so many colds, has this asthma problem now, and has had an ear infection. Let's face it, when the numbers aren't 100%, some people are on the "wrong" side.
So, you have your parents who say, "My kid was formula-fed, and he's healthy as a horse!" And you have your parents who say, "My kid was exclusively breastfed, and he had six ear infections and three asthma attacks by the time he was one." And both can be true, absolutely. But the issue isn't whether your kid fell into the expected category; it's whether most kids fall into the expected category.
I still remind myself that, if GI gets sick this often while breastfed, how much worse would it be if he weren't? Perhaps the asthma symptoms would have manifested sooner. Perhaps he'd have had more ear infections. Perhaps, G-d forbid, he would have been hospitalized when he had bronchiolitis instead of recovering on his own. Who knows?
Anyway, the one benefit of breastfeeding that absolutely cannot be overlooked when your baby is sick is it's ability to comfort. Being close to Mommy, feeling her skin, hearing her heartbeat, suckling, the warmth of the milk on a raw, inflamed throat, and the calm of being where he feels safest is certainly the best medicine when your baby doesn't feel well. And lying down with him as your baby drifts off into a healing sleep makes it easier for you to handle the stress of his being sick.
GI is sleeping peacefully now, where I just returned to writing after nursing him back down. When all else seems to fail, at least I know I have that to offer.
His ear infections and asthma were yet more fuel for my guilt over not having breastfed him. Maybe if he'd been breastfed, he wouldn't have had so many ear infections. Maybe if he'd been breastfed, he wouldn't have gotten RSV. Maybe if he'd been breastfed, he wouldn't have gotten so many colds. Maybe if he'd been breastfed, he wouldn't have had the RAD.
Indeed, SB's relative excellent health as an infant made me a believer. There's plenty of research out there to show that not breastfeeding increases a child's risk of ear infections, upper respiratory infections, asthma, diabetes, certain types of cancers, obesity, and so on, although the mechanism of protection is not always clear.
I remember reading, when NJ was a baby, that the average infant got 12 colds a year. That's one a month! NJ was certainly at the doctor almost once a month throughout his first year of life, not even counting his well baby checkups. He was rarely "well" even at those. That's not to say he was sickly, just that he often had a cold or drippy nose or cough or ear infection. It seemed like he was either just coming down with something or just getting over something or right in the middle of something, with the rare week of respite. Having a sick baby is frustrating and wearing, even if it's not a serious illness (thank G-d) or chronic condition. (I can't even imagine what it must be like if your child really is always sick. G-d bless all you parents dealing with that kind of stress.) What I began to wonder was, if formula feeding (or not breastfeeding) increases the risk of colds, ear infections, asthma, etc., then maybe it isn't "normal" for babies to be sick every month. Maybe breastfed babies aren't sick nearly so often, and that it's actually not normal (as in, natural) for infants to go around with drippy noses and achy ears almost constantly. Certainly, the fact that SB was rarely at the doctor except for well baby checkups throughout his first year bore out my expectation.
When GI was born, I placed a great deal of faith in the power of my breastmilk to protect him from his two older brothers' constant germy contact. NJ is kind enough to bring home and share every cold that comes his way at school. I will say that he appears to have quite the robust little immune system now, having been exposed to so many viruses when he was smaller. SB, however, being exposed only through NJ to all these viruses, still has not built up the wall of antibodies that appears to be working so well for NJ. At three, SB seems to come down with every cold he's exposed to, but he bears it well, mostly just getting snotty and sleepy for a few days. Both NJ and SB have the terrible habit of having fingers (and toys) in their mouths almost constantly. They like to amuse GI by blowing in his face, giving him raspberries (as in, spitting all over him), touching his hands, letting him put his hands in their mouths, touching his face, eyes, nose, and so on. Still, I had high hopes that breastfeeding would preserve him from the fate of constant colds.
Unfortunately, it seems like GI is sick more often than not, lately. After his bout of bronchiolitis not too long ago, he was healthy and happy for a few weeks. Then, suddenly, he was sick again, with the same cold both of his brothers had. NJ recovered quickly. SB is still a bit snotty but otherwise himself. But GI was up all night a couple nights back, coughing and wheezing. I took him to the doctor yesterday, where the wheeze was confirmed, and I was sent home with a nebulizer machine and a vial of albuterol, as well as oral prednisolone, and instructed to give him a nebulizer treatment up to four times a day and the prednisolone twice a day for five days to relieve the inflammation in his lungs. This was eerily familiar, as the nebulizer and the albuterol and the prednisolone were all standard features around our house when NJ was a baby, too. It's helping, though. He's breathing much more easily, coughing far less, and seems to be himself again. The only problem is that the steroids make it hard for him to sleep. But that will be over with soon enough, thank goodness.
What strikes me with all of this is that despite being 100% breastfed for the first six months and still mostly (like, 95%!) breastfed still at eight months, GI is sick almost as often as NJ was as a baby. The only difference is that GI's only had one ear infection. The doctor gave me the nebulizer machine because he sees this happening again, so we'll be prepared next time. It looks like GI is in the RAD camp alongside his big brother.
I still firmly believe that not breastfeeding increases the risk of a host of problems. I still agree that breastfeeding is normal and offers babies protection from all sorts of germs. I find myself saying, "But I did everything right! He's breastfed! We delayed cord cutting! I'm taking a Vitamin D supplement, and he gets sun almost every day. California sun!" And yet he comes down with so many colds, has this asthma problem now, and has had an ear infection. Let's face it, when the numbers aren't 100%, some people are on the "wrong" side.
So, you have your parents who say, "My kid was formula-fed, and he's healthy as a horse!" And you have your parents who say, "My kid was exclusively breastfed, and he had six ear infections and three asthma attacks by the time he was one." And both can be true, absolutely. But the issue isn't whether your kid fell into the expected category; it's whether most kids fall into the expected category.
I still remind myself that, if GI gets sick this often while breastfed, how much worse would it be if he weren't? Perhaps the asthma symptoms would have manifested sooner. Perhaps he'd have had more ear infections. Perhaps, G-d forbid, he would have been hospitalized when he had bronchiolitis instead of recovering on his own. Who knows?
Anyway, the one benefit of breastfeeding that absolutely cannot be overlooked when your baby is sick is it's ability to comfort. Being close to Mommy, feeling her skin, hearing her heartbeat, suckling, the warmth of the milk on a raw, inflamed throat, and the calm of being where he feels safest is certainly the best medicine when your baby doesn't feel well. And lying down with him as your baby drifts off into a healing sleep makes it easier for you to handle the stress of his being sick.
GI is sleeping peacefully now, where I just returned to writing after nursing him back down. When all else seems to fail, at least I know I have that to offer.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Sick Baby
GI has been sick for a week. It started as a mild cough last Friday, then evolved into a not-so-mild cough with congestion and fever, until I finally called the doctor on Wednesday, where he was diagnosed with bronchiolitis. The problem with bronchiolitis is there's not much to do about it but wait for the baby to get better. It's caused by one of several viruses, including rhinovirus (the common cold) or RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) or the flu virus. Since it's a virus, you can really only treat the symptoms and wait. The symptoms are basically cough with wheezing and fever and congestion. Ibuprofen or acetaminophen for fever works well, and for the wheezing, sometimes albuterol by inhaler or nebulizer can help open the airways a bit and ease the coughing. I have no doubt that GI caught a cold from one or the other of his brothers. He's actually had several colds, thanks to the aforementioned older brothers, but this is the first time it's evolved into anything more serious. Really, bronchiolitis typically sounds worse than it is, but some babies do end up in the hospital to be put on oxygen and regular nebulizer treatments because of the lung congestion and wheezing. Fortunately, GI isn't that bad off, but I'm frustrated because breastfeeding is the number one defense against bronchiolitis, and, well, it didn't work. I tend to like to think positively, that if he weren't breastfed, maybe he'd be even worse off. NJ had RSV at four months of age and was nearly hospitalized for it. That was a very crazy week and a story which deserves its own post, so maybe I'll treat you all to NJ's RSV story one of these days. But not today.
I read up on bronchiolitis, and it said the breathing difficulty should ease after two to three days but that the cough could last up to two weeks. So he should have been getting better. He was noticeably better yesterday, until bedtime. He coughed through the night, moaned, wouldn't nurse, and was generally very unhappy. I didn't understand this at all. My husband suggested calling the doctor again this morning, and they saw us promptly, where *drumroll* he was diagnosed with an ear infection! Lucky guy, getting a cough, congestion, and an ear infection! Again, breastfeeding is supposed to be a major defense against ear infections, so, again, I like to think that he would have had a lot more ear infections, or worse ones, if he weren't breast-fed. But that's small consolation right now. Anyway, he's on amoxicillin for that, and I hope to see a baby truly on the mend by tomorrow or Monday.
Having a sick baby is very stressful. Since babies (well, everyone actually) tend to feel worse at night, you don't get enough sleep, so dealing with anything during the day is more difficult. Plus, you feel so bad for the baby and wish there was something you could do to make him feel better, but there isn't. Plus, you try to give him medicine, and he doesn't want it, and he fights it, and you feel terrible that you're torturing him, and you can't explain that the medicine will make him feel better. Plus, because he doesn't feel well, he needs to be held and comforted more, so you don't have time to do anything else that needs doing, like paid work, laundry, dishes, cooking, and, oh, tending to your other children. Then, because of all of that stress, the other children, who really are not behaving any worse than usual, drive you crazy, and you're more short with them, and you feel bad about that, and that causes even more stress. I don't handle stress well, can you tell? Also, because the baby is sick, he vomits and snots all over you, which means you have even more laundry that you can't find time to do.
Deep breath.
I can usually handle up to three days of illness in any given child before I go a little batty. GI has pushed beyond that limit into "Oh my G-d I can't take this anymore" territory. Also, one of the cats decided to pee on NJ's bed the other morning and I nearly snapped. (That generated more laundry and necessitated changing sheets. I hate changing sheets.) I almost burst into tears in front of my older boys, but I didn't want to scare them. Trying to explain why I was crying would have been difficult. Instead, I tried to tell them in a very calm voice that mommy is very tired and irritable at the moment, and could they please try to be gentle with me. The boys, being 5 and 3, didn't show as much empathy as I had hoped for.
My husband took the two older ones out this morning, so it's quiet right now. GI is sleeping, hopefully for a while. I was able to throw in a load of laundry and write this post, and I found the willpower to fold a load that's been sitting in the dryer for two days. NJ couldn't find pants this morning.
I always remind myself that this, too, shall pass. And it shall. I am grateful that a cold here and there is usually all I have to deal with, and I feel deeply for those of you who are dealing with more chronic illnesses in your children. I can't imagine the stress of having an always-sick baby. At least I know that by this time next week, everything should be back to its normal level of craziness.
I will look back on this and realize that I can handle what comes my way. It doesn't always feel like it in the moment, but we get through it. The baby will feel better, we'll all get some sleep, the sun will come out (did I mention, it's pouring down rain today?), and the world will seem brighter. And in the meantime, we muddle through, hour-by-hour, day-by-day, and take great pleasure in the quiet moments, like this one, that come our way.
Happy Spring, everyone.
I read up on bronchiolitis, and it said the breathing difficulty should ease after two to three days but that the cough could last up to two weeks. So he should have been getting better. He was noticeably better yesterday, until bedtime. He coughed through the night, moaned, wouldn't nurse, and was generally very unhappy. I didn't understand this at all. My husband suggested calling the doctor again this morning, and they saw us promptly, where *drumroll* he was diagnosed with an ear infection! Lucky guy, getting a cough, congestion, and an ear infection! Again, breastfeeding is supposed to be a major defense against ear infections, so, again, I like to think that he would have had a lot more ear infections, or worse ones, if he weren't breast-fed. But that's small consolation right now. Anyway, he's on amoxicillin for that, and I hope to see a baby truly on the mend by tomorrow or Monday.
Having a sick baby is very stressful. Since babies (well, everyone actually) tend to feel worse at night, you don't get enough sleep, so dealing with anything during the day is more difficult. Plus, you feel so bad for the baby and wish there was something you could do to make him feel better, but there isn't. Plus, you try to give him medicine, and he doesn't want it, and he fights it, and you feel terrible that you're torturing him, and you can't explain that the medicine will make him feel better. Plus, because he doesn't feel well, he needs to be held and comforted more, so you don't have time to do anything else that needs doing, like paid work, laundry, dishes, cooking, and, oh, tending to your other children. Then, because of all of that stress, the other children, who really are not behaving any worse than usual, drive you crazy, and you're more short with them, and you feel bad about that, and that causes even more stress. I don't handle stress well, can you tell? Also, because the baby is sick, he vomits and snots all over you, which means you have even more laundry that you can't find time to do.
Deep breath.
I can usually handle up to three days of illness in any given child before I go a little batty. GI has pushed beyond that limit into "Oh my G-d I can't take this anymore" territory. Also, one of the cats decided to pee on NJ's bed the other morning and I nearly snapped. (That generated more laundry and necessitated changing sheets. I hate changing sheets.) I almost burst into tears in front of my older boys, but I didn't want to scare them. Trying to explain why I was crying would have been difficult. Instead, I tried to tell them in a very calm voice that mommy is very tired and irritable at the moment, and could they please try to be gentle with me. The boys, being 5 and 3, didn't show as much empathy as I had hoped for.
My husband took the two older ones out this morning, so it's quiet right now. GI is sleeping, hopefully for a while. I was able to throw in a load of laundry and write this post, and I found the willpower to fold a load that's been sitting in the dryer for two days. NJ couldn't find pants this morning.
I always remind myself that this, too, shall pass. And it shall. I am grateful that a cold here and there is usually all I have to deal with, and I feel deeply for those of you who are dealing with more chronic illnesses in your children. I can't imagine the stress of having an always-sick baby. At least I know that by this time next week, everything should be back to its normal level of craziness.
I will look back on this and realize that I can handle what comes my way. It doesn't always feel like it in the moment, but we get through it. The baby will feel better, we'll all get some sleep, the sun will come out (did I mention, it's pouring down rain today?), and the world will seem brighter. And in the meantime, we muddle through, hour-by-hour, day-by-day, and take great pleasure in the quiet moments, like this one, that come our way.
Happy Spring, everyone.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)