Ear infection

My son is teething, and I think that he has an ear infection also. He was messing with his ears today and I have noticed a bit of extra earwax or whatevr it is coming out. I made him a doctors appointment for today at 3, but if it is ear infection, She is just going to try to put him on antibiotics or some other drug. Is there anything else I can do other than this, or is this something I should go ahead and use the drugs for? I don't really like using the drugs, don't really like my doctor as far as that goes, but given my options, she seems like the lesser of the evils so far. Still looking for a doctor that I can get along with, that will be covered by the insurance.

 

My kids have never had an ear infection and I too am not fond of antibiotics, but in this case, I'd administer them to cure an ear infection.

 

leane does the same kinda thing. I never thought that it would have been an ear infection, as she plays with every other part on her body....me thinks it's time to call the doctor......
thanx for the post!

 

Well I hope the little guy feels better. I lucked out because none of my kids had ear infections as babies. My oldest son has had only one in his 6 years and my twins have had zero in their almost 3 years. So really, I don't have any advice, I just wanted to give you all some well wishes.

I'm fortunate because my kids' ped is not one to push drugs at all. He only prescribes them when it's absolutely necessary. Good luck to you on finding another doctor that you feel more comfortable with. It can be frustrating at times, I know, especially with insurances! I feel so lucky that I found the doctor I did. He's a gem.

 

We just went through this on Saturday. Dakota screamed all night Friday night in pain. The doctor gave us some drops to numb the pain. She said the ears would clear up on their own. But she gave us a perscription to use if he wasn't better in a couple of days. Well, he has had an upper respiratory infection for like 2 weeks now. We thought that since he had that and now the ear infection we should give him the anitbiotics anyway. By Sunday you would never have known he was sick.

Dakota hasn't seen his doctor in almost two years. Now all at once, he's been there twice in 10 days. Oh the joys of day care. He has been in a private home for the last year and a half. He started day care two weeks ago and has been sick ever since.

Normally I would wait to see if it went away without using the antibiotics, but we chose to use them this time because he has been so sick. We will also be pushing the probiotics to help him build up his immune system.

Kathi

 

We just got back from the doctor. The good news is that he doesn't have ear infection. The bad news is he isn't gaining weight like hr is supposed to be. My wife is not producing enough milk for him, and I have to use formula. . They all win. What else can I do. I am so pissed right now. I have been trying to do everything naturally, and I feel like it is all in vain. Everyone around me has ben trying to push this fucking formula on me/him since day one. I hope that they are all happy. Maybe I should start using disposable diapers, chop all his hair off and send him to public schools when he gets older. I know I am over reacting, I just feel crushed. All my efforts.......... I'll stop now. At least he doesn't have an ear infection, right?

 

((((Hugs)))) it never hurts to get a second opinion. Most breastfed babies thin down and their weight gain slows at around 9 months. Nobody can keep gaining weight like a newborn!! There are things your wife can do to increase her supply. Is she working with a board certified (IBCLC) lactation consultant? If not, she should be. Is she pumping no less than every 3 or 4 hours that she is away from the baby? Is she pumping long enough to get two letdowns? That was crucial for me when I was pumping, to get that second letdown, no matter how long it took.


as far as ear infections go, our ped does not prescribe abx for them, says that most ear infections are caused by viruses or allergies, and the antibiotics are only to treat a secondary bacterial infection if the original infection stays around too long. surely you can find a different pediatrician!

 

oh, I'd wait on the formula. Next weekend have your wife and babe lay in bed all weekend and have a "nurse in". You bring her food and drink, treat her like a queen and they can lay and play in bed for two days nursing, nursing, nursing. If he's on any solids, juice or water, I'd hold back till her supply is back up. She needs to pump every couple hours at work.

Is he taking a bottle well or are you using a cup for when mom's away?

 

He takes the bottle just fine. The doctor says that he about three pounds shy of what he should be

 

Doctor, schmoctor!

If you're daddy instinct is telling you he needs to gain more weight, then hold off on any solids and push more breast milk, especially since he's taking the bottle fine. You can also put BM in a cup for "between meal snacks". If mama were there, he'd be popping on and of more times then he takes a bottle I'm sure. Offering a sippy cup of BM would be completely fine

Formula isn't any fattier then breastmilk and it's not as healthy. It's like subbing bottled apple juice for real apples. It's just not going to cut it.

Also if you're concered just keep an eye on his wet and poopy dipes. I forget how old he is but he should probably still be wetting about 8 times in 24 hours and pooping once anywhere from 1-3 days

 

only three pounds??? yeah, forget the formula until you go find a new doctor, one who knows a bit more about breastfed babies. Have your wife nurse the child as long and as often as she possibly can while she's there with him. Wait on her hand and foot, bring her things to eat, to drink, the remote control, work crossword puzzles together while she's nursing, stuff like that.


A baby who is not getting enough to eat will not be alert or interacting with the world around him. A baby who is not getting enough to eat will be lethargic, not happy, not crying, nothing. He would not be getting any bigger, and his fingernails would stop growing. Is this your child? Are there any signs of anything being wrong with him, or is it just because he didn't match up with the growth chart the doctor was looking at?

FWIW, my oldest child didn't even weigh 14 pounds at one year. She has never been sick enough to warrant a doctor visit, she is as bright and healthy as any child ever should be!! Being small is not a medical condition that needs to be cured. People come in all shapes and sizes. Would you ever ask what a 30 year old woman should weigh? NO! Because what any person (even a baby) should weigh is dependent upon lots of things besides just how old they are. Hang in there! Trust your instincts. If neither you nor your wife has any warning bells going off in your head, if deep down inside you know the child is okay, trust that. You know the baby much better than some doctor who might get to see him once along with 4000 other babies every month.

 

the weight charts are for formula fed babies! Who tend to be fatter than breastfed babies anyway. (You know how fast baby cows gain weight?)

Just take a deep breathe and take a good look at YOUR baby. Is he listless? Or alert? Is he pale? Or are his little cheeks pink? Can you see his joints popping out? Or are his little arms and legs plump and round? Is his skin dry? Or soft and smoothe?
From your picture, he looks like a healthy, perfect little boy!

When my granddaughter was a baby, they were always trying to tell my daughter than she was too small for her age and needed to gain weight. She was petite, but that was just HER. She's still petite, even at four, but she always had plump little arms and legs, chubby little cheeks, and beautiful, shiny skin and bright eyes. She looked perfect, even if the scales and the charts said she was too small.
My daughter would come back from these appointments all freaked out, until she finally realized HER baby was just fine! She was small! So what! She was healthy and happy, and just the right size for her self.

 

Part of the problem is that my wife isn't pumping enough. During the day he gets breast fed all the time, but when she pumps she only gets 4 or 5 oz. at the most. I already started him on solids to avoid formula. She is only able to give me 1 or 2 bottles at a time. Usually the second bottle is only a couple of ounces. Is this because she isn't pumping enough? If she only gets a couple ounces at a time, can she add to the same bottle?What can she do to produce more milk? I am running out of doctors here. Tomorrow I am going into town to look for someone new.

 

Yes, she needs to pump more. I'm not sure where you live, but in most states, there is a law that allows lactating mothers to take unpaid breaks...ASIDE FROM THEIR REGULAR BREAKS to pump, and that place, in most states has to be an area that's NOT A BATHROOM. The employer needs to provide this private space for them. Look into it for your state.

She needs to ofer more while she's with him. You guys may do nothing but nurse when the three of you are togtehr, but who cares really

I know there are ways to up your supply, but I don;t know them off hand, I'm sure someone else will chime in

 

I never ever got 5 ounces in one pumping session when I was exclusively pumping for my oldest daughter when she was unable to nurse!! NEVER! That is great output! What matters most is how often she is pumping, and if she is pumping long enough to get two distinct letdowns each time. I always had to pump one more time than the number of bottles my baby was taking. She might have to wake herself up in the middle of the night to get that extra pumping session in, and make absolutely positive to never go longer than 3-4 hours between pumping or nursing sessions.


If I were you, I'd give him smaller amounts at a time. Babies will always take more from a bottle than they would from the breast. It's how bottles work. It's much harder to get milk out of the breasts.



for the state laws regarding breastfeeding and pumping at work:
http://www.lalecheleague.org/LawMain.html they have a list of each state's specific laws.

 

I don't like doctors do we really need them? In my opinion no. but that's me. Well anyway, since Feb 6 human resources has known that I pump, and the lady who trained me told the hr lady that I would need to have a place to pump, well it is now April 4th and I still have no place, oh, and one of the suporvisors at work has been sending e-mails after e-mails stating that I need a place to pump and he is aware that they can get sue if they don't provide me a place and he don't know if she know's that or not. So last night after I talked to my husband I went and told the same suporvisor that I need to pump every two hours or my son will have promlems and he sent another e-mail to the higher up person from the hr lady. Well, I had asked him for all of the e-mails that he has sent and I still need to get the e-mails that the trainer has sent as well and if I don't get any answer at the end of this week Im going to take this court. You know I think he is just fine, I asked my hubby if she said that this could be a growth spurt, and he said she didn't say anything about that, well in my opinon I feel that this is a spurt, he looks just fine he don't look malnurished, and I brestfeed him as much as I can while im home even if it's not in the scheduale. When he wakes up we change his diaper and then I feed him, then at 11 is his lunch so I sometimes feed him on one side then feed him squash or sweet potatoes or beans then give some water inbetween then when he is all done I let him eat on both sides again. then at five im not home most of the time, so, that is his next feeding my hubby will feed him some more solids then the bottle that I pumped for them, then at nine is his next feeding but when im home he usually eats between his meal times. He is a smart baby at 7months. No I don't pump enough I know that, but most of my time is spent feeding him usually, I feel if I pump and when it comes time to feed him there wont be enough there to satisfy him. I now use my minutes of break which is only 15 mins long at to pump, and if I have any time left after I eat (30 mins) I usually pump as well. I am happy at the fact that my right side had started to dry up and I have gotten it to not be dry and it's now producing more, but it's not a lot. When I pump at work I get 2ozs or 4oz at my first break then, I pump again my last break and it amounts to be 4-7oz or somtimes a full 8oz or more. I just got off of the phone with the doctor and she told me that he needs more calories so just like you all said to do, feed as much as posible while im home, and if we need to suplement formula try 1oz, if he pukes it up he is still getting some. I hate formula it stinks, and it's not healthy at all. I don't know im scared, but I don't think there is anything wrong with him, he seems normal to me.

 

(((hugs))) to both of you. You guys are doing great. I still wouldn't even buy any formula. Just don;t bring it into your house.

As for poumping too much that there won;t be any left for nursing...That will never hapen. breast milk is a supply and demand thing. The more you pump, the more you will make, or the more you nurse, the more you will make.

I personally would not wait till the end of the week for news from your higher-ups at work. Check out the link that mamaboogie posted and find the exact laws for your state (if you haven't already). Take your beaks on your own, just make sure to clock out, or write the time down that you're gone pumping. Just do it. If you have to do it in the bathroom till they get their shit together, then so be it. Grab a book and go pump.

I still strongly suggest you guys just not bring the formula into your house

Keep us posted on what the people at your work have to say. And stay away from the doctor unless somehting is wrong. Most pediatritians are not schooled in breastfeeding and are not taught about the ins and outs of breastfed babies.

 

I wold say to always give him the milk and THEN give him solids. Or, jst don't give him any solids at all. Like the others said, feed him non-stop when yo're home. Get a wrap and go arond topless with him in it, that will give him constant access to the boobs. I go arond topless half the dang time anyway coz its easier. Sometimes Jim will see a boob, crawl over, have a 10 second nip jst coz it's there. And don't bring the formla in the casa!

 

Maybe check out a growth chart for breastfed babies. If the weight is normal there, then you can stop worrying this second

 

We are starting to get things rolling for her. Thanks everyone for all your help. I have one more question (for now at least), If she pumps a bunch of 2 ounce bottles, can I mix them, or do I have to heat them all seperatly?