The first cold came after I had been having some sinus related issues for a few days and was getting better. I really think the antibodies in my milk kept her from getting sick until I was feeling better. However, once she got sick, she was miserable. I hated seeing her like that. She was extremely congested and this is what we did that helped her get over her illness.
Elevating her head- The night Mia was getting sick, we thought she was refluxing. Mia has GERD, and she sometimes coughs when she refluxes. So we thought we could help the poor girl out by elevating her head. It helped, but she was not refluxing, she was coughing on her congestion. Luckily, elevating her head helps alleviate the discomfort for both GERD and congestion, and we were all able to sleep that night.
Normal saline- We use normal saline (NS) to help moisten Mia's nose every morning. When Mia was sick, I am fairly certain we went through 2 bottles of NS. The bulb syringe and other suction devices work SO much better with NS. You will get a lot more out when you use the NS. Mia prefers the Little Remedies and Simply Saline brands (read: these are the brands she fights us the least with).
We used it to moisten before suctioning as well as to irrigate her nose when she was really stuffed up. To irrigate, we turn her on her side over the sink and squeeze the NS into her nose until it comes out the other side, clearing the airway of any congestion.
This is a video showing what I'm talking about. The lady in the video uses her bulb syringe with a homemade normal saline solution (1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized sea salt in 1 cup of warm distilled water).
We actually did this to Mia the first day we brought her home from the hospital since she was so congested at birth. I guess that is what happens when you have a respiratory nurse for a mom, HA!
Suctioning- I think the bulb syringe is good for day to day suctioning, but not for when your baby is sick. I personally feel like the bulb syringe does nothing compared to the NoseFrida when Mia is sick and congested.
The NoseFrida is a nasal aspirator. The concept is that you use the force of your suck to aspirate your baby's congestion. It sounds gross, but it is designed with a protective canister and filter that prevents any mucus from getting to you. It has 4.5 stars out of the 3,291 reviews on Amazon, they cannot all be wrong. I HIGHLY recommend it.
Mia does not like the actual process...but she loves to breathe easier, eat, and sleep! Babies prefer to breathe through their nose. So when they are congested, they have a hard time eating, since they cannot breathe. We would suction her before she ate and went to sleep, which made a huge difference on how well she ate and slept.
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Humidifier- In the wintertime, the air is extremely dry, causing our mucous membranes to dry out. This makes the mucus sticky and harder to get out. So if you humidify the air, the mucus will be more moist and easier to get out. We have a Crane Drop Shape Humidifier. We run it at night to help Mia keep her nose from drying out.
Steam- This is what Mia's pediatrician suggested to us, it is a similar concept as the humidifier. They told us to run a hot shower and sit in the steamy bathroom with Mia. This helps with her congestion by loosening the mucus and gets it moving.
In the hospital, we also do chest physiotherapy (CPT) to help loosen mucus, which can be done while you're in the steam. Dr. Sears suggests doing this by "clap[ping] on your child’s chest and back (where the lungs are) firmly (harder than burping) with an open hand. This helps shake the mucus loose so your child can cough it up better."
Push fluids- Mia still nursed normally while she was sick. However, when I went to work, she absolutely refused the bottle. I work 12 hour shifts, and while I was gone she had ONE ounce of breast milk! Mike ended up getting her to drink some water from a cup and the syringe she uses to take her medicine. Some babies cannot tolerate drinking formula while they are sick, so switching to Pedialyte temporarily is an option to push fluids.
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Steam- This is what Mia's pediatrician suggested to us, it is a similar concept as the humidifier. They told us to run a hot shower and sit in the steamy bathroom with Mia. This helps with her congestion by loosening the mucus and gets it moving.
In the hospital, we also do chest physiotherapy (CPT) to help loosen mucus, which can be done while you're in the steam. Dr. Sears suggests doing this by "clap[ping] on your child’s chest and back (where the lungs are) firmly (harder than burping) with an open hand. This helps shake the mucus loose so your child can cough it up better."
Push fluids- Mia still nursed normally while she was sick. However, when I went to work, she absolutely refused the bottle. I work 12 hour shifts, and while I was gone she had ONE ounce of breast milk! Mike ended up getting her to drink some water from a cup and the syringe she uses to take her medicine. Some babies cannot tolerate drinking formula while they are sick, so switching to Pedialyte temporarily is an option to push fluids.
I had Mike watch how many wet diapers she was having while I was at work to make sure Mia was not getting dehydrated. A baby should have at least 6 wet diapers a day. No urine for 6 hours or a decreased number of wet diapers from your child's baseline would be a sign of dehydration. Here is a list of other signs of dehydration.
Cuddle time- Mia becomes very "clingy" when she is not feeling well. She did not want to be put down, so we did a lot of cuddling while she was sick. Our carrier was a life saver, so that I could still get things done around the house. It also helped to have her upright, so she slept in it comfortably. We now have the Ergobaby carrier, which we love, you can read about the other carriers I have here.
Fevers- With Mia's first cold, she did not have a fever, but was miserable. The second cold she had, she woke up with a runny nose, took a 2.5 hour nap, and woke up with a 101.5 fever. Even with that high temperature, she was acting completely normal. She was playing and eating like it was any other day.
If she would have been fussy and febrile, then I would have treated her fever with Tylenol, but it is important to look at the whole picture. If your baby looks and feels horrible without a fever, that would be more concerning to me than Mia's 101.5 fever with no change in behavior.
Here are some parameters for fever from Children's Health:
When to call the doctor*- Anytime you have a concern or a question, call your child's pediatrician. It is better to be safe than sorry. If your gut is telling you something is wrong, call your doctor!
*I am not providing medical advice. I am just telling you what helped us with Mia and giving you some resources I have found. Please seek medical attention if your child is ill and you are concerned.
Cuddle time- Mia becomes very "clingy" when she is not feeling well. She did not want to be put down, so we did a lot of cuddling while she was sick. Our carrier was a life saver, so that I could still get things done around the house. It also helped to have her upright, so she slept in it comfortably. We now have the Ergobaby carrier, which we love, you can read about the other carriers I have here.
Fevers- With Mia's first cold, she did not have a fever, but was miserable. The second cold she had, she woke up with a runny nose, took a 2.5 hour nap, and woke up with a 101.5 fever. Even with that high temperature, she was acting completely normal. She was playing and eating like it was any other day.
If she would have been fussy and febrile, then I would have treated her fever with Tylenol, but it is important to look at the whole picture. If your baby looks and feels horrible without a fever, that would be more concerning to me than Mia's 101.5 fever with no change in behavior.
Here are some parameters for fever from Children's Health:
We recommend calling your child’s doctor or nurse practitioner under the following conditions:
- The fever doesn’t come down within an hour after giving your child a fever-reducing medicine, like acetaminophen.
- The fever responds to medication but returns when the medication wears off and lasts for several days.
- In babies younger than 3 months, any temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher.
- A fever higher than 104 degrees in a child of any age.
You may also want to call your doctor or nurse practitioner if the fever is accompanied by:
- Signs of dehydration – no tears when a child cries or a lack of urination
- A rash that lasts longer than three days
- Weakness or extreme fatigue
When to call the doctor*- Anytime you have a concern or a question, call your child's pediatrician. It is better to be safe than sorry. If your gut is telling you something is wrong, call your doctor!
There is nothing worse than seeing your baby not feeling well or in pain! I hope sharing what helped us helps another baby's discomfort while they are sick.
*I am not providing medical advice. I am just telling you what helped us with Mia and giving you some resources I have found. Please seek medical attention if your child is ill and you are concerned.
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