Yep, I'm sick. It started with a sore throat on Monday night, and things went downhill from there (runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, achiness, etc.). I went to the doctor yesterday hoping for some heavy-duty meds to get me well in record time but, since I don't have a fever, he just prescribed an antihistamine and told me to get plenty of rest (yeah, right!). I am really hoping I didn't contaminate the kids before realizing that this was more than just an allergy attack, especially since our insurance did not approve them for the all-important RSV shot (believe it or not, the babies would have been covered if they'd been born at 32 weeks, which means that we are basically being penalized for making it as far as I did!).
We certainly don't need another source of discomfort for the babies. In the past couple of weeks, all of them have exhibited signs of reflux to some degree, including spitting up the entire contents of their stomachs, arching their backs, gagging, and/or having difficulty sleeping. This condition is not unusual for preemies (sometimes the valve between the esophagus and the stomach doesn't close properly), but combined with their pre-existing gassiness, it's contributed to an unusual amount of fussiness. We've switched to a soy formula and placed wedges in the cribs to keep the babies' heads elevated while sleeping, but since these measures haven't completely solved the problem, we started them on Zantac tonight. Hopefully this will help them keep their food (and stomach acid) down so that they can be more comfortable.
I don't really have anything to complain about, though: The big news is that the babies have been sleeping for two 5-hour stretches at night for about a week now. Here's hoping that they make it to 6 hours in the near future!
7 comments:
I hope you get better quickly.
The only thing I've ever known to help an acidy (is that a word?) baby is zantac or previcid. I would really read up on soy before giving it to your babies as their sole source of nutrition. It's really not good for you. The doctor will of course tell you it is fine, but do your own research.
Wow..5 hours already!! Way to go babies!!
Hope you feel better soon!!
So sorry that you are sick. It always hard when the Mommy is sick. Hope you get well quickly.
5 hours of sleep?! That is amazing! My kids didn't do that until they were 1. :)
My husband can't drink regular milk, and I found that even during my pregnancy it affected the baby. So when my boys weaned at about 8 months they went to soy formula. They can drink cow's milk now (they are 6 and 4) but in moderation.
My oldest had reflux and was a gassy baby. We tried that zantac with him but he hated it and it was just another thing for him to throw up. I know it has helped plenty of people though, so I wish you luck with it. A tip I heard there was to give them the meds in the bathtub so if they make a mess with it you can easily clean it up.
For a gassy belly, if you are tired of spending $$ on mylicon drops (I wish that stuff came in bigger bottles!) you can try this simple recipe. It works amazingly well. I think it works even better than the drops.
Mix 4oz of warm water with 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of baking soda. Add 1 tsp sugar. Give it a good shake. Burps are sure to follow.
You can play with the amounts, more baking soda, less sugar... find the amount that works for you. I add just enough sugar to mask the baking soda. It doesn't need to be sweet.
Even though I had all that to say, I will add that YOU are the Mommy and you get to decide what is best for your babies. I don't mean to push anything on you or make you feel a certain way. There is enough we go through as Mothers, taking on the advice of every stranger is certainly not something you want to be doing.
I will end my rambling here (yay!)
Hope you feel better soon
Two 5-hour stretches of sleep! WOW! That's really awesome. Now the trick is to make sure you hit the sack as soon as they do (easier said than done, I know). I hope you feel better soon!
Suzy, I know you don't know me, but I was in band with Ted in High School. Your little bundles of joy sound like they are doing great overall !
My daughter had TREMENDOUS trouble with throwing up. Nothing we did seemed to help. She was on soy, did the drops, did Zantac, propped her mattress, held her upright for 30 minutes after a feeding, put rice in her bottle, she still threw up everything. After getting RSV at 4 months and being put on breathing treatments and an antihistamine/decongestant, we found out her problems were from respiratory drainage. She stopped throwing up while she was being treated for RSV and started again after she went off them. Unfortunately, you have to fight to get a doctor to prescribe a small amount of any antihistamine to an infant.
It's just something to keep in mind if nothing else works, especially since the quads were early and were on oxygen for a little bit. My daughter aspirated when she was born and has had problems breathing ever since.
You all are always in my prayers,
Beth Terry Merchant
get better soon! :)
Hope you're feeling better by now. Hang in there!!!!
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