Thursday, December 18, 2008

The Weather Outside Is Frightful

And inside isn't exactly what I'd call delightful, either.

Little Man has his first cold.

It started with a pathetic little dry cough on Tuesday afternoon. He then proceeded to throw up his evening bottle all over Daddy (good choice on the target). He is a baby that rarely spits up, even a little, so that was my first real clue that something was amiss, more than the cough. As I was cleaning him up, I noticed that he seemed warm, so I took his temperature and it was 101.4.

By a few hours later, his poor little nose was stuffed and he was choking on the mucus. He didn't sleep that well that night, waking up too many to even count.

It didn't help matters that we are in the middle of record-low temperatures and that it's snowing here in the Pacific Northwest. I had a humidifier, infant Ty.lenol and a nose aspirator from the hospital, but no Vi.cks baby rub or saline nasal spray. Finally, the roads cleared up enough for us to brave the elements and get him those things, which did seem to help.

The funny thing is that he seems almost normal during midday, but in the evening, he gets really clingy and will not go to bed. His cough seems worse and his nose seems more stuffed. And he will fall asleep and go down in his crib, only to wake up twenty minutes to an hour later. He can be rocked back to sleep, but then it just happens again. I finally took him to the guest room bed last night and we slept together, me worrying the whole time that now he'll never want to sleep in his crib again. But desperate times call for desperate measures and I just can't let him cry when he is obviously so miserable.

All I can say is that I finally understand why mothers get so upset and rush their babies to the pediatrician begging for something, anything to stop the pain and suffering of their little ones. This isn't a major illness, just a little head cold, and I can barely stand it. It's going to kill me the first time he gets really sick.

In the meantime, any home remedies or advice on helping a little guy with a big cold is very much appreciated!

8 comments:

Mazzy said...

Ahh... poor guy! I sure hope he feels better soon. This time of year is just hard to keep them healthy.
*hugs*

Joy said...

As crazy as this sounds, it's actually good for him to get a cold. It tells you his immune system is doing it's job. It's no day-in-the-park, but I think night-time is harder because he just needs your comfort since he doesn't feel good. ;-( Poor baby! I hate it when little ones are sick!!!

I hear the pitter patter of little feet upstairs but wanted to tell you that I hope Will feels better VERY soon!

Anonymous said...

Something that used to help my little one was to turn the shower on HOT and then sit in the bathroom with him (not in the shower, just in the bathroom) for a few minutes so that the steam would relieve some of the congestion.

Amy B said...

Try Johnson & Johnson Baby Vapor Menthol bubble bath. It works so well that my husband & I both use it when we are sick. I hope it helps. Vicks also makes something that you plug in that sends vapors out almost like a Glade plug in. This also seems to help when my little ones have a cold.

AwkwardMoments said...

sounds like you are already doing everything i was told. Feel better Lil Wil

Anonymous said...

Rub the Vicks onto the bottoms of his feet and then put his socks on. I know it sounds weird, but it works...at least it did for us AND was recommended by our pedi. Good luck!

Ms. J said...

We SWEAR by the frog cool-mist humidifier that we bought at Tar.get. We have even run it in our living room on occasion to help Lil Pumpkin stay healthy during the day, too (we have hardwood floors, it's wintertime = house air gets dry!)

Anonymous said...

Ditto on all the rest too (seriously, the Vicks on the feet works! and the Gentle Vapors plug ins are awesome!) - you could let him sleep in his bouncy seat, carseat or swing, or elevate his mattress a little bit - that will prop him upright to breathe a bit better. You'll get back on track with sleeping, this is just a minor hiccup and everything will return to "normal".
Feel better little Will & hang in there Mama!