Master Nathan is Sick
by Karla ° Monday, March 5, 2007

So CuddlyMy poor little dude has a nose full of boogers and is coughing like a timeworn smoker and I spent three hours at a walk in clinic on Saturday to find out that all he has is a cold.

Sitting around waiting for any length of time with a baby is not fun, but the first hour went by pleasantly enough while Nate wooed the ladies with cheesy one liners like goo and gaa. The second hour was spent cuddling and pacing back and forth with a baby whose throat was so sore he coughed until he puked, and then the third hour I spent trying to save my sanity by peering into the drawers of the waiting room desk and contemplating stealing some rubber gloves because they come in really handy to pick up dog shit. I took the moral high road though and settled on three moisturizing tissues which I promptly hid in my pocket for later use.

The doctor that examined Nate is one that I have seen on occasion when my regular GP is away, and she totally does not support breastfeeding. She suggested putting him on sugar water if he gets any worse because it isn’t as thick as breast milk, and when I suggested that I could always pump and dilute my milk, her response was – wait for it – “Well, I wouldn’t want more trouble for mom.”

I’m not sure how to put this delicately, but if I quit breastfeeding cold turkey, my breasts would become iron-solid lumps of flesh whose rugged strength could outperform Kevlar. Just give them four hours of downtime and diggity dam, I’ll have grown my own bullet proof chest.

Although Nate only has a cold, it still breaks my heart to see him so uncomfortable. One of the most comforting things in the world to him, his pacifier, is a mountainous impossibility because he can barely breathe through his nose, and breastfeeding, although going OK, requires an initial preparation of nasal passage opening saline drops and occasionally some time spent in a steamy bathroom to loosen up all the pasty mucous lodged in his nose and throat before he is able to breathe well enough to put him on my breast.

We go back to the doctors today, and thankfully I’ll be seeing my regular GP who doesn’t seem to have a complex with breastfeeding. So far, our regular temperature readings indicate that he doesn’t have a temperature, which is promising that he also doesn't have the flu, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this stuffy nose and sore throat is the worst of it.

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A doctor who doesn't support the natural process of breastfeeding especaill when sick?? How ridiculous. Your milk is the best thing for NAte especially when sick. Sugar water is only going to attck the vitamins he has.

Take the advice of your real doctor!

Hope he feels better!
Posted by Blogger Donna :  March 05, 2007
 

I agree with Donna. What a double-take for me -- a doctor who doesn't support breast feeding.
Posted by Blogger Anvilcloud :  March 05, 2007
 

what a loon!! that's the best thing for nate glad ur seeing ur regular doctor
Posted by Blogger Unknown :  March 05, 2007
 

A doctor who prefers formula, to me, seems an oddity.

Mr. P had a cold early on, although not as early as Nate. I know exactly what you mean, it is horrible to see them have to struggle with the breathing and the mucous, and the poor guys have no clue what is going on.
Posted by Blogger Gina :  March 05, 2007
 

Poor little Nate. Baby's first cold can be very scary. I remember calling the on-call doctor three times in one weekend when my daughter got her first cold. I don't blame you for waiting three hours to have the doctor see him. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Posted by Blogger Christy :  March 05, 2007
 

Unbelieveable! What kind of doctor is against breastfeeding? Oh, and I laughed right out loud at "Just give them four hours of downtime and diggity dam, I’ll have grown my own bullet proof chest." :) Too true!
Posted by Blogger Jules :  March 05, 2007
 

Sugar water isn't as thick as breastmilk??? Has the woman even seen breastmilk?? This isn't colostrum we're talking about. Breastmilk is only slightly thicker than water - barely! Wow, I am so sorry you have someone so unsupportive in the breastfeeding department and I hope little Nate gets over this cold very quickly.
Posted by Blogger Brandy :  March 05, 2007
 

I wish babies were born with a "blow your nose" reflex, just like sucking, so they could rid themselves of the mucous when they're sick. It's so hard to watch your baby fight through a cold. Hope Nate is on the mend!
Posted by Anonymous Anonymous :  March 05, 2007
 

Sugar water? For a BABY? What kind of crackpot doctor is this?

When I was in the ER with mastitis, the asshole doctor gave me shit about breastfeeding. As if breastfeeding isn't what you do to CURE mastitis.

There are some crazies out there.

Hope Nate feels better soon.
Posted by Blogger posthipchick :  March 05, 2007
 

Hi Karla ,

When my daughter had her first cold , my lactation consultant recommend that I express a little bit of breast milk and put it in a syringe and squirt it up her nose instead of using saline drops as they tends to be drying for their little nasal passages, and it worked awesome !

Give it a shot and see how it works for you !

Try nursing him while you are sitting in a warm steamy bath , I also used the Johnson and Johnson Soothing Eucalyptus vapor bath which I found worked great too !
Posted by Anonymous Anonymous :  March 05, 2007
 

While it's a bit harsh, I have found that the nose sucker (that thing that you get and wonder if you should be basting a bird with it) can work if you stick it in far enough. Now, I got the hang of it while living in Houston, TX, in the most polluted county in North America when I had to do this every day with #1. With #2 it's like second-nature. But shoving that thing far up your babe's nose while holding them down isn't for everyone or the faint of heart. What it does, though, is get a lot of that snot out of there and let them breathe through their nose, if only for a little bit.
And what IS with docs who don't support breastfeeding? I'm amazed they can get relicensed. Silly, silly doctor.
Posted by Blogger Mama T :  March 05, 2007
 

Sugar water? Que??? Very weird. I'm glad you're sticking with your own (right) opinion :)
We found giving our girls a steamy shower helped them loosen up and sneeze out whatever was clogging them up. A little labour intensive because you have to get wet with them but worked like a charm for us. Hope Nathan feels better soon.
Posted by Blogger Robyn :  March 06, 2007
 

Everyone above has pretty much typed out what I am feeling right now. I can't believe that doctor told you to give him sugared water. I would never.

Poor Nathan, I hope he feels better soon!
Posted by Blogger Melanie :  March 06, 2007
 

Sweet thing. I hope he feels better soon.
I have spent my week end with both my kids sick too.
Ethan had an ear infection and Mackenzie had a cold and bug.
Ethan is find now and at daycare today. Mackenzie has missed school yesterday and today. Hopefully tomorrow she will be back to school and I can go back to work.
Posted by Blogger Tammy :  March 06, 2007
 

Oh, I hope little man feels better real soon!
Posted by Anonymous Anonymous :  March 06, 2007
 

AHHH LOOK AT ME, I CAN LEAVE COMMENTS AGAIN!
 

Many moons ago there was a thing called Vicks baby Vapor rub! Ya rub it on their lil chest and it help to relieve the stuffy ness in their lil heads and chest...wouldn't take him out side with it on there....hope this helps
and that He is feeling better SOON!
Southern Belle
Posted by Anonymous Anonymous :  March 06, 2007
 

Wow, what a pile of shit that doc is spouting. A doctor???? WTF? Not much makes me angrier than a medical professional telling moms to stop doing the most natural, healing, powerful thing a woman can do.

Your body is producing antibodies that will help Nate get well faster than any medication will.

FYI Benalyn makes an infant decongestant/cough suppressant that is great. I hope the little guy feels better soon!

Carly
durhamregionbaby.com
Posted by Anonymous Anonymous :  March 06, 2007
 

I'm still picking my jaw off the floor....a dr who doesn't support breastfeeding???? Never met one!

Sorry to hear Nate is sick. It sounds like you are doing everything you can for him. Keep up with the breastfeeding. Saline always helped our little guys...it definately makes it easier for the snot sucker (nasal aspirator) to get the stuff out!

Good luck!
Cate
Posted by Blogger Cate :  March 06, 2007
 

Why wouldn't the GP understand that breastmilk is the best thing to fighting infection? What an idiot. Hence, less colds, etc. I want to see her diploma and backward U she graduated from.
Posted by Blogger Kate :  March 06, 2007
 

Wow I am surprised a doctor is anti breastfeeding!

Oh and I am so sorry Nate has a cold that just sucks. Poor little guy!
 

Poor Nate!

I just cannot look at that sweet face of his without choking up.

You have a baby! He is healthy!

How great IS that?!

He'll beat this cold. He will.

Just in time to catch a new one.

Colds are like 'trading cards' with babies. "Hey! Snot faced girl, I don't believe I've had that exact strain of virus YOU have! Give it to me! And, I'll give you my deep-green crusty strain of nose worms!"

We hear 'goo' and 'gaa' but what it REALLY means, we don't find out for 24 hours.
Posted by Blogger Judy :  March 06, 2007
 

I love that picture - like, "Wow, I'm beat. Mind if I just have a little snooze right here, Dad?"

Hope he feels better soon.

xo
Posted by Blogger Jen & Co. :  March 07, 2007
 

That picture of Mark & Nate is beautiful. I'm sorry to hear that Nate isn't feeling good. I know what you mean about it breaking your heart to see him sick. I feel that way each and everytime my son isn't feeling well. It's such a feeling of helplessness when they aren't feeling good and there isn't alot you can do to comfort them. I hope he is feeling better real soon. Hugs to you!!
Posted by Anonymous Anonymous :  March 07, 2007
 

I hope he's feeling better soon. That doctor is STUPID! Let me tell you a story about breastmilk's ease of digestibility. When Andrew was 4 months old he caught a stomach virus. It was a terrible one that involved hourly puking for about a week, and a lot of kids at our church were getting it. Andrew had it for 12 days. The laundry from all the pukeage and diarrhea was unbelievable! Anyway, he had just had a well baby checkup the day before he got sick, and I took him to the doc's at some point because I was scared that he was vomiting so much and for so many days in a row. It was day 12, the second time I brought him in. He had been breastfeeding about half the day to comfort himself. He was something like 16 pounds at his well baby checkup, and after 12 days of violent flu, he actually gained 2 ounces because breastmilk is so quickly digested, a lot of it got in his system before he had a chance to throw it up. So if Nate ever comes down with something like that, don't let your doctor try to talk you into using Pedialite like mine did. Breastmilk is better than Pedialite no matter what the doctors say.
Posted by Blogger Unknown :  March 07, 2007
 


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