T.A. asks from Blue Springs, MO on November 05, 2007
Congestion - Blue Springs,MO
My 4 month old has really put me through the ringer the last couple of days. He started out vomiting on Thursday. After 2 trips to the doctor (Thursday and Friday) and a trip to the hospital for some fluids, he is still vomiting. His doctor doesnt seem to worried. He just tells me its a stomach virus and it will just have to run its course. Now he is really congested and not sleeping at all. I can hear all of the congestion in his chest and sinus, however his nose is not running at all. I am at a loss. There is no over the counter medicine I can give to him and its been 5 days so I would think we would have this licked by now. Does anyone have any ideas on what I can do to sooth him so we both can get some rest.
So What Happened?™
Well.. All is good now. Amazingly the Vick Vapor Rub on the feet worked awesome. He is still coughing, but life is much better. We both are finally getting some sleep.. Thanks for the advice...
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M.T. answers from Enid on November 06, 2007
Hiya! I saw this response below from Sara, but I wanted to second it. When my girls were babies their pediatrician told me to get one of those Vicks Vaposteam Humidifiers (about $10 @ Walmart). You can buy Vicks Vaposteam to put in the humidifier and it puts the vapors out with the steam. Worked like a charm for my girls.
My best friend's mother swears by putting the vapo-rub on a bandaid and attaching the bandaid to the inside of their jammies so they can't pull it off. I've never tried this personally though.
Good luck...hope you find something that works(and get some sleep soon)!
~M
A.O. answers from Dallas on November 05, 2007
Sounds like Sara gave you the same advice that I would have. The only thing is that when my second child was born she was SO congested. She literally slept in her bouncer for the first 6 months of life. It kept her from getting so congested. The docs even suggested it.
Best of luck. I totally understand where you are coming from.
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K.B. answers from Kansas City on November 06, 2007
I agree with Mendi. You need to go back to the doctor with the congestion and ask them about pneumonia. My daughter had pneumonia when she was a baby and its sometimes really difficult to diagnose unless they do a chest x-ray. It caused vomiting and stomach upset which is what they focused on first and sent me home. It wasn't until 3am when her fever spiked and she could barely breathe that I called 911 only to find she had pneumonia and it had gotten really bad. PLEASE get this checked out!
1 mom found this helpful
C.S. answers from Lawrence on November 06, 2007
Hi T.---
I am actually partnered with a wellness company and know exactly what would work well for you as other moms use it and it works wonders and it is safer for you and your family as well. Getting the toxins out of the home from current products you are using will make the difference. If you want more info., let me know. Or you can visit www.livetotalwellness.com/cindygeoff
A.O. answers from Dallas on November 05, 2007
Sounds like Sara gave you the same advice that I would have. The only thing is that when my second child was born she was SO congested. She literally slept in her bouncer for the first 6 months of life. It kept her from getting so congested. The docs even suggested it.
Best of luck. I totally understand where you are coming from.
R.M. answers from Topeka on November 06, 2007
I would say that the best thing you can do is make sure he is staying hydrated...get some pedialyte and offer that to him.
I would also have a talk with your pharmacist...I work in a pharmacy..and they are so good about coming up with things to help in situations that other people havent been able to come up with something to help. If your pharmacist isnt willing to talk to you...you are at the wrong pharmacy!!! lol Try elevating the head of your little one's crib...put something under the mattress to raise part of it up....to help with the drainage and maybe he will sleep a bit better. Of course..if your little one is anything like mine were...they move around so much that they end up with their FEET elevated instead of their head before the night is over!!
Just tell yourself that "this too shall pass"...it wont go on forever it just SEEMS that way!!
R. Ann
M.G. answers from Tulsa on November 06, 2007
My daughter had RSV when she was two weeks old, and for about four months, she would wake up with congestion really bad. I would follow up with your doctor, as everyone suggested, but in the meantime, try propping him up with body pillow. I had a really long pillow that I could wrap all the way around my daughter about three times that held her pretty much upright, kept her completely swaddled, and didn't at all touch her face, and it worked really well to keep her asleep!
Good luck
M.L. answers from Rockford on November 13, 2007
maybe try a humidifer or Vicks vapor rub.
R.D. answers from St. Louis on November 09, 2007
I was recently told about putting Vicks on the bottom of the feet before bed(make sure you put socks on). My 3 year old has had a cold and was awake most of the night coughing. I tried the Vicks and he has been sleeping through the night since starting this on Monday.
Good luck!
M.V. answers from Kansas City on November 06, 2007
When my son was just a little bit older than yours he did the same thing. My doctor said he had pneumonia. I thought he was kidding- vomiting as a pnuemonia symptom? He said it isn't common, but it IS a symptom. He did a chest x-ray to be sure, and there it was. My son has had pneumonia several times since, and it is ALWAYS accompanied by stomach issues. I would ask your doctor for a chest x-ray.
BTW, we moved across town last year and tried to find a new doctor over here, but we ended up with our son (now 4 years old) sick for 6 weeks. The doctors at the new office didn't listen to me about the pneumonia, so they never did an x-ray. At one point they gave him anti-biotics for bronchitis, but they happened to pick the one that doesn't work on pneumonia. When that still didn't help, we decided to make the long drive to our old doctor. He took one look at our son and said, "He has pneumonia." One chest x-ray later, and we found out that he had the worst case of it that he's ever had- because it took so long to find it. I guess what I'm saying here is, don't be afraid to stand up to your doctor. Demand the x-ray if you feel it's needed. I didn't do that this summer, and my son suffered because of it.
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