Hi there,
My son's dr mentioned that one of his ears looks like it might be on the verge of an infection; she said it could also be because he's teething - his top teeth are coming in soon.
This is the first possible ear infection we've encountered so I have a few questions: is it possible for a baby to get an ear infection without having had a cold first? And also, I've read that ear infections are not as common in breastfed babies, which Noah definitely is (switched from bottle to breast - after much coaxing - at 5 weeks and hasn't looked back since!!) - does anyone have feedback on that? Finally, are there ways to cure an ear infection without giving an antibiotic?
I'm trying to decide if I should fill the prescription for the Amoxicilan that she wrote in case it was an ear infection, but obviously, I don't want to give him antibiotics unless *absolutely* necessary!! I might go in to the dr to have her check again, but thought I'd ask around here - avoiding the germy waiting room if possible!
As for how he's behaving: he doesn't seem too focused on his ears (he's not rubbing at them that much) and he's not feverish nor cranky. Last night was a bit difficult, though...but that could also be a teething thing!!
Thanks for your help!
Thanks for the advice and info, everyone!
I don't think he ever developed a full-fledged ear infection; he's actually been sleeping better the past few days (4 hours one night, and 5!!! hours another night!), and that was the main thing I had noticed. No teeth have popped out up top yet, but I'm really expecting them any day now!
To tell you the truth, though, I might stop in with him at the dr this week coming up - just in case...someone mentioned their child having no symptoms for an infection so bad the ear drum was about to pop, and, well...that freaked me out! lol So I'll go just in case, but I think everything is ok. In any case, thanks again!
My son has had several ear infections with no visiable signs until one night he won't sleep and is so cranky and unconfortable. I would NOT hold off on filling his medication, they are miserable for those little ones to have to go thru. Hope everything goes well!
Below is an excellent resource for understanding how ear infections occur. Some ear infections can clear up on their own without antibiotics - others can get out of hand very quickly. Your baby will be more susceptible to ear infections until all of his teeth come.
http://www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=21&ref=750&ac...
Best wishes.
My son, 8 months, just had tubes placed on Tuesday. When the doctor came in, he informed us he had a horrible infection in both ears. He had no signs or symptoms at all. He was not irritable or pulling/tugging his ears at all. We had no clue.
He was an exclusively breastfed baby for the first 6 months. He had a total of 7 ear infections in his short little time. Except for 1 time, he never had any cold symptoms.
He attends daycare and we have a family history of ear infections which makes him more prone to them.
I agree that you should have his ears rechecked before giving him any antibiotics.
Good luck,
A.
okay....to answer some of your questions...no you don't have to have a cold first to get an ear infection....they just happen and it happens more commonly when it deals with the teeth since the sinuses are connected (or something like that).
What you could do before you fill the prescription is bring your baby to a chiropractor, sounds silly I know, but it is (in my personal experiences) more effective as a whole and there are no drugs involved, unless it is herbal supplements. It depends on the severity of the infection, if it is left unattended your child could end up getting tubes put in the ears or reoccuring ear issues.
My 10 mo. old is getting 3 teeth in right now (yes 3 are coming through at one time, my oldest son did this too), his ears are a little red, he developed a rash on his tummy then his eye turned pink and our dr said all of this was because of his teeth. and told me it wasn't necessary to bring him in unless he has a fever and was unconsolable. I wouldn't worry too much, just keep a close eye on him and watch for any changes, like fever all of the sudden ...
good luck and hang in there
My oldest daughter had quite a few ear infections (we ended up going to see an ent, no tubes t/g), she was breast fed exclusively, including pumped milk for bottle feedings and the infections were not always associated with a cold. So that is some background that yes a breastfed baby is still susceptible to ear infections and not always with a cold.
Your second question regarding meds., early on we used them and then when we realized how many she was having, with her dr. guidance some we waited out and did regular re-checks and the ones that seemed to be causing her pain we used meds to clear them up. I think the most important thing is to find a dr. that follows a medical philosophy that you agree with and work with him or her to create the best care possible for your child. Good luck!
Well my daughter was an exclusively breast feed and breast milk baby when needed, She had an ear infection for 7mos straight. At first going with not knowing thats what it was. ( bad dr ) After being medicated with antibi. things went away but for her it was reacouring. By the age of one she had tubes put in her ears. I can understand that you would think that the infection is because of teething however if the dr says their is a start of one there probably is. My daughter rarely had a cold prior to infection she would be a little green in the nose but never a full cold. I dont know why you wouldn't want to have him on medication to cure this, having a full blown ear infection is very painful and many times when they are small ( at least with mine) they tended to focus more on the pain in there mouth then the pain in there ears. Especially when the infection is just starting. I however am not a dr this is all just experience for me. My advice would be to fill the RX.
I also tried the chriopractor and had no success and have know other mothers that did not have any luck with the chriopractor. Best of luck
They can definitely get an ear infection without a cold. I do know of several babies that get them with teething. It really has very little to do with breastfeeding or not. It's all about anatomy!
My son has had several ear infections now and I could not imagine not treating them. He generally shows no signs of the infection until suddenly we start having bad nights. Then it progresses to a miserable child. He does not pull at his ears, and does not neccesarily get a temperature. But when the doctors look in there they are ready to poop they're s bad.
I understand the worry about antibiotics. This is how I think of it. Our little ones can't really tell us what is wrong or how uncomfortable they are. Being proactive is perhaps just being more humane?
The antibiotic you were given is usually the first choice. It's inexpensive, and tends to be tolerated well. It did not work for my son, however, as his ear infection did come back. But it CAN work. Which ever antibiotic they are on, it usually takes 2-3 days before you see signs of relief. Tylenol (or better yet, Ibuprofen) can help with the pain until then.
Good luck.
Yes - it's possible. As far as I can tell from the info I've read, there is no difference if a baby is Breastfed or formula fed when it comes to ear infections. We have been very careful and diligent as my husband has horrible ears (as a child and as an adult).
Our daughter got her first ear infection (a double ear infection at that) last December at 14 moonths. She was not pulling on her ears, no prior fever, no problems sucking, no classic symptoms.
I know you don't want to give unnecessary antibiodics (not to mention the side effects with the diarrhea, diaper rash and possible yeast infections is nasty!) so I would recommend going in for a recheck. Amoxicillan ended up not working for our daughter - nor did the next antibiodic. We ended up using a 3rd (Zythromax) that finally kicked it after a month!
Good luck!
My son was breast fed for the first 7 months and during that time had a double ear infection and a single one. He never rubbed his ears or pulled at them (more of a sign of teething than ear infections). He never even ran a fever with the either incidents. He was just crying all the time and not happy.
My siblings, who were also all breast fed for at least 8 months all had ear infections in the first few months. Oftentimes, kids who have some sort of allergies are more prone to them and while they are not as common, it doesn't mean they're impossible. Hope he feels better soon!
My oldest is almost 5 and never had an ear infection, ever. so imagine my surprise when my youngest was about 10 months old and he had a minor ear infection in his left ear! I didn't even know hwat to do since we'd never dealt with it before. he had no symptoms whatsoever, no cold, fever, irritability, nothing. He was at his routine well baby visit and the doctor looked in his ears and seen a little fluid buildup in his left ear.
You are correct in breastfed babies get fewer ear infections. Both my boys are breastfed and we've only had that one time, and it was pretty minor, and we wiated it out and it went away on its own. I don't like antibiotics so we held off for a week to see if it progressed or if it went away. And it did.
It could also be from teething. I know that minor issues can spring up from teething, like runny nose, slight fever, red cheeks, goopy eyes. I know doctors say thats just coincidence but i could tell you to the day when my boys would cut new teeth, red cheeks, then runny nose, 2 days later a new tooth. :)
I hope your little guy is feeling better soon!
Personally, I would pass on the antibiotics, especially considering that the doctor said he "might" be on the verge of an ear infection. It's possible then that you could be giving him antibiotics for no reason at all. Even if it is a ear infection, the majority of those do clear up without antibiotics. There are homeopathic methods for treating ear infections that are safe. There is one brand, similison (sp?) that is available at most drugstores. We've had great success with garlic mullin oil, but it's usually only found at natural foods stores or drugstores that sell a lot of herbs.
I've had great success with dripping some expressed breastmilk in my kids ears. It is full of antibacterial properties and WORKS! ~~W.
M.,
I breast feed my daughter the whole time and she still developed ear infections. These came on the onset of teething.
I got to where I could pretty well predict when she would develope an infection from when she teethed.
I agree that I wouldn't give the antibiotic without checking back with the dr.
Good Luck!
i have 4 children 24,21,6,and 3years old. yes you probably want to give the baby the amoxicillion. you are not a bad mother because you want to help your child. over the years i think people have been overly protective of hurting there children by giving them drugs. i never had this problem in the younger kids, but i had problems when the older ones were little. god gave us dr.'s to help us. you could wait to see if there is a fever before giving the amox but if the child gets sick being up all night with the crying is much worse.
good luck
My son use to get frequent ear infections due to teething. The Drs wanted to put tubes in his ears, but I would not let them. He soon grew out of the ear infections with no more problems. As far as the breast feeding Verses bottle, I am not sure, but it seems to me that if the ear infections are due to teething, I don not see how it would matter. the antibiotics would be good to clear up the ear infections. That was what worked the best for my son. What I didnt know was that there are two types of ear infections, inner and outer. I believe that both require antibiotics. But if you ask your Dr, He/she would be able to tell you if there is an alternative to the antibiotic.
I hoped this has helped you some. Sorry that I dont have a direct answer.
K.
