AIBU to ask for your care advice?

[PeekabooAtTheZoo]

11mo DD has conjunctivitis and it's in both eyes. Can't get a GP appt this side of December as they have deemed it non-urgent. Is there anything I can do to make her more comfortable? She is really irritable and congested and I'm not sure how best to care for her with this.

AIBU to ask for your best care advice? So far we've put on her favourite baby music and I'm trying to keep her streaming nose wiped (although she's fighting lol). I'm cleaning her eyes every hour with cooled boiled saline but the gloop keeps setting into hard lumps anyway.

Didn't mean to enable voting. Baby distraction.

Go to your pharmacy

It’s just the sort of complaint that pharmacists are waiting to see.

Thanks but they've said she's too young for anything they sell and that I would have to wait for a GP to prescribe something. I'm looking for advice on making her more comfortable at home.

A baby with conjunctivitis does need to be seen.

You need a prescription for under 2s.

I would start with the pharmacist. Hopefully if they say you need a prescription your GP will see you sooner. If not then I would go to your nearest eye casualty.

Edited to add: Thanks but they've said she's too young for anything they sell [for conjunctivitis] and that I would have to wait for a GP to prescribe something [for conjunctivitis]. Just because this is AIBU and I should have been really specific.

@PeekabooAtTheZoo just seen your update. If a pharmacist says they need a prescription then I would ring back your GP. If they won’t assist then I would take them to your nearest eye casualty.

@CoffeeHousePot thank you, I thought that too but after 3 phone calls to the GP this morning and not getting anywhere, and a trip to the pharmacy where it's utter chaos due to staff shortages and you never get to speak to the pharmacist, I'm a bit at my wits end. I'll look into an eye casualty place.

@CoffeeHousePot it was the dispenser who relayed that they didn't have anything and that I needed to see the GP. I might ring the GP back and fudge that part to see if they will take it seriously this time.

Go to a walk in if you can. My DD had this several times when she was a baby, she needs the drops. Boiled and cooled (but still warm) water to clear the eyes. If she uses a pillow, put a clean t shirt over the pillow as a pillowcase and change it every day/every nap etc. For congestion try snuffle babe drops in a bowl of boiling water in her bedroom (obviously out of her reach).

You can buy the necessary eye ointment or drops over the counter (chloramphenicol); just go to your pharmacy. Don't leave it because conjunctivitis can become very painful. Use Optrex to bathe eyes. Your daughter will soon be well.

@PeekabooAtTheZoo I would try again with the GP (the dispenser is right they can't supply anything).

If not go to your nearest eye casualty. My GP actually sent my son at a similar age, because he had some concerns. They were fab. Gave us a prescription and an appointment a few weeks later to check all cleared up.

When I was breastfeeding and my LO had gunky eyes, the HV told me a little breastmilk on a sterile cotton pad wiped over the closed eye would help. We did this and also used cooled sterile water and it did clear up. This was at early stages of eye gunk though, nor full blown conjunctivitis. Might be worth looking into and asking your HV about (if you are breast feeding).

Poor thing, that feels horrible for a grown up let alone baby. Try and keep the eyes cleaned/wipes with cooled boiled water on cotton wool. Hope you can get some ointment.

Update: We got eye drops from the GP sent to the pharmacy and she's had the first dose. Poor mite is now sleeping. Thanks for telling me to keep pushing on this @CoffeeHousePot they weren't taking it seriously at all so I wasn't sure if I was being unreasonable to insist on her being checked sooner. They still didn't check her, to be fair, but at least we got the prescription.

@takealettermsjones thanks some great tips there! I never thought of putting snuffle babe in a bowl of water to just soothe her a bit. I'll make one up (any excuse to crack open the Snuffle Babe haha). And I love the idea of putting a T-shirt to protect the bedding, that'll really cut down on washing. I'm looking at my washing pile with dread right now as I stripped the bed this morning as soon as I saw her eyes!

@Topbird29 yes I'm BF, I'll give it a go. She seems to hate anything going near her eyes atm but I suppose you would if they were sore.

@b8tes7sw Thanks how often do you use the boiled water? I've done twice so far this morning. I've been putting salt in it but now I'm wondering if I should have or not.

@PeekabooAtTheZoo glad you got some drops. Sometimes we all need a bit of reassurance we aren’t being difficult and we just need to push a bit more.

Cooled boiling water is the only thing you should put on the eyes. Don’t put salt in.

The drops should work quickly. If eyes not improving in 48 hours or she gets worse (distressed, temperature, not feeding) straight back on to the GP.

When you see them gunking up again, give them a wipe. Clean cotton wool for each eye so as not to spread. I'd avoid salt, might be too stingy.