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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Help how do l give BF DD antibiotics ?

16 replies

Haylo · 19/12/2007 20:23

20 week old BF DD has been prescribed antibiotics 3 times a day for a chest infection. She really needs to get the dosage in her as she is coughing badly and bringing up her milk with it. She refuses to swallow from a medicine spoon or dropper, just purses her lips and spits it out each time regardless of how much of the 2.5ml l get in to her mouth. l am unwell as is my 2 year old DS and l don't really want to start expressing and mixing the medicine in, she has not had a bottle for around 17 weeks anyway. Any advice please ....

OP posts:

TheBlonde · 19/12/2007 20:28

it's like giving medicine to a cat
you hold them down and squirt it with a syringe to the back of the mouth (slightly to one side)
then hold mouth closed until they swallow

good luck

PortAndLemonaid · 19/12/2007 20:28

Have you tried a medicine syringe and squirting it in right near the back of her mouth so it's more difficult for her to spit out?

Sidge · 19/12/2007 20:35

Use a syringe (a pharmacist can give you one, or ask the practice nurse at the GP surgery). Then give just 1 ml at a time into the back and side of the mouth (where her molars would be if she had some!) and keep her lying down so she swallows.

If necessary wrap her in a blanket or towel to keep her arms away from your hand.

whomovedmychocolate · 19/12/2007 20:36

I'm going to disagree totally with the other two - I find if you squirt into their cheeks, their swallow reflex kicks in and it's down. Of course you get only about 2ml at a go otherwise they choke so you sometimes have to go a few times.

NB if I was giving medicine to a cat, I'd wrap it in a towel and wear rubber gloves. Can't recommend this for a 5 month old

camillathechicken · 19/12/2007 20:38

what everyone else said, rubber gloves are optional though!!

would she lap it out of a bottle lid or something?

BibiJesus · 19/12/2007 20:39

Our 5mo dts have had to have antibiotics this last week and one takes it like a dream, lapping it off a spoon, the other spits and screams and squirms - we found squirting it into her mouth caused her to panic and choke/gag. We did it one ml at a time, dribbling it in from a syringe then quickly poppig the dummy in so she sucked and swallowed.Good luck!

whomovedmychocolate · 19/12/2007 20:39

camillathechicken - she's not actually a cat you know?

NotquiteChristmasyet · 19/12/2007 20:40

Ask at your pharmacists for a medicine dummy. We had one and it was wonderful. It's a cross between a dummy and a syringe. You put the medicine into a section at the back, put the dummy into their mouth, and press the button at the back which fires the medicine in. My two were exclusively bf and didn't have dummies normally, but took medicine from one of these, for years to come.

DennytwasNewYear · 19/12/2007 20:42

Said technique worked really well with my DS, DD however would vomit if meds syringed to back of throat used to have to get her to sleep and drip it in bit by bit - good luck to you, dont think it helps that AB's taste vial

Original poster

Haylo · 19/12/2007 20:46

Thanks guys, will try the syringe again tonight, along with towel and rubber gloves !! if no joy will see if l can get one of those dummy things tommorrow, my worry is she won't take a teat so will probably refuse a dummy also, but hey willing to try anything to get her on the mend - really important for our family xmas this year as my Dad has recently started chemotherapy and we need to be well to see him next week without the risk of passing on an infection.

OP posts:

camillathechicken · 19/12/2007 20:56

cats, dogs, babies, they are kinda the same, you know... poo a lot, make horrid smells, yowl....

Sidge · 19/12/2007 20:58

Yes, don't squirt meds into the mouth or throat as it will cause them to gag or choke, rather dribble it in a ml at a time to the side.

Hope she is better soon

whomovedmychocolate · 19/12/2007 21:08

Am rethinking asking Camilla to be my doula

TheOldestCat · 19/12/2007 21:17

Agree with everyone else about syringing into the side of the mouth in stages.

We couldn't understand why DD wouldn't take her antibiotics recently since she seemed to love the taste last time - turns out the latest course are banana flavoured, which she loathes. The previous ones tasted of pineapple, which she obviously didn't mind so much!

Not sure you can change them now if this is the same for your DD, but might be useful if she ever needs them again.

whomovedmychocolate · 19/12/2007 21:19

Oldestcat, I had this problem with amoxycillin (the banana stuff) and (shush don't let on I did this will you) I added some chocolate syrup (you know the drizzle stuff you put in coffee or on ice cream) to it, mixed it up and DD wolfed it down because it disguised the flavour so much.

TheOldestCat · 20/12/2007 10:48

Whomovedmychocolate - that is GENIUS makes note to do that next time Thanks!

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