Am I being too mean?

[yawningmonster]

Every 7-10 days my ds goes into meltdown. It is the same each time,
fever, running nose, cough, wheeze, red and flushed, refuses to eat, cant sleep etc he is just miserable. After 2-4 days of this a tooth magically appears and he improves again.

Last nite he woke about 30minutes after going down with a fever. Gave him pamol, stripped him off, sponged him, gave him inhalers, bfed and cuddled him. Dh and I were with him all nite as he fretted and fussed, we took turns until 3 am when dh went to bed and I rocked in the rocking chair with him until this morning. Today he has been pretty much the same (ended up giving him nurofen as well as pamol) I am exhausted and have just put him to bed where he is very upset and am going in every 5 minutes to check. I know he is still not 100% but I really need a break am I being too mean going in every 5 minutes or should I hop back in the rocking chair for the nite?

I think you're being a fool to yourself going in every 5 minutes tbh

Teething is rough, but once you have dosed him up and settled him down there's really nothing else you can do (apart from giving him a teether too)

I have a horrible feeling that by checking on him every 5 minutes you are disturbing any chance he has of falling asleep and just sleeping through the discomfort.

Personally I would try to elongate the times you go in and check on him until you happily leave him alone till he settles himself to sleep .. the rocking chair IMO also only makes YOU feel better... he sounds as though he might be overtired and too much attention is keeping him awake

HTH

I think that is what I was hoping to hear but feels awful to leave him as he literally cries and cries and cries and then sleeps for about 15-40minutes and starts again when he is like this. As you say all I am doing in the rocking chair is sharing his misery Im not actually making it better ie he is not sleeping for longer in there than in the cot.

Looks like we are in for another big nite all the same, big coughing fit woke him up and really wheezy, given more ventolin and put a bowl of steamy water under his cot. Poor lad, (not to mention poor me (self pitying emoticon) my eyes are out on stalks and dh is staying well clear of me.

If he is wheezing make sure that he stays pink. He may need a nebulizer if he gets bad. If you can get some sleep during the day, go for it. It is such hard work when they are little. It does get easier.

Sounds as if both of you are having a really miserable time. Other things you can try if teething gives him cold symptoms: raise the head of his cot (put two legs on hardback books; put baby balsam (snufflebabe) on his chest (not sure from what age though, ask the pharmacist), put a drop of Karvol or methol-y oil in the steamy water (again, ask pharmacist as I can't remember which are good and which may not be advisable for very small babies).

Don't know what pamol is but have you tried homeopathic teething granules or bonjela on his gums?

HTH

I am also an asthmatic so know what to watch for and he recovers fairly quickly with the ventolin at the mo. Unfortunately he is not resting in the day at the mo either so yes it does make it really hard. Thanks for your comments and will hold you to the "it does get easier" bit

edam thank you, pamol is baby paracetamol, we have raised the bed already as he is a refluxer. He wont let anyone near his mouth with things like bonjela but will chew on a flannel which has been wetted and frozen. Im pretty used to the teething now this is number 11 comig through but just so worn out wiht what it brings with it, especially the temperatures, I hate it when he is so hot and miserable.

If he won't let you near his mouth (and tbh don't blame them, poor little mites, when their mouth must hurt so much) then might be worth looking at the instructions on homeopathic teething granules - IIRC you don't have to put them on the gums.

HTH again.

thanx, um what do you do with them if you dont put them on the gums??

Thought of something else but not sure it's advisable for asthmatics - worth asking chemist/looking at the instructions for Medised. It contains anti-histamine as well as paracetamol so helps them to sleep.

Sometimes advice to rotate paracetamol and ibuprofen so they get pain relief in the intervals where you can't give another dose of paracetamol is helpful, but think ibuprofen is not good for asthma - not sure from your post if your ds actually has asthma?

Definitely try Medised.

I think you put them on a teaspoon and feed them, or something but can't remember details clearly - ds is 2 now so thank heavens this is long behind me! We still have to do all the other stuff for colds regularly which is why I posted. (Plus I live in fear of ds becoming asthmatic as my dh is and was very severe as a child).

he has a persistent wheeze which has been prescribed with ventolin and a preventer called beclazone (sp?) but no actual asthma diagnosis, I am an asthmatic since childhood so he may well be too. Have given him one dose of nurofen earlier as temp was so agressive, may have agrevated the wheezing. Not sure if Medised is available in NZ is it?

no idea, sorry, am in the UK, but ask your pharmacy if they have cold remedies with anti-histamine suitable for your ds's age.

Persistent wheeze is a b*gger, isn't it? Every time ds wheezes at bedtime I worry. When he's got a cold he rarely seems to wheeze in the daytime but often at night.

hes off again, will go and sort him out and hopefully get some rest if I manage to settle him down, thanks for suggestions and reassurance that Im not being mean, just dont think my body can handle another nite in the rocker.

ok major guilts, baby just didnt seem right this morning so took him into gp. Has a raging ear infection and need to start abs straight away. If he is no better tomorrow he needs to go back and they will decide if he needs to go to hospital or not. I am so so so guilt ridden, my poor boy was really ill and I decided I needed a little sleep!

Aww, Poor wee baby and poor you. It's normal to want sleep though! Don't beat yourself up and I hope the abs kick in asap.