Mommy FTW

Over the holiday break Violet came down with her first ear infection.  It’s been a long time since anyone in the family has had one of these (thankfully) and I had to rely on my seemingly ancient experience to figure out what was going on!  I remember with Cameron’s first ear infection I asked his pediatrician how I could tell (or at least get a good idea) that his cold had taken a turn for the worse and become an infection.  Below is her advice, along with a few new tidbits that I pick up from Violet’s pediatrician.

My poor sick baby snuggles up to dad.

A cold virus usually runs its course over 7-10 days.  Try to note when your little one gets ill (I happened to call Violet’s pediatrician when she first got ill so I could see in my phone history when I made the call).  If your child has been sick longer than that, and maybe even seemed to be getting better but then takes a turn for the worse, you might be looking at an ear infection.

If your child has a fever, and they have had that long lingering cold then it’s not looking so good!  I know with Cameron I was nervous about taking his temperature rectally… it just seemed like it would be uncomfortable for him.  But I’ve gotten over my squeamishness with Violet and honestly, it doesn’t seem to bother her at all.  This will give you the most accurate temperature reading.

At this point I’d call your pediatrician and tell them what signs you’ve seen – they will ask you about the fever, so be sure you get that reading!  It’s pretty likely they will have you come in for a sick visit.

Your little one might be in a lot of pain from the possible infection, and is certainly uncomfortable from the fever.  I tend to give my little ones Advil (ibuprofen) rather than Tylenol (acetaminophen) because it lasts longer (6-8 hours vs 4 hours).  This is especially key in the night because it will hopefully help everyone get more rest.

Feeling much better and eating again!

Violet had a pretty rough time with this infection – her fever was up to 104 for a few evenings.  It took about 4 days on the antibiotics to get her back to herself – eating, drinking, and smiling again.  There was a time that we had to force feed her pedialyte because she wasn’t having any wet diapers.  The pediatrician suggested buying pedialyte frozen pops (in the baby isle) and cutting them into small chunks so Violet could feed herself the pieces, or just try sucking on the pop.  This didn’t really work for her – but maybe it will for you.  In theory it would be a lot more pleasant than squirting pedialyte into her mouth every 10 minutes!

Finally she recovered – we’ve got 2 days left on her 10 day antibiotic course (always be sure to complete the antibiotic course even if your child seems all better) and then we will head back to the pediatrician for an all-clear on her ears.

If your little one comes down with an ear infection – just get them to the doctor quickly, and give them as much TLC as you can while they are recovering.  It seems like a long road, but they will get there!  Good luck!

With these super hot summer days heat rash is common in little ones.  Cameron has had a few bouts of it, and I always use the same tried and true remedy that my pediatrician told me when he was just a little guy:  a bath with Corn Starch or Baking Soda. Of course, for good measure I usually add both Corn Starch and Baking Soda.  By the way, if you are not sure if your little one heat rash call your pediatrician! Fair warning, the google image search for baby heat rash is a little scary.

Here’s a picture of what Cameron’s rash looked like:

Cameron's rash

Baking Soda and Corn Starch Bath - all better!

By the way, this bath remedy is also great when your little one has diaper rash too.

A few days after Violet was born I started feeling a little itchy, and saw some small red blotches appearing on my chest.  I didn’t think too much of it – figuring maybe she had clawed me a little while I was holding her and my skin was just a bit irritated.  I laid down for a nap.  When I woke up there was a rash covering my chest and my torso and it itched like CRAZY.  I started googling.

After searching for some time I came upon something called PUPPS – Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy.  The thing is, PUPPS usually happens during pregnancy, generally during first pregnancies, 70% of the time the mothers are carrying boys, and usually the mothers are carrying multiples.  As you know, none of these things applied to me.  But, the symptoms themselves and the pictures I was looking at seemed like an exact match.  I started looking for something, anything, to give me relief from the unbearable itching.

I was incredibly disheartened to read that there was no “cure” for PUPPS (they don’t even really know the cause) and that sometimes women find the itching so bad they have their doctors induce them because most of the time PUPPS goes away once your baby is born.  For me, this wasn’t even on the table.  I was frantic.

I sent my husband to Whole Foods to buy up any holistic remedy I found on the internet (which I will post about below).  I was all about the shotgun approach since I was so desperate.  While he was gone I called my OB to make an appointment, and spoke to my daughter’s pediatrician to make sure all the things I were about to try were ok for the baby.  I got my OB appointment for the next day (which seemed like an eternity away) and got the all clear from the pediatrician.  My husband came back and I began my home-remedy assault.  Here’s what I tried:

Grandpa’s Pine Tar Soap – This stuff will make you smell a bit like you spent too much time next to the camp fire, but I didn’t care.  I took a warm shower with it and left the lather on me for a few minutes before rinsing it off. I did this a few times that day. This soap is written about all over the internet as a PUPPS helper.  It did seem to give me some relief from the itching.

Natures Gate Skin Therapy Colloidal Oatmeal Lotion – I put this on after each shower, and sometimes in between. This lotion is supposed to help with itching. I’m not sure how much it really did for me, but I didn’t care.

Dandelion root capsules – The bottle said take 3 pills, 3 times a day. Dandelion Root is said to help improve liver function. I figured it couldn’t hurt.  I can’t really say if this helped, but improved liver function sounds good!

Benadryl Itch Stopping Gel - the Nurse Practitioner I spoke to at my OB’s office recommended trying this since I wasn’t going to see my OB until the next day and get something stronger. We had some on hand for mosquito bites in the summer so I was all for it. It helped some to relieve the itching – for about 5 minutes.

Claritin – I think in the end this was my savior. Maybe 10 minutes after I took the first pill I started feeling better, and within an hour the itching was bearable again. I took a 24 hour pill, but within 12 hours the rash was back with a vengeance and I had to take another pill (this was at 4am). Be sure to NOT take Claritin D if you are nursing, the “D” kind will decrease your milk supply.

The next day I saw my OB and she gave me a topical steroid cream as well as a steroid pack.  She also told me to keep taking the Claritin, and try Benadryl at night.  She said that the two medicines work different ways so it was kind of like hitting the problem on two fronts.  Mercifully, within a few days the PUPPS rash seemed like it was all gone.

Besides the prescriptions, you can get all these remedies over the counter at a health foods store (or Whole Foods) and a drug store like CVS or Walgreens.  Be sure to check with your OB and your child’s pediatrician before trying any remedies to be sure they think they are safe for you and your baby.

So, if you have PUPPS, first I would like to say I am terribly sorry because I know how awful it is.  Second, I hope some of these remedies help you get at least a little relief.  And also, for the very very few of you out there who might get PUPPS after delivery I just wanted to let you know that yes, it can happen, even though it is rare.  My OB said she had only heard of it happening once before.  Either way, hang in there – and GOOD LUCK!

I recently posted about Cameron’s bout with pesky diarrhea.  Part of the solution was reducing his lactose intake, and another part was to get him eating some yogurt (the active cultures are good for the tummy).  Unfortunately, Cameron no longer likes to eat yogurt – but he does like to drink it!  I’ve been giving him Ronnybrook Drinkable Yogurt – his favorite flavor is strawberry.

Lots of flavors to choose from!

Ronnybrook drinkable yogurt is made with whole milk, fresh fruit, and 10 active cultures two of which are pro biotic.  There are 5 flavors -plain, Peach, Strawberry, Blackberry or Mango. You can find all the nutritional information for the Ronnybrook Drinkable Yogurt drinks on this page.

Locally, I’ve been able to find these yogurt drinks at the Fort Greene Farmer’s Market, Elly’s, Mr. Coco, and Fresh Garden.  You can also order it from Fresh Direct.

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

Earlier this week I let you know that Mommy For the Win is a year old.  Over the next few weeks I’m going to highlight some posts from the past and hopefully add some new information as well.  This first post revisit is a perfect example!

Cameron has been suffering from diarrhea for a few weeks now – nothing else seemed wrong with him (aside from the diaper rash that was being caused by all the poops!)  I couldn’t figure out what to do, and it took a call to the pediatrician to remind me of some advice she had given me in the past, and a post I had written – Pesky Diarreah and the Soy Solution.

Then, and now, Cameron had become briefly lactose intolerant.  The first time this happened, Cameron was just about a year old.  I took him off of regular formula and moved him to Soy Formula for a few weeks – magically, the diarrhea was gone!  This time, the pediatrician recommended trying Soy Milk with Cameron instead of his usual Whole Milk.  Well, he didn’t like that so much – I couldn’t get him to drink a drop of it!  Thankfully I was able to find some Lactaid brand Whole Milk.  Lactaid is milk without Lactose…. perfect!

Lactaid Whole Milk - Easy on Cameron's Tummy

Wondering where you can pick up this life saving milk?  Check your local grocer in the dairy section.  Fort Greene and Clinton Hill Locals – I found mine at Fresh Garden on Fulton.  It’s also available at Fairway (for a dollar less!)  And, although Fresh Direct doesn’t carry it – Peapod does.  And, thanks to A Child Grows in Brooklyn, I just found out that Peapod is now delivering to several zip codes in Brooklyn – 11201    11205   11215   11217   and 11231.

So, if your little one just can’t seem to shake their loose poops, and nothing else seems wrong with them – consult your pediatrician, and think about limiting their lactose intake (although yogurt is ok) for a few weeks and see if that helps.  It might just be your savior.  I saw Cameron’s first “normal” poop today for the first time in a long time.  I’ve never been so happy to see a poo!

For more information about babies and lactose intolerance, check out my other post, Pesky Diarrhea and the Soy Solution.

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

UPDATE:  Sadly this printable coupon for Triple Paste no longer is active, but a nice representative emailed me and said that my readers were more than welcome to call them at 1800-533-7546 and request some coupons!

I’ve sung the praises of Triple Paste in the past – but one of the only downsides of this diaper rash eliminator is the price tag.  Well, here’s a link to a printable coupon for $1 off!

Click for your Triple Paste Printable Coupon!

FYI – moms have asked me where they can find Triple Paste in Fort Greene – the Walgreens on Myrtle has some.  Pick up a jar and keep it around in case diaper rash rears its ugly head in your house.

My daily Diaper Rash cream for Cameron is Kiehls Diaper Rash Ointment, but when he has a little “situation” going on “down there” I get out the big guns – Triple Paste.  One of the things that makes Triple Paste so good is that it is really thick and stays in place…. but this also makes it hard to apply.

Triple Paste - Pasty, But Good!

A trick I use to loose it up and make it easier on myself (and baby’s butt) is to put the jar in a sink filled with hot water for a few minutes.  This makes the Triple Paste a little easier to smooth on, and, obviously, warm…. which Cameron seems to like better.  Remember when they put that cold goop on your tummy for the ultrasound?  Yeah, no one likes that feeling!  Give it a try – it works wonders!

Cold season is upon us, and is hitting this household especially hard!  I’ve been trying to wash Cameron’s toys regularly, but I got tired of doing it all by hand…. so I decided to chuck them in the dishwasher.  It was so much easier!

As if a cold, then diarrhea, then another cold, and an ear infection didn’t make for an eventful enough fall already, this past weekend while we were in Chicago visiting family Cameron came down with Roseola.  Thankfully another mom friend had just encountered it and told me about it before we left – so even though I was stranded miles away from my pediatrician and my trusty copy of Baby 411, I figured out quickly what I was dealing with, and we all made it through.  So, here’s a little about roseola so you can be on the look out:

Roseola is sometimes called “baby measles” or the “sixth disease.”  It is a form of herpes.  Roseola is highly contagious, being spread through contact with saliva or being breathed on by another baby with roseola.  It usually starts with a sudden high fever with sometimes no other symptoms (in Cameron’s case he had some “cold like symptoms” as well).  During this phase of the illness just give your child ibuprofen to try and keep him comfortable.  I didn’t notice Cameron’s fever as being especially high, but he was already being dosed with ibuprofen for his ear infection, so I think this helped keep it down.  FYI – About 10 to 15 percent of children with roseola have a seizure. If this happens, your baby may become unconscious and jerk his arms, legs, or facial muscles for two or three minutes.

I didn’t realize what  I was dealing with until Cameron got the telltale rash.  The rash isn’t itchy or uncomfortable, and contact with the rash itself doesn’t spread the illness. It’s usually seen on the trunk and neck, but it can extend to the arms, legs, and face.  It usually lasts for about 24-48 hours.

There’s no specific treatment for roseola. Like most viral illnesses, roseola just needs to run its course. The most important thing you can do is make sure your baby rests and gets plenty of liquids.

Here are some pictures of the rash Cameron had on his left and right legs.  It looks a little scary but it didn’t last long!

Cameron's Right Leg - Roseola rash

Cameron's Left leg - Roseola rash

It’s only November and Cameron has already had two colds, an ear infection, and the diarrhea that wouldn’t die.  I think it’s going to be a long winter!  And then there was the heat rash and diaper rash of the summer time.  So I decided to add some new categories – pediatrician and illness – so it was easy for you moms to keep track of all the pearls or wisdom my pediatrician was bestowing upon me, and Cameron’s illnesses.  I hope you find them useful!