2 posts tagged “congested”

This morning, Baby C is not a happy baby. He's sleepy, hungry, and congested, which is not a good combination. Any attempts to alleviate some congestion (namely, the giant green bulb aspirator) have been met with screams of terror. Any attempts to alleviate the hunger are futile, as he detaches fairly quickly with a cry of frustration that seems to say, "Mom, I can't breathe!" And all this means sleep is a far, distant dream.

For both of us.

Poor Baby C. He's hanging out in his bouncy chair next to me, trying to sleep, and it's so difficult for the poor little guy because he's all congested. He'll drift off to sleep for a few minutes, then wake up again hacking on something. I've been letting him sleep on my chest a bit after nighttime feedings, and he's able to breathe (and I'm able to monitor any choking that could happen), but the poor thing is just so congested.

It's my fault, really. I caught a cold (don't know how - it's not like I've really left the house) and, despite all safeguards, I passed it along to him. I took him to see Dr. W last week because he was cranky, irritable, and just not feeling well, and Dr. W verified that yes, Baby C did catch my cold. The plus side, though, was that as my body worked to fight my own cold, I would pass antibodies on to him through my breast milk. The down side, of course, is that he is congested and there's not a whole lot (besides saline drops and the bulb aspirator) we can do about it.

The other sad thing is that we've elevated one side of his mattress to help with the post-nasal drip (and also prevent him from choking on phlegm), and Baby C keeps sliding down at night. I can't swaddle him, either, because the blanket starts to cover his little face when he slides down, so his little hands feel like ice when I pick him up for a feeding. So, not only is he congested, but he's also uncomfortable and cold. I may need to ask my husband to close the vent in his room so the air conditioner isn't blowing at night, at least until he's feeling better.

Oh, my poor little baby!