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Refusing the bottle
Nov. 23rd, 2013 09:25 amSo we were in the hospital last week. Stormy had an ear infection, which we were treating, but he wasn't eating well. Last weekend he nursed less, and on Monday and Tuesday he totally refused his bottles during the day. I called the pediatrician several times and they weren't that concerned until I finally forced an appointment and they weighed him. He'd lost a pound since Friday (this was Wednesday).
Our appointment was at 10:45 that morning. We were sent to the hospital for IV fluids right away, so I would guess we were admitted near noon.
Taking a baby in for an IV was about as awful as you think. Watching them trying to start an IV in a tiny baby who is already dehydrated was really terrible. They had to stick him (and dig and dig and DIG) many times. The nurses tried. The nursing supervisor tried. They finally called an anesthesiologist and he had to try twice before finally getting it started in Stormy's foot.
It took hours. I wanted to be with him, and I ended up helping hold him down. It was excruciating having him cry into my face. I could tell he felt betrayed. Why would Mommy let people DO that to him???
We stayed in the hospital all night and were not released until after lunch the next day. So we were there around 24 hours.
They brought in a crib, which was a horrific metal thing that looked like a cage and in which Stormbringer could not sleep. He'd cry, and then when he tried to get comfortable he'd choose a position where his IV was tugged too hard, and I gave up pretty quickly on that. He normally does not like to spend the night sleeping on me; I am mainly for naps. But he adapted and we spent the night in a tiny hospital bed in a very hot room, with me sleeping lightly for fear I'd somehow drop him or he'd squirm over the side. So relaxing.
They said his ear infection was pretty cleared up, but his throat was still red and he still had sinus drainage, which is apparently from a virus. They think his sore throat was keeping him from taking his bottles. Usually viruses run their course in about five days, which means he should be getting better now.
Well, he still won't take a bottle. He refused to take anything at Day Care, so they messaged me and I went over at lunch to nurse him. He nurses just fine. But I cannot be with him enough to keep him hydrated that way!
This weekend we're working on bottles. I spent quite some time this morning trying to get him to take one, and the problem (aside from his overall refusal) is that he's locking his tongue on the roof of his mouth. Finally I started to nurse him and when he got his mouth right I stuck the bottle in there and he took it. But he was nearly asleep because he was exhausted from the earlier battle of wills, so I'm not sure that counts. We'll see if he takes the next bottle any more easily.
The hospital staff were very nice. I had a private room, a TV with bad picture quality, and an IV that kept setting off the alarm because they wisely (no sarcasm) had it set to detect minute problems. Even though I had to call the nurses frequently, I was glad it was set that way to avoid hurting Stormy.
Pres Man was great. He drove back over during his break between classes and brought me food, then he came back after his last class with PJs and other stuff I needed (phone charger, book to read to Stormy, hairbrush, etc). He stayed with us a lot and I know he hates hospitals so I really appreciated it.
It's very difficult to have a child who is hooked up to an IV. He got bored because he could not move around much. He really wanted to grab that tube and yank on it. Just getting him positioned for nursing was tricky because I had to be careful not to kink or squish the IV tube. He managed to unhook himself a couple of times - it's supposed to screw in, but I think with all his (limited) moving and me putting him to the breast, it would get unscrewed. Then all it took was one good yank or kick and we were undone.
He threw his toys on the floor. I tried to be vigilant and I did make many amazing saves, but he eventually got past me. And I was NOT giving them back after they were on the floor at the hospital.
They gave him IV antibiotics twice for his ear infection, so now we don't need to finish what we were giving him at home. They also gave him dextrose and potassium. When we left, he was over a pound heavier than when we went in.
My work friend A came over to bring me my pump. I had left it at work, thinking I'd return after his appointment. She stayed with us for a while and gave Stormy a stuffed animal from the gift shop. She is so nice.
I'm still really concerned about his intake. I'm counting his wet diapers.
It is really cold here. Yesterday it was still in the 20s when I went to see Stormy at lunch time. It even kind of iced/snowed a little. I'm glad we got a fleece hat for Stormy before this stuff moved in.
If anyone has tips for getting a reluctant baby to relearn the bottle, that would be great. I really think he forgot how to do it. First he stopped because it hurt, and then he lost the skill. Maybe with my bait and switch today he'll get back on track, but I really worry about Monday.
Our appointment was at 10:45 that morning. We were sent to the hospital for IV fluids right away, so I would guess we were admitted near noon.
Taking a baby in for an IV was about as awful as you think. Watching them trying to start an IV in a tiny baby who is already dehydrated was really terrible. They had to stick him (and dig and dig and DIG) many times. The nurses tried. The nursing supervisor tried. They finally called an anesthesiologist and he had to try twice before finally getting it started in Stormy's foot.
It took hours. I wanted to be with him, and I ended up helping hold him down. It was excruciating having him cry into my face. I could tell he felt betrayed. Why would Mommy let people DO that to him???
We stayed in the hospital all night and were not released until after lunch the next day. So we were there around 24 hours.
They brought in a crib, which was a horrific metal thing that looked like a cage and in which Stormbringer could not sleep. He'd cry, and then when he tried to get comfortable he'd choose a position where his IV was tugged too hard, and I gave up pretty quickly on that. He normally does not like to spend the night sleeping on me; I am mainly for naps. But he adapted and we spent the night in a tiny hospital bed in a very hot room, with me sleeping lightly for fear I'd somehow drop him or he'd squirm over the side. So relaxing.
They said his ear infection was pretty cleared up, but his throat was still red and he still had sinus drainage, which is apparently from a virus. They think his sore throat was keeping him from taking his bottles. Usually viruses run their course in about five days, which means he should be getting better now.
Well, he still won't take a bottle. He refused to take anything at Day Care, so they messaged me and I went over at lunch to nurse him. He nurses just fine. But I cannot be with him enough to keep him hydrated that way!
This weekend we're working on bottles. I spent quite some time this morning trying to get him to take one, and the problem (aside from his overall refusal) is that he's locking his tongue on the roof of his mouth. Finally I started to nurse him and when he got his mouth right I stuck the bottle in there and he took it. But he was nearly asleep because he was exhausted from the earlier battle of wills, so I'm not sure that counts. We'll see if he takes the next bottle any more easily.
The hospital staff were very nice. I had a private room, a TV with bad picture quality, and an IV that kept setting off the alarm because they wisely (no sarcasm) had it set to detect minute problems. Even though I had to call the nurses frequently, I was glad it was set that way to avoid hurting Stormy.
Pres Man was great. He drove back over during his break between classes and brought me food, then he came back after his last class with PJs and other stuff I needed (phone charger, book to read to Stormy, hairbrush, etc). He stayed with us a lot and I know he hates hospitals so I really appreciated it.
It's very difficult to have a child who is hooked up to an IV. He got bored because he could not move around much. He really wanted to grab that tube and yank on it. Just getting him positioned for nursing was tricky because I had to be careful not to kink or squish the IV tube. He managed to unhook himself a couple of times - it's supposed to screw in, but I think with all his (limited) moving and me putting him to the breast, it would get unscrewed. Then all it took was one good yank or kick and we were undone.
He threw his toys on the floor. I tried to be vigilant and I did make many amazing saves, but he eventually got past me. And I was NOT giving them back after they were on the floor at the hospital.
They gave him IV antibiotics twice for his ear infection, so now we don't need to finish what we were giving him at home. They also gave him dextrose and potassium. When we left, he was over a pound heavier than when we went in.
My work friend A came over to bring me my pump. I had left it at work, thinking I'd return after his appointment. She stayed with us for a while and gave Stormy a stuffed animal from the gift shop. She is so nice.
I'm still really concerned about his intake. I'm counting his wet diapers.
It is really cold here. Yesterday it was still in the 20s when I went to see Stormy at lunch time. It even kind of iced/snowed a little. I'm glad we got a fleece hat for Stormy before this stuff moved in.
If anyone has tips for getting a reluctant baby to relearn the bottle, that would be great. I really think he forgot how to do it. First he stopped because it hurt, and then he lost the skill. Maybe with my bait and switch today he'll get back on track, but I really worry about Monday.
