Feeding more with cold?

Hello

Ds, 15wks, has got a very snuffly cold. It's ok in the day but for the
last two nights he's had a hard time breathing. Just a couple of
questions really:

Do babies feed more at night if they have a cold. For the last 3 nights
he has gone to bed around 7pm, woken up at 10/11pm, 2.30/3.30pm,
6pm/7pm. Before that he had been going longer periods, so either
missing the 10/11 feed or the 2.30/3.30pm feed. We tried waking him for
a 'dreamfeed' at 10.30/11 but he still woke at 2.30/3.30 so gave up on
that idea. Now he's all over the place. Is it possible he's just taking
more liquid for his cold and will settle down again to less feeds when
he's better?

What have you found best to treat it? I've read on here about steamy
bathrooms, olbas oil, snufflebabes(sp?). We have raised his mattress
one end but didn't seem to help much.

Thanks

Jeni

hooferoo writes:

Do babies feed more at night if they have a cold. For the last 3 nights
he has gone to bed around 7pm, woken up at 10/11pm, 2.30/3.30pm,
6pm/7pm. Before that he had been going longer periods, so either missing
the 10/11 feed or the 2.30/3.30pm feed. We tried waking him for a
'dreamfeed' at 10.30/11 but he still woke at 2.30/3.30 so gave up on
that idea. Now he's all over the place. Is it possible he's just taking
more liquid for his cold and will settle down again to less feeds when
he's better?

Yes, yes. DS used to have "I can't sleep unless I'm latched on" nights.
Which was a pain, since I couldn't ever sleep when he *was* latched on! If
you're not cosleeping, you could consider doing so (safely - ask if you
don't know what that entails) just while he has the cold - might be easier
for you to survive.

What have you found best to treat it? I've read on here about steamy
bathrooms, olbas oil, snufflebabes(sp?). We have raised his mattress one
end but didn't seem to help much.

Nothing helped DS all that much. Olbas oil may have helped a bit, as did a
warm bath just before bed. My feeling about mattress raising was that we
could never do it enough to make it plausible it would help, anyway. (We
did try, and it didn't.) He was obviously better when upright, though. We
just kind of survived... Good luck!

Sidheag
DS Colin Oct 27 2003

Sidheag McCormack wrote:
hooferoo writes:

Do babies feed more at night if they have a cold. For the last 3 nights
he has gone to bed around 7pm, woken up at 10/11pm, 2.30/3.30pm,
6pm/7pm. Before that he had been going longer periods, so either missing
the 10/11 feed or the 2.30/3.30pm feed. We tried waking him for a
'dreamfeed' at 10.30/11 but he still woke at 2.30/3.30 so gave up on
that idea. Now he's all over the place. Is it possible he's just taking
more liquid for his cold and will settle down again to less feeds when
he's better?

Yes, yes. DS used to have "I can't sleep unless I'm latched on" nights.
Which was a pain, since I couldn't ever sleep when he *was* latched on! If
you're not cosleeping, you could consider doing so (safely - ask if you
don't know what that entails) just while he has the cold - might be easier
for you to survive.

Thanks, that's helpful to know. I am happy that a bf will help him. I
just wanted to know I wasn't going backwards. I was getting used to
having a long kip at night. I see your point about co-sleeping but it
just wouldn't work for me and dh. We both like our space and he
snores. Also ds makes *so* much noise getting himself off to sleep
it's better he is a small distance away from me. Earplugs just about
take off the edge. He's in his cot a few steps from the bed and I
have a comfy chair to feed in, so it's not too much bother. I have
tried feeding in bed at various times on a weekend but I just can't
seem to get comfortable, even with us both propped up with pillows.

What have you found best to treat it? I've read on here about steamy
bathrooms, olbas oil, snufflebabes(sp?). We have raised his mattress one
end but didn't seem to help much.

Nothing helped DS all that much. Olbas oil may have helped a bit, as did a
warm bath just before bed. My feeling about mattress raising was that we
could never do it enough to make it plausible it would help, anyway. (We
did try, and it didn't.) He was obviously better when upright, though. We
just kind of survived... Good luck!

Thanks. I'll give the steam a go and see if I can get him to sneeze it
out. I've heard about saline and suckers you can get but I'm pretty
sure he would hate that. But then perhaps it's preferable to not
sleeping?

Jeni

hooferoo writes:

Thanks, that's helpful to know. I am happy that a bf will help him. I
just wanted to know I wasn't going backwards. I was getting used to
having a long kip at night.

IKWYM :-) (By the way, in case it happens to you: it's very common for
babies to start sleeping less well at night between 4 and 6 months. Ours
went from waking once or twice to waking hourly at that point, and it
unfortunately happens to people regardless of what their sleeping
arrangements are, what they do, etc., I'm afraid - it seems to be a
developmental risk. Here's hoping it doesn't happen to yours.)

I see your point about co-sleeping but it
just wouldn't work for me and dh. We both like our space and he
snores.

DH, or DS?! (DS, I assume. Does he snore even when he hasn't got a cold?
That's actually supposed to be abnormal in a baby, I think, though I've
also heard about it quite often. Might be worth thinking about a bit
more...)

Also ds makes *so* much noise getting himself off to sleep
it's better he is a small distance away from me. Earplugs just about
take off the edge.

What kind of noise? Sounds scary!

He's in his cot a few steps from the bed and I have
a comfy chair to feed in, so it's not too much bother. I have tried
feeding in bed at various times on a weekend but I just can't seem to
get comfortable, even with us both propped up with pillows.

Yeah, I remember it being impossible to begin with. I think my DS was a
little younger than yours when it did finally work (but he was big, so if
as I think it was mostly a growth issue, you may just not have got to that
point yet). It's worth trying from time to time, because once it does work
it's useful! For us pillows never helped much, it was a question of letting
him get big and strong enough not to need them. Then I had a pillow to rest
my arm and head on, but that was all.

Thanks. I'll give the steam a go and see if I can get him to sneeze it
out. I've heard about saline and suckers you can get but I'm pretty
sure he would hate that. But then perhaps it's preferable to not
sleeping?

Oh boy. Yes. Some people swear by it, but even they say the babies hate it!
A compromise mentioned by one IRL friend is just to use saline to loosen
the mucus, and not attempt to suck it out, but just let it fall out - i.e.
a kind of localised steam-like option. She had a little bottle full of
saline with a kind of spray nozzle thing, as opposed to drops; she'd spray
some into each of the baby's nostrils. I never got round to hunting down
one of those bottles for us, but it seemed like quite a good idea.

Sidheag
DS Colin Oct 27 2003

wrote:

Thanks. I'll give the steam a go and see if I can get him to sneeze it
out. I've heard about saline and suckers you can get but I'm pretty
sure he would hate that. But then perhaps it's preferable to not
sleeping?

He might be feeding more frequently because he is taking less at each feed
if he isn't breathing very well while nursing. We have a product in the US
called Baby Vapo Bath by Johnson and Johnson. That stuff in a warm bath, in
a steamy bathroom, really cleared mine out and they always had a super
long/big feed afterwards.
--
Nikki
Hunter 4/99
Luke 4/01
EDD 4/06

DD had a bad cold at around 3 months- it was really dry and steamy hot
showers and a humidifier helped. One night I had her sleep in her car
seat and that seemed to help her. (Sitting up, I think, plus I could
park her right next to the bed.) She nursed a LOT more frequently, but
not as well each time.

We were big fans of the nose sucker thing. DD didn't like it much at
first, but it worked really well for us. After a few times, I think
she even figured out that it was going to help, since she would calm
down and lie quietly while DH sucked the mucus out. We usually only
did it if she was fussy anyway, and often when we were done, she'd be
calmer.

Good luck.

JJ

Sidheag McCormack wrote:
hooferoo writes:

Thanks, that's helpful to know. I am happy that a bf will help him. I
just wanted to know I wasn't going backwards. I was getting used to
having a long kip at night.

IKWYM :-) (By the way, in case it happens to you: it's very common for
babies to start sleeping less well at night between 4 and 6 months. Ours
went from waking once or twice to waking hourly at that point, and it
unfortunately happens to people regardless of what their sleeping
arrangements are, what they do, etc., I'm afraid - it seems to be a
developmental risk. Here's hoping it doesn't happen to yours.)

Thanks for the heads up.

I see your point about co-sleeping but it
just wouldn't work for me and dh. We both like our space and he
snores.

DH, or DS?! (DS, I assume. Does he snore even when he hasn't got a cold?
That's actually supposed to be abnormal in a baby, I think, though I've
also heard about it quite often. Might be worth thinking about a bit
more...)

Oh no, dh! Sometimes, when I'm feeding ds, it's a toss up between
risking ds being disturbed by his snoring or by my loudly whispering to
dh to turn over (this stops the snoring briefly).

Also ds makes *so* much noise getting himself off to sleep
it's better he is a small distance away from me. Earplugs just about
take off the edge.

What kind of noise? Sounds scary!

When he was tiny and slept in his moses basket he made the kind of
sounds I couldn't describe. Some were snorts, grunts, squeaks and moans
but others I have no idea how he made them. Wish I had recorded them
now. Bizarrely he gets to sleep much quicker and quieter (just normal
grunts and squeaks etc.) in his cot, although this might also be due to
putting him in a sleeping bag rather than blankets. I have just started
putting him in it for day naps, but at the moment it might be the cold
rather than this to explain why he is getting off to sleep *soooo* much
easier.

He's in his cot a few steps from the bed and I have
a comfy chair to feed in, so it's not too much bother. I have tried
feeding in bed at various times on a weekend but I just can't seem to
get comfortable, even with us both propped up with pillows.

Yeah, I remember it being impossible to begin with. I think my DS was a
little younger than yours when it did finally work (but he was big, so if
as I think it was mostly a growth issue, you may just not have got to that
point yet). It's worth trying from time to time, because once it does work
it's useful! For us pillows never helped much, it was a question of letting
him get big and strong enough not to need them. Then I had a pillow to rest
my arm and head on, but that was all.

I'm going to keep trying cos it's kind of nice on a relaxed weekend.

Thanks. I'll give the steam a go and see if I can get him to sneeze it
out. I've heard about saline and suckers you can get but I'm pretty
sure he would hate that. But then perhaps it's preferable to not
sleeping?

Oh boy. Yes. Some people swear by it, but even they say the babies hate it!
A compromise mentioned by one IRL friend is just to use saline to loosen
the mucus, and not attempt to suck it out, but just let it fall out - i.e.
a kind of localised steam-like option. She had a little bottle full of
saline with a kind of spray nozzle thing, as opposed to drops; she'd spray
some into each of the baby's nostrils. I never got round to hunting down
one of those bottles for us, but it seemed like quite a good idea.

The spray sounds good. I read that if you have enough solution he
should be able to sneeze them out (nice!).

Jeni

Nikki wrote:
wrote:

Thanks. I'll give the steam a go and see if I can get him to sneeze it
out. I've heard about saline and suckers you can get but I'm pretty
sure he would hate that. But then perhaps it's preferable to not
sleeping?

He might be feeding more frequently because he is taking less at each feed
if he isn't breathing very well while nursing. We have a product in the US
called Baby Vapo Bath by Johnson and Johnson. That stuff in a warm bath, in
a steamy bathroom, really cleared mine out and they always had a super
long/big feed afterwards.

That's what's strange, he doesn't seem bothered when feeding, but as
soon as he stops he starts snorking again. Perhaps it's because I feed
him more vertically so his airways are clearer and when he plonks back
down flat they are blocked.

If I fail with the Snufflebabe and steam I'll look up the Baby Vapo.

Thanks

Jeni

JJ wrote:
DD had a bad cold at around 3 months- it was really dry and steamy hot
showers and a humidifier helped.

We have a tiny bathroom so shouldn't take much to steam up:

One night I had her sleep in her car
seat and that seemed to help her. (Sitting up, I think, plus I could
park her right next to the bed.) She nursed a LOT more frequently, but
not as well each time.

He's not a big fan of his car seat when he's not moving. He can go to
sleep easily in the car but as soon as we stop, bam, eyes wide open.

We were big fans of the nose sucker thing. DD didn't like it much at
first, but it worked really well for us. After a few times, I think
she even figured out that it was going to help, since she would calm
down and lie quietly while DH sucked the mucus out. We usually only
did it if she was fussy anyway, and often when we were done, she'd be
calmer.

Good luck.

Thanks, the sucker thing is another on the 'what if this fails' list.
It's good to know it works for some.

Jeni

In article .com,
wrote:

Do babies feed more at night if they have a cold.

You betcha! Don't you find yourself heading for hot drinks etc when you have
a cold? And they don't feel well, so they need comforting, so boob is the
obvious thing!

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"In Melbourne there is plenty of vigour and eagerness, but there is
nothing worth being eager or vigorous about."
Francis Adams, The Australians, 1893.