I went back to work this past week! I wore the hat of Pediatric Emergency Nurse for 6 years before taking it off during six months of maternity leave. The fastest, but most miraculous, six months. Returning to work now, wearing both ‘Nurse’ hat and ‘Mom’ hat has me experiencing all kinds of mixed emotions. I know all you working mamas can relate.
I was feeling nervous about jumping back into nursing in the heat of a pandemic, fears of a rusty skill set and not-thorough-enough assessments. After all, my brain had been through the ringer during child birth, the newborn stage, and sleep training!
God knew I needed a little refresher course before my first shift back.
*insert Stella’s first cold*
Kid you not, 1 week before my return-to-work date, Stella began with classic Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) symptoms: nasal congestion, dry cough, fatigue, shorter feeding tolerance, restless sleep, crusty eye drainage. I remember thinking to myself, “why now!?”
With that said, whatever frustration I was feeling, I knew Stella was having it harder, no one likes being sick! In that moment, I was so grateful for six years of pediatric emergency nursing! I knew how to take care of a sick baby. But what surprised me, and what inspired this blog post, was how much I learned experiencing a pediatric URI from the role of a mother, not nurse, for the first time!
Let me share with you some pearls of wisdom I acquired this past week – so you can be even more prepared than I was for your baby’s first cold!
ELECTRIC NASAL ASPIRATOR | SALINE SPRAY | HUMIDIFIER | NOSE FRIDA | RECTAL THERMOMETER | INFANT ACETAMINOPHEN (TYLENOL GENERIC)
- Invest in an electric nasal aspirator! I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve recommended the Nose Frida “snot sucker” to my patient’s parents, only to experience its actual poor performance this past week! Sure it’s affordable, quick to set up, and portable – but so is an electric one! And one that won’t get you out of breath and dizzy after just one use. Babies don’t know how to blow our nose like we do, so suctioning upon waking, before feeds, and before sleep is KEY! If budget is providing, grab yourself an electric nasal aspirator like this, to save your own breath, and effectively clear your little ones nasal passages! You can’t go wrong with the Nose Frida, but depending on your babe’s need for frequent suctioning, an electric one is worth the $40 investment.
- The wetter the better – this means saline spray for suctioning, and a cool-mist humidifier in baby’s room. Crusty boogies are impossible to suction out, not to mention so uncomfortable for your little one. Don’t feel like you need to splurge on Boogie Wipes or Boogie Spray, any saline nasal spray works! I’ve linked the Little Noses brand that I love, but a store house brand saline spray is the same thing for a cheaper cost. Saline drops/spray in each nare (baby’s nose holes) before suctioning with your electric nasal aspirator. Use distilled water for your cool-mist humidifier, and place the humidifier 3 feet away from baby’s crib to run during naps and overnight. Game changer!
- Elevate the head of baby’s crib. We all know that sitting upright with a few pillows behind our head makes for better breathing when we’re congested. The same applies for a congested baby! But the difference is that pillows in baby’s crib does not make for safe sleep. Instead of pillows, roll up 1-2 beach towels, and place them UNDERNEATH the head of baby’s crib mattress. Aim for a 15-25° incline to subtly assist baby’s breathing. Even if your baby is a roller, and they may not stay at the inclined head of the bed all night; their head elevated at least for the time it takes them to get into a deep sleep is helpful. We noticed that Stella looked as if she was drowning in secretions when laid flat, but that was resolved with a gentle incline of her crib mattress!
- Infant Tylenol on hand. I always recommend that parents ask their Pediatrician for an updated weight-appropriate Tylenol dose each time baby is seen for a checkup. All Pediatric medications are weight based, so as your little one grows, they can take larger volumes. 15mg of Tylenol (acetaminophen) per 1kg of body weight. 1kg = 2.2lbs. Tylenol is ok to give every 4 hours, as needed for pain and fever. *if your baby is under 8 weeks age, ask your pediatrician before dosing with Tylenol* Stella wasn’t febrile during this cold, but a few scattered doses of Tylenol throughout the week helped relieve the sore throat, fussiness, and headache she appeared to be experiencing. *use only acetaminophen (tylenol) for babies in this age group, ibuprofen (motrin/advil) is not safe for infants under 6mos age*
- Smaller, more frequent feeding. Breast or bottle, your little one is going to tire out a bit faster while congested. In addition to suctioning before feeding your baby, anticipate that baby will stop feeding sooner than normal. For breastfeeding mamas, this may mean two-10 minute nursing sessions a few minutes apart, instead of one conclusive 20 minute session. For a bottle fed babe, offer half their bottle, take a break, then offer the rest. During those feeding breaks, hold your baby upright to allow for some secretions to drain with gravity, and allow their breathing to improve before offering the breast or bottle again.
- Time will Heal: Be patient with a URI! Your healthy baby’s immune system will kick this virus on its own, so unless your babe is working hard to breath or not feeding well, try to tough it out at home! More often than not, your pediatrician will recommend the five remedies I listed above. URI’s can’t be treated by antibiotics, and it really does just take time for the symptoms to resolve. Expect symptoms to peak around day 3-4, and resolve by day 7-10. Hang in there mama!
WHEN TO SEEK MEDICAL HELP DURING BABY’S COLD:
Your baby is breathing fast, and working hard to breathe. Your baby is having fevers above 100.4 for greater than 5 consecutive days. Your baby is making less than 3 wet diapers in 24 hours. Your baby is not tolerating feeding.
*Please note that these tips are shared with experience of Pediatric Emergency Nursing and mothering a 4 month old infant. These tips are personal anecdotes and medical education from Natalie Cotton Wilson, RN, BSN, CPEN. New Cotton Blend is not an authorized site for medical advice. Consult your pediatrician before beginning any home remedies for your child’s cold.*
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I hope this information has helped you survive your baby’s first cold, given you peace of mind amidst an illness, and prepared you for future colds!
