First Cold - What to do?

Our boy/girl twins are now 8.5wks old. They were born at 35wks and spent 2wks in the NICU. Since their 2nd week both of them have had stuffy noses which the docs said was due to their small size and could even be from estrogen from my breastmilk. However, now they have a real COLD. Our 2.5yo toddler has been sick for several wks and now has green snot and we just started him on antibiotics. My husband and I also both have a feeling of stuffy noses too. Now the twins just both came down with VERY stuffy noses 2 nights ago. We've been using the bulb syringe and getting big long white/yellowish snot slugs from their noses. We also use saline drops. Their poor little noses still don't seem clear after we do it but it helps a little I guess. They're having trouble during feedings because they can't breathe whether it's bottle or breast. My hubby noticed one of them really panicking in the middle of the night. There are no other symptoms, no fever - but I can tell they're not feeling so hot and get a little frustrated about the feeding thing - like wimpering, etc. when they can't drink.

My questions are (1) When do we call the doctor? What should I look for? (2) How often should we suction their noses? (3) How can I keep myself from going insane with worry?!?

 

We just took our guys to get checked with a cold. The pedi said if a cold lasts more than 10 days, they should be checked for ear infection, etc., or if there is a fever, they should also be checked.

As far as what else to do:
-run a humidifier
-saline nose spray and boogie bulb - especially right before they eat, suction their noses. More often if needed. You can do it as much as needed, but of course, they will probably hate it.
-prop up the bed, or if you co-sleep, prop them up
-Olba's oil - if you have a local health food store, this is an all-natural product. You can boil water, put in a few drops, and stand near it with them. This will help ease congestion. Also, you can put a few drops on a cotton ball and put it under their sheet. I actually did that for myself the last cold I had and it really helped!

Unfortunately, that's about all you can do. It stinks when the LO's have a cold.

 

Just because they're so little, I'd take them to get checked out. The PP had good suggestions.. you could also run a hot steamy shower with the bathroom door closed and let them breathe in the steam for 15 minutes. Also try feeding them with a dropper or syringe to keep their fluids up and maybe try lighter pyjamas and a bit less blanket so they're not as warm.

As for the worry.. can't help you there! It's just hard when they're sick. Hope they're over it and back to themselves in no time.

 

1. now, because they are so very young--adjusted age is not even a month. babies of this age can get very sick, very quickly with only minimal symptoms.

2. as often as they will let you. i actually find using a burp cloth to just wipe, kind of up in their nostrils, can be less annoying to them.

3. you can't

 

Take them to get checked...my girls were term but got what I thought was a cold at 3.5 weeks old (DS had been sick the week before) and it ended up being RSV. I do not want to scare you but because they are so little I would get them looked at. They can go from ok to very sick quickly. I didn't want to seem like an overprotective mom with my 2 but by the time we got to the Dr they were both having trouble breathing and he sent us right to the children's hospital where they ended up staying for a week.

I hope it ends up being just a cold!! Good luck :hug:

 

I have nothing more to add, but to say what all the pp's said. And I too would call the pedi office first thing in the morning. Sometimes I felt silly calling over a stuffy nose, etc, but they are the professionals and they can let me know if it warrants a visit. And because they are so little, I'd rather them be checked out now before it escalates into anything more. Good luck and let us know how they are! :hug:

 

:hug: It's hard. You've gotten some great advice. Try a steamy bathroom for 15 minutes before a breastfeeding session. Elevate when possible.

 

I used to cal our doc office almost everyday the first 4 months. I bet the nurses were so tired of me. But I don't care I need to make sure my kids are ok. We used to take them in like 1/week because they got cold, a bit warm,.. Just tiny symptom, I would bring them in...we don't call our doc that often anymore. They are very healthy now.

I would call doc as soon as possible.

 

I am going to go with PPs and say go ahead and get them in right away. You don't want to mess with RSV and anything that can labor breathing for such tiny things. Just as a precaution. It is never easy when they are sick - especially that young. :hug: Don't be afraid to bug the doctor/nurses. And when it comes to pediatric care, in the case you ever have an ER situation, make sure you know which hospitals in town have the most pediatric expertise and training. You can ask your doctor. I always go to a children's hospital if available. There is more specialized training provided to those staffs to recognize viruses, test oxygen levels, etc. And, trust your gut!

 

Thanks so much for the great advice everyone. I've got the humidifier running right now. They're sleeping in bouncy seats side by side in the crib so they're elevated. Baby girl seems to be getting better or at least no worse. Baby boy's cold developed into a cough and he is hoarse. When he cries it sounds muffled poor thing and his throat must be sore. He is so pathetic I wanna burst into tears. I've given him a little pedialyte to help everything drain and feel good on his throat. Both of them are eating fine and noses are clear most of the time they're sleeping so that's good. Pediatrician saw them a few days back and said they were fine.. just to watch for any high fever or trouble breathing (flaring nostrils or sucking ribs). None of that going on thank GOD! I think they're getting better just slowly. I hate it when colds just seem to take forever to go away.

 

:hug: I hear ya-colds seem to take FOREVER to go away. Especially when they share them! My three kids are currently sharing one now. One thing I just wanted to mention...

As a mother, I always question if I should call the pedi for whatever reason. With coughs, I ALWAYS question. When is it just a 'normal' one and when is it not? If you ever question a symptom-like coughing-when you call the pedi's office, have the baby near the phone(and hope he/she coughs). I did that once... The nurse was telling me, "Oh, well there isn't much you can do for a cough, etc etc." Which-I get. HOWEVER-she heard him cough...and said-bring him in! It's so hard to diagnose over the phone, so sometimes it might be good for the nurse to 'accidently' hear the symptom!

I'm glad they seem to be getting better, or no worse at least!

 

Meaghan - that's a great idea! I was actually on the phone with the nurse today for a different reason (they're trying to get them Synergis vaccine for RSV) and I explained to her that he was losing his voice and sounded muffled, etc. She said that the croup virus (whatever that means) can affect children differently and cause laryngitis in some. Of course, she didn't hear him because he was sleeping when I called. If his voice doesn't get any better tomorrow I may call her again just to see if I can give him anything to soothe it like syrup.

 

If you are still concerned-defintely call. My boys had croup last year-well Anthony and Annabella. Oh my goodness it was awful. But-I wasn't sure if it was croup, etc. They were put on steroids. And cleared it out. But put him in the bathroom and turn the shower on hot hot hot and let it fill up with steam-and sit in there for five, ten minutes. That can help. I hope it's gone soon!

And the whole, "let the nurse hear" thing, I never thought of. It was spur of the moment thinking and I am glad I did!

 

I highly recommend the Nose Frida, which you can buy at Whole Foods, for removing snot. It REALLY works. Hope everyone stays healthy this winter! We are on our second cold in 4 weeks.

 

Ugh - just got over a 10-day bout - first virus of the season. We had a lot of experience with croup last year...nasty business...poor little things - so unfair!

 

Yep this is awful. Baby boy is still hoarse and almost completely lost his voice. How can this happen to a 2 month old?!? He is still coughing but breathing fine. It's just that he's having these coughing fits where he ends up crying with his face all scrunched up because it hurts him. I just feel awful for him. Baby girl has no cough or other symptoms but the snotty nose. However I'm wondering about her because she is having trouble falling asleep. Seriously today during the day she probably only napped about 4-5 hours and has been mostly awake. I wonder if she has a sore throat or something. She wants to nurse a lot. Poor babies!