feeding problems

my boys developed a bad head cold during their first week in daycare, and in the last week it turned into a chest cold. we've been to the doctor a few times (including ER over the holiday weekend) because the coughing and congestion is so bad. we've had them screened for RSV, pneumonia and pertussis but the doctors think it's just your regular old everyday cold virus and we just have to wait it out.

because they're so congested it's been difficult for these guys to eat. in the last 48 hours it's gotten really bad, so bad that i'm not sure it can all be chalked up to congestion. basically they're asking for food on the same 3 hour schedule, but when we give them the bottle they whimper and try to push it out of their mouths. if we try to offer it again, they start screaming and crying these big shuddery cries as soon as the nipple touches their lips. we've tried straight EBM, straight formula, mixed EBM and formula, and pedialyte. sometimes they'll roll the nipple around on their tongues and take a mini-suck, then start bawling again and push the bottle away. they're both doing the exact same behavior, although owen gets more upset than jacob.

the crying can reach near hysteria, and it's heartbreaking to watch. they kick and push with their arms and they struggle and squirm and no amount of comforting can calm them down. the crying reaches such a fevered pitch that they start having coughing fits which are usually followed by vomiting up what little food they've managed to eat. sometimes in all of this we can hear their tiny tummies growling but they just won't eat any more. it ends up a struggle just to get a tiny bit into them to make sure they're staying hydrated (no dry diapers yet). we told the ER doctor about this and he just shrugged and said unless they were getting dehydrated there's just not much to say about it. he seemed to think it was all about the congestion.

but what i don't understand is that they're taking their pacifiers like they're starving. i've tried offering the pacifier and then popping it out and quickly switching to the bottle but they know the difference and as soon as that bottle touches their lips they cry again. if it were congestion, wouldn't it be just as hard to suck the pacifier as the bottle?

in the last 12 hours we've managed to find a couple of ways to keep them very calm and get them distracted enough that they'll at least take the first ounce (they usually drink between 2 and 3 oz per feeding). but once they hit that 1 ounce mark it's like an alarm goes off in their heads and they pop off and it's complete hysteria after that if the bottle comes near them. on the occasions when they don't get hysterical we can sometimes get them to take the bottle back into their mouths but then they just sit there with their lips slack and they refuse to latch or suck. they just gaze off into the middle distance with the nipple resting against their tongues and they act like it's not even there.

i just don't understand what's going on. these are the same bottles, the same food, the same two exhausted parents feeding them on the same schedule in the same routine. nothing has changed except for the head/chest cold. and if it weren't for the fact that they take the pacifiers i would chalk it all up to congestion. but i just don't understand how they could suck on the pacifier and not the bottle.

i should add that they have severe reflux but they've been on prevacid for about a month now and it's made a big difference up until now. could the cold be making the stomach acid worse? we've noticed that they've been spitting up a lot more since they got sick and the spit-up is thicker, like it's mixed with mucous.

i just don't know what to do for them and i'm at the end of my rope here. help!

 

:hug: Yes, the colds will make the reflux worse. We had the same issue. Keep offering them the bottle. Are they having lots of wet diapers still? If they arent taking much in, make sure they arent showing signs of dehydration-fewer wet diapers, sunken softspot, sunken eyes, etc. I would give it another day or so and then if its no better I would call the Ped tomorrow or the next since you were just seen. Have you tried doing some saline drops in the nose and using the bulb syring just before a feeding? GL! I hope they get better soon. :hug:

 

they're still having wet diapers and the ER doc said they didn't show any signs of dehydration. we do the saline drops and suction before feedings but the suction just makes them cry more and sometimes that triggers the coughing fits and vomiting. plus, they're congested so far back in their heads that the suction doesn't really clear them out every time.

and because the reflux is worse right now they're spitting up/vomiting a lot and it comes out through their noses, which stuffs them up again.

it's like we're in hell right now.

 

Hang in there. It sounds like you are doing all you can. Are you running a humidifier in their room to help them with the congestion? Sometimes I found that they ate better in the middle of the night with less distractions when they were sick. :hug:

 

the humidifier has been running non-stop. we did have more success in the middle of the night when everything was calm and quiet, but they still ate only half of what they usually eat and refused to let the bottle even touch their lips when they decided they were done.

i know everyone says, "this too shall pass" but it sure doesn't feel like it will.

 

I've had that problem off and on since they were a month old. My boys also have reflux. It does sound like their reflux is acting up. I've heard some people talk about Mallox or something they can take for flare ups??? Hope it passes soon :hug:

 

You poor thing, that must be hell. :hug: I went through the same thing with my DS but his case was an inflamed throat and ears. Maybe they have sore throats too? I gave mine his formula cold - i.e. room temp - and it seemed to help but he hardly ate. As long as they´re taking something in then they wont starve. I would let them eat what they want but keep an eye out for dehydration. My DS never got dehydrated even when he once ate 8oz all day. Also, I used to use a little cloth to cover his eyes and take him to a darkened room, rock him in my arms with his dummy (pacifier) in then switch to the bottle when he was near sleep. He used to eat well that way. Maybe that might work for you too?