Continuous Ear Infections

Go to ENT and get tubes. They are wonderful - all babies should just come born with them ;-) (Clearly, I'm over exaggerating a little). Once tubes were in, we've only had 2 ear infections - and you can see the infection. Therefore no more going to the doctor and paying co pays for them. Plus you don't get the bulging ear drum and the pain. And the ENT gives antibiotic drops when the tubes go in, so when baby does get an ear infection you just use the concentrated drops - no oral medication and it goes away very fast.

If you've been using antibiotics her digestive system is completely messed up so you've got to give her a good probiotic. The thing is the antibiotics so often actually weaken the system, setting it up perfectly for the next infection.

My 3rd one did the exact same thing! His older brothers never had any issues with ear infections, sickness, anything. They were all breastfed for over a year, etc. After 2 ruptured eardrums, we ended up getting ear tubes. They were magic! Now, I am not saying you need to rush your child into surgery, but that is some thing you may want to ask your Dr. about.

As others have said, taker her to an ENT (ask your pedi for a reference if you need). It is really important that the infections get cleared up. Her permanent hearing and speech will be affected if she constantly has ear infections at this age- it is a major developmental age for speech and hearing. They both affect each other. She can't speak properly if she can't hear properly. The ENT will give her an exam and they usually have an audiologist in their office and she will be seen by them to make sure she is still hearing properly.

Also, ear issues are notorious with dairy allergies. Cut the milk, cheese, yogurt, etc out of her and your diet (since you still BF) and see what happens. You will only have to do it for a week before you know... probably sooner.

Good Luck!

My oldest son was breastfed and had 9 ear infections his first winter. I felt horrible, too. Finally at 1.5 I just took him to an ENT who in turn told me he should have been seen a long time ago! Our pediatrician kept putting off the referral...
Anyway, at 1.5 he had tubes put in and it was the best thing we ever did for him.

My daughter was sick a lot even tho I breast fed her, but the dr said if I hadn't she would have ended up in the hospital or worse. You are doing the best thing for your baby. We did move to Colorado when she was two and all the snotty noses stopped immediately. Hers was allergy to mold and mildew and other things in SE Texas so when we got up there where it was so dry it really helped.
Daycare they do pass around stuff constantly.

I know what you mean! My first had ear infections all the time. He never ran fever with them but would just be in pain. Lots of antibiotics and even maintenance antibiotics and break thru infects and ER visits later, he got tubes put in his ears at 5 mths. It did not stop the ear infections but I knew when he had them and he did not have the pain. Every time I told anyone about the ear infections they would recommend breast feeding. I did. For 19 mths. So much for that cure all.

You are not doing anything wrong! It's just the way she came. She's not broken and your didn't break her! She a human and they come with different problems! You are putting way too much pressure on yourself.
You love her. You breast feed. You take her to the doctor when she is sick.
Many, many kids would be so blessed to have you as a mom!

It's all about her ear structure. Some babies have issues; some don't. My 3yo daughter is finally (!!) getting tubes in her ears this week. Although she's had her share of ear infections, her real issue is chronic uninfected fluid retention in her ears.

Tubes are so common (and a fairly simple procedure). Go see an ENT.

Ear infections aren't coming from daycare, it is typically due to fluid build-up in the ear canal. With that many infections, you should be able to get a referral from your pediatrician to an ENT. My daughter had monthly ear infections for almost 6 months. We tried chiropractors, and different ways of having our daughter sleep at an angle, all sorts of methods. The ENT was able to get her in for ear tubes within a few days of our initial appointment, after which she was a different child.
Good Luck, and hang in there. I know how tough it can be.

Oh my goodness. Please do not feel like you have failed your baby! If anything, you have given her an advantage. The issues she is having with her ears are most likely due to some kind of structural abnormality. It is just the way she is made! Some kids tend to get ear infections, some don't. For kids that tend to get ear infections, it is somewhat common for antibiotics to NOT work. Drs will start out with the least powerful meds to see if the infection will respond. For most people it will work, but for some infections you need something stronger to knock it out. They will try that and if that doesn't work, then it is probably time to talk about tubes. Just talk to parents whose kids have had tubes and they will tell you that it has made all the difference in the world! In the meantime, keep taking her to the doc when she needs to go, finish all medications, and if/when it is time to see an ENT then don't hesitate. As someone else mentioned, untreated frequent ear infections can cause a host of problems far worse than what you have already dealt with. It sounds like you are staying on top of this, though, and getting her the help she needs. But bottom line, you have NOT done anything wrong. Don't be too hard on yourself. You are a great mama!

My breastfed daughter would get horrible ear infections as well. When she was 13 months she was put on 3 different rounds of antibiotics for an ear infection.

Fast forward two years and several ear infections and I had her evaluated for speech delays. Took her to a pediatric ENT and not only did they recommend ear tubes but also an adenoidectomy.

Some children just the way their ear canals are structured have problems draining when younger. If ear infections continue I would get a referral to a pediatric ENT. I really wish I had gotten a second opinion sooner rather than later for my daughter.

Something else you could try is chiropractic care they can help with drainage as long as it isn't due to a structural issue. Make sure you go to one experienced with children.

Chiropractic! Please try it before surgery, it's worked for all but one kid I've seen do it.

Tubes will allow the extra fluids that are built up in her ear canal to drain better and not sit and get infected. That's what you need to do. They fall out on their own in a few months but by that time the ears are better and working like they are supposed to.

See an ORL or ENT doc about this issue. They are "the professionals" when it comes to ears and sinuses and throats. Pediatricians are good for check ups and shots but when it comes to more specialized things like this it's time to see the ones that are trained in this field of medicine.

Just because your baby is breast fed, doesn't mean she can't get sick. It is just that she is getting some of your immune system through the milk. But you aren't immune to everything! It could be that she has uncontrolled allergy and the ear infections are secondary to that. Unfortunately, she is too young for skin testing, but you might talk to doc about doing a blood test to see if she is allergic to molds, pets or dust mites. If she is, then you know what steps you will need to take to clean up her environment.

Sounds like it's time to consult with an ENT, tubes are probably needed. They did my son wonders.

It's not your fault. It's just the way things are with this one child. A very important thing to remember is that no two kids are the same; a parent has to be flexible and figure out each individual's needs.

Talk to your pediatrician or a pediatric ENT. My daughter had four infections within three months (sound familiar?). She was six at the time and kept complaining that sounds were muffled. I regretted that I didn't take her in sooner but it all ended well. They gave her ears the chance to drain, dry out and heal and no more ear infections or muffled sound.

Good luck.

My youngest had chronic ear infections even though he was breastfed. He needed tubes put in, and once he got the tubes he had no more infections, and his hearing improved.

As much as I do believe breast fed babies have better chances of not getting sick, there is still that chance that she needs tubes in her ear.... it is common for this to happen and when she is 2 or 3 , they fall out.
Id get advised on this issue with a dr in getting tubes in her ear.

V., my son also used to get ear infections and was breast fed as well. We realize now that the repeated infections and doses of antibiotics set in place an array of yeast overgrowth, bacterial overgrowth and parasites, thus causing autism. Please be warned that antibiotics will do NO good as some ear infections are bacterial and some are viral and there is NO way for any doctor to tell. My suggestions would be to start working on strengthening your daughter's immune system. Start dosing her with probiotics (an adult form) a few times a day, add a few garlic drops in her ears every day, eliminate all sugars and grains for a period of time, and put probiotics on the back of her tongue right before bed time with no food or water after for a few hours. This will allow those good bugs to repopulate her inner ear canals and prevent future infection. I wished someone had share this information with me years ago when our son was having these issues. Perhaps it would have spared him from autism. Now we are forced to undo the damage we did unknowingly!

I had tons of ear infections as a baby/child, and finally (finally!) in my teens I was referred to an ENT. Turns out that I was born without anywhere for my sinuses to drain on the right side. There's normally a hole in the sinuses there, but I just didn't have that. So I had horrible sinus infections (ear infections, etc etc). I had sinus surgery to correct the problem and haven't had a sinus infection or ear infection since then (20 years ago)!

So, I do think it's a good idea to go see an ENT and just see what they say. Ear infections are so miserable for your baby, and for you, too, but the good news is that the answer may be really simple.