My son is 9 months old, has two teeth on bottom and two more on top coming in. I had him at the ER a day ago and he has a slight ear infection. I gave him his first dosage of amoxicillan but all day long and even now, he will eat but he will not drink. He does not want anything, and as of now its (2:02am) and he is still awake with no nap at all. He wants to sleep but will not let himself. He screams and cries as if someone is repeatedly pinching him. He'll be okay for a min, then all of sudden cry and scream. I'm a young mom and hes my first child, I'm just quite worried of him dehydrating. How can you tell when a baby is dehydrated? Please help, I'm quite concerned.
I myself am being treated for an ear infection. The worst part of it is the throat pain. Ibuprofen helps with that, and then I feel like eating and drinking a little something.
Hope this helps!
When you have an ear infection it hurts to drink. Give him some Tylenol for the pain and he should be able to drink and sleep.
Call the 24/7 nurse line through your local hospital. Free. Always open. Professional Medical Advice.
((If by eating... you mean breastmilk or formula... then 99/100 you're FINE. It is extremely rare that a baby needs added fluids on top of their liquid diet. Desert 120 degrees, certain kinds of illnesses, etc. rare. If by eating, you mean solids... then dehydration is a very real concern. Call that nurseline and they'll be able to triage over the phone with you and give you everything to look for. Including when and how to treat at home, when that changes to make an appointment this week, or tomorrow on an emergency basis, or go to urgent care in the morning, or come into the ER immediately. BEST medical resource available for parents is that 24/7 Nurse Advice line.))
A thought, if he eats solids, try melon or other juicy fruits, he will get water from those foods.
Also, does he still have the soft spot on his head? it will be sunken in if he is dehydrated. And as others mentioned, you can judge how he is doing by his diapers. You are not only looking for pee, but if his stools come out hard, then you know he is dehydrated.
You may want to get the Baby 411 book, it is so great for concerns like yours. And it is Monday, so call the baby's doc.
Hope you are in the turnaround soon.
H.:
Welcome to mamapedia!!
I'm not sure why you took your child to the ER instead of the pediatrician but you found out your son has an ear infection...have you ever had an ear infection?
When you SUCK on something when you have an ear infection...it hurts...when you CHEW it SORT OF relieves it..
How to tell when ANYONE is dehydrated?
In a baby/child that wears diapers? No more than 2 wet diapers in a 24 hour period. OR if the urine is DARK yellow.
In an older child/adult? VERY dark urine.
If he has a bouncy chair put him in that - it will help keep him upright and help with the dizziness of an ear infection.
If your baby is still having wet diapers then he will ok. Try propping him more upright for sleep as the poster said the act of laying a baby with an ear infection down will cause alot of pain. Also even though he is on amoxicillian he can still have pain meds . Good Luck
J.
The diapers are one way of checking for dehydration, but with super-absorbent diapers, it's hard to tell sometimes just how much he is peeing.
Try this: are YOU well-hydrated? Squeeze the end of your finger, so that the fingernail turns white, and let go. It should turn pink again almost instantly. If you are dehydrated, your blood will be a bit sluggish - and it will take a little longer to turn pink again. If your son's fingernails take a couple of seconds to turn pink, then he's a little dehydrated.
In the meantime, if he is eating solids, try solids with a lot of liquid in them - think applesauce, instead of bananas. Also, try and give him liquids that don't require him to suck. It takes a lot of patience, but those little cups from the top of medicine bottles are great for getting a little liquid into your kiddo - you will have to tilt the cup for hum, just like the way you are spoon-feeding him now, or even those suction eye-dropper medicine things.
And I second the suggestion of propping him at an upright angle to sleep. If nothing else, try putting a rolled-up towel UNDER his mattress. It'll help drain the fluid out of his ears, which can't go anywhere when he is lying down, and hurts.
Hang in there, mama. He'll be okay - and so will you.
Are you giving something for the pain? Ibuprofen or Tylenol for infants. The DR can also give an ear drop that is for pain. If your baby isn't getting relief from the OTC pain med, ask the DR for that. The antibiotic should start working too, and that will relieve the pain also. Poor baby, hope he feels better soon!
By now I expect you've seen a difference with the Amox. As others have said, at least 4-6 wet dipes/day and the pinch test are good ways to track hydration. At 9 months, he'll probably love popsicles! Try the pedialyte popsicles and if he won't take those, try regular ones. This is a GREAT source of hydration for little ones that can't drink. Also, keep in mind for next time it is EXTREMELY painful to lay down if one has an ear infection. (Also, cold air traveling over the infected ear - and by cold I mean anything less than 85 degrees....) A great resource at this point is your swing. My third lived in her swing due to ear infections, until we finally were scheduled for tubes at 6 months! If you don't have a swing, try sleeping in a recliner or rocker with baby on your chest. Forget propping up one side of the bed - they just scoot or roll down to the bottom. It's fruitless :)
Good luck Mama!
If he is eating he is still getting fluids of some kind, hopefully. You can try placing a warm, not hot, wash cloth over the ear that is hurting. The problem with ear infections is that they can sometime be pain-free until you lay down...the shift in position can cause a lot of pain. If this keeps up, call a nurse practitioner if you have access. There are also pain-killing ear drops that they might be able to give you. Those drops saved me many times when my little ones were sick. So sorry you are going through this. Hope he feels better soon.
Poor Baby :( Ear infections suck. Let me tell you, I had one years ago that had me crying! I woke up in pain and it was awful. I never understood how bad/painful they were before then. Any sort of breeze made me cringe in pain, plus the throbbing, etc
He may be trying to sleep, but then the pain kicks in stronger waking him up. Once the meds have a chance to start working it will get better.
Like others have said, wet diapers let you know.
Good Luck.
Poor baby..an ear infection is VERY painful. I rather give birth than have an ear infection. If you are ever unsure of anything call your pediatrician.
