This last week we have had a very poorly little lady. It is the first time in 8 and a half months that I have been truly worried and taken her to the Dr's.
Last Sunday/Monday she started with a cold, she was a bit snotty and sneezy which isn't such a huge concern, but on the Monday when I got home from work, she just wanted to sleep! I tried to feed her and she would latch but couldn't breathe and feed so kept coughing and was just generally off colour.
By the following morning she had latched a few times during the night with the same result, she wasn't feeding, I think she managed a maximum of about 15 minutes all night (we bedshare at the moment when she wakes during the night). She was so unsettled, we had been using the Snuffle babe Saline Spray to try and clear her airways and also baby olbas oil on a muslin next to her cot, but she just kept on choking every time she latched - so we took her to see our GP.
My concern was that I know in infants not feeding (when milk is the main source of hydration) can have a dramatic affect really quickly, she was pale, grouchy, but very sleepy which is why the alarm bells rang for me.
Luckily the Dr said that as she had no temperature, and she seemed happy enough in herself he was happy for us to continue doing what we were doing. He would only prescribe Saline Nasal Drop's and as we were already using them then we were doing the best and to persevere. So we did.
I managed to get her to latch that evening after work and got into a routine of using a nasal aspirator, then spraying her nostrils and then feeding to give her the best chance of taking some food in, we invested in some refills for our Calpol Plug In (which has been a godsend)! And finally after a week she is showing signs of improvement. She is feeding much better and we haven't had to use the nasal spray now for a few days.
I have found a voucher for money off a calpol plug-in here Sign up to the caring everyday website and basically choose which vouchers you'd like to use. The only problem is, make sure your printer is set up and ready to go, as if it fails you will lose the vouchers as they only print once. At the moment the Plug In Unit and refill pads are £6 from Asda and you get a 75p off voucher. Though I am sure I paid less than £5 for mine from Home Bargains if you have one nearby.
