out on an ear
Last night wasn't great. Bao slept till about 3am and fussed on and off thereafter. I got up to give her a bottle at 3.30am and that more or less marked the end of any proper sleep for me too. She would fall asleep, get into a coughing fit, and then scream because she had woken herself up. I would soothe her back to sleep, which would last maybe fifteen or twenty minutes, she would cough again, and then the whole thing would repeat itself.
I think around 5 or 6am she just completely lost it and screamed for almost an hour. By the time she calmed down it was 7am so J and I just got up for the day. The Bun also woke early so I helped him get dressed and start breakfast while J tried to placate Bao, who had snapped awake amidst the fuss of the morning, really angry about not getting any sleep. Eventually she simply passed out in our bed while we hurriedly dressed, had breakfast, and got The Bun ready to leave.
Her doctor's appointment, unfortunately, was at 8.30am so I let her sleep till 8.15am before waking her, just as she had fallen into a deep slumber. I'm glad we live really close to the doctor's office so it was a short drive with all her wailing. Poor kid's hoarse from all the screaming this past week. [I know she's uncomfortable and exhausted but I'm also pretty sure all that screaming is also maybe 20% drama queen antics!]
After another examination (no prizes for guessing Bao's response to all this), the doctor said that there's the beginnings of an ear infection in her left ear, which explains the endless fever and her renewed crankiness. There's a slight wheeze to her cough so that's something I need to keep an eye on. She's also teething up a storm, so perhaps the silver lining here that if those teeth cut through by the end of all this, we would have got all the whining and crying all done at a go!
Prescription in hand, I drove to the nearby pharmacy to get it filled. It's bad luck that today of all days, La Bise decides to make a reappearance after lying low for almost two months. It was accompanied by heavy, relentless rain too. I felt bad dragging Bao around this weather with me (unlike Singapore, very few places offer sheltered walkways from car to destination) but we had to do what needed to be done. Medication: antibiotics for the ear infection, a stronger cough medicine to help calm her airways, ventolin (sigh) and in lieu of a nebuliser, which we commonly use in Singapore, an Aerochamber. Total cost: CHF103. Thank goodness for medical insurance.
Perfect for sleep-deprived parents -
helpful punch-outs to keep track of antibiotic doses.
So we came home and I had to use some toys to distract Bao into taking her medicine. Just as I had become proficient and super-quick at inserting suppositories, we're on to syrups now. I was almost a convert! Bao is currently on a self-imposed NIL-by-mouth, so it's nearly impossible to get anything into her apart from milk, fruit, and the occasional crumb of a biscuit, and that last one only because her brother is eating one. Ten minutes after all that though, she got into another of her coughing/rage fits and threw up a little so I don't know how much of the medicine she retained.
She then managed to take a three hour long nap. While she was napping I basically sat in front of the TV and zoned out. I find it very hard to nap in the day no matter how tired I am so vegetating in front of the box is my best form of relaxation. After Bao woke I looked into the crib and asked her if she felt like having some bread or a snack, since the last time she had a proper bottle was that 3am one. She stared at me and signed 'milk' unequivocally. At times like this I am very glad she can sign even if she doesn't speak much.
The rest of the day went smoother now that she was more rested. She's still fussy but not as miserable as she was in the morning. This is the first time either of the kids have had an ear infection so it's all new to me. I googled it and discovered that the pressure from fluids in the ear tubes can cause pain when the child is lying down, so perhaps that explains the constant crying at night. The cough doesn't help of course, but I'm sure acute ear pain would keep anyone awake at night.
I'm basically shelving our plans for the weekend since there's not much she can do until she is much better. It's not like I'm in the pink of health either. It's a pity because J's boss at work invited everyone to his house for dinner and I was looking forward to taking a peek at his place and enjoying some Asian food. Instead J will take The Bun and I'll stay home with Bao. Oh well - as long as we both get better.
I think around 5 or 6am she just completely lost it and screamed for almost an hour. By the time she calmed down it was 7am so J and I just got up for the day. The Bun also woke early so I helped him get dressed and start breakfast while J tried to placate Bao, who had snapped awake amidst the fuss of the morning, really angry about not getting any sleep. Eventually she simply passed out in our bed while we hurriedly dressed, had breakfast, and got The Bun ready to leave.
Her doctor's appointment, unfortunately, was at 8.30am so I let her sleep till 8.15am before waking her, just as she had fallen into a deep slumber. I'm glad we live really close to the doctor's office so it was a short drive with all her wailing. Poor kid's hoarse from all the screaming this past week. [I know she's uncomfortable and exhausted but I'm also pretty sure all that screaming is also maybe 20% drama queen antics!]
After another examination (no prizes for guessing Bao's response to all this), the doctor said that there's the beginnings of an ear infection in her left ear, which explains the endless fever and her renewed crankiness. There's a slight wheeze to her cough so that's something I need to keep an eye on. She's also teething up a storm, so perhaps the silver lining here that if those teeth cut through by the end of all this, we would have got all the whining and crying all done at a go!
Prescription in hand, I drove to the nearby pharmacy to get it filled. It's bad luck that today of all days, La Bise decides to make a reappearance after lying low for almost two months. It was accompanied by heavy, relentless rain too. I felt bad dragging Bao around this weather with me (unlike Singapore, very few places offer sheltered walkways from car to destination) but we had to do what needed to be done. Medication: antibiotics for the ear infection, a stronger cough medicine to help calm her airways, ventolin (sigh) and in lieu of a nebuliser, which we commonly use in Singapore, an Aerochamber. Total cost: CHF103. Thank goodness for medical insurance.
Perfect for sleep-deprived parents -
helpful punch-outs to keep track of antibiotic doses.
So we came home and I had to use some toys to distract Bao into taking her medicine. Just as I had become proficient and super-quick at inserting suppositories, we're on to syrups now. I was almost a convert! Bao is currently on a self-imposed NIL-by-mouth, so it's nearly impossible to get anything into her apart from milk, fruit, and the occasional crumb of a biscuit, and that last one only because her brother is eating one. Ten minutes after all that though, she got into another of her coughing/rage fits and threw up a little so I don't know how much of the medicine she retained.
She then managed to take a three hour long nap. While she was napping I basically sat in front of the TV and zoned out. I find it very hard to nap in the day no matter how tired I am so vegetating in front of the box is my best form of relaxation. After Bao woke I looked into the crib and asked her if she felt like having some bread or a snack, since the last time she had a proper bottle was that 3am one. She stared at me and signed 'milk' unequivocally. At times like this I am very glad she can sign even if she doesn't speak much.
The rest of the day went smoother now that she was more rested. She's still fussy but not as miserable as she was in the morning. This is the first time either of the kids have had an ear infection so it's all new to me. I googled it and discovered that the pressure from fluids in the ear tubes can cause pain when the child is lying down, so perhaps that explains the constant crying at night. The cough doesn't help of course, but I'm sure acute ear pain would keep anyone awake at night.
I'm basically shelving our plans for the weekend since there's not much she can do until she is much better. It's not like I'm in the pink of health either. It's a pity because J's boss at work invited everyone to his house for dinner and I was looking forward to taking a peek at his place and enjoying some Asian food. Instead J will take The Bun and I'll stay home with Bao. Oh well - as long as we both get better.