[bacatherine]

Gah I think Aubrey has another ear infection (or the last one never totally went away) I feel so bad for her this is the 4th one and she's 8 months old. She keep trying to stick her finger in her ear and keeps rubbing at it and she's not been sleeping very well. She had one a few weeks ago and they gave her amoxil for it since it worked the two times before. She had a reaction to the amoxil (we're assuming) and broke out in a rash all over so they gave her something else. I guess it didn't do the job.

I've been giving her Motrin at least at night so she can sleep a little better and it seems to help some. We're going to the doctor at 10:00 again.
Anything else I can do to help prevent them or make her more comfortable when she has them?

 

[IzzyLucyWillie]

Poor kid. Ear infections are no fun.... do you have the drops for pain you put in her ear? I used to warm it a little in a cup of warm water and that always seemed to help.

 

[bacatherine]

I don't have any drops were they OTC or did the doctor give them to you? So far they have just given us an antibiotic and told me to give her tylenol or Motrin if she needed it for the pain.

 

[IzzyLucyWillie]

I think they were prescribed now that I think about it. Is she cutting teeth? I had one who got an ear infection with each new tooth.

 

[MidwestGirl]

My daughter fought ear infections for what seemed like the first 5 years of her life! It can be so awful. We even considered ear tubes but then she stopped having them...thank God.

I would call the doctor and get the right antibiotic. Good luck and I hope she feels better soon.

 

[bacatherine]

I took her in this morning and her ear was clear so I'm not sure why she's messing with her ear so much. Yesterday the baby sitter said she was constantly trying to stick her finger in it and rubbing it and she was last night some too. She is cutting teeth the bottom front two are through but not by much. How long does it take for them to come the rest of the way in the one has been through for almost a week the other one since Sunday but it doens't seem like they are coming in any further.

I hate to be the parent to constantly run the kid to the doctor for every little thing but when she's had several already I also hate to let it linger if it's bothering her. It's so hard to tell when the symptoms could just be from the teething what is really bothering her.

 

[IzzyLucyWillie]

It is a hard call to make. You question "did she just find her ear and is playing with it". Usually the not sleeping is a good clue but then other things can cause that too.
Sometimes they just seem to go through cycles where their sleep pattern changes and it messes everything up. I always felt it was better to error on the side of caution if they are prone to having an ear infection.
Sorry.....I know that doesn't help. It does get easier as they get older.

 

[bacatherine]

The doctor said she's probably just playing with it. I know with the other infections she didn't mess with her ear but she was younger then and not near as expressive anyway. She would cry when I went to nurse her and not want to go to sleep or she would fall asleep but as soon as you lay her down she wakes up crying. Which is exactly what she's been doing so it's frustrating. I guess it's just her teeth.

 

[MidwestGirl]

Does she have a fever or diarrhea? Hope she feels better soon.

 

[BucksMom]

It is frustrating, but like others say, it will get better with age. When she is feeding, is she laying down? Ear infections are caused from fluid getting trapped in behind the eardrum. Does she fall asleep while nursing? if so try to keep her as upright as possible to get those last few swallows moving in the right direction and not letting it slip into the ear tubes. Hope she is doing better.

 

[bacatherine]

No fever or diarrhea. She does normally fall asleep at night when she's nursing and she does nurse kind of laying on her side (across my body)

She slept all night last night hopefully she will start to do that most of the time again. I think it's just the teeth coming in.

 

[Luvmydog2much]

AHA! Something I can help with~! I work for an ENT!

If she's teething, that's probably the cause. Motrin or Tylenol are the best things for her. Oral antibiotics WILL NOT help. Yes, the infection will get better with the antibiotics, but not any faster than without. If anything otic drops (we're in Canada, always recommend first trying Ciprodex drops) may help, but mostly its just time.

If the ear is draining, get her in ASAP.

A lot of parents delay and don't really want their child to have a myringotomy with tubes put in, but I can say this, having suffered with ear infections until I was 12...DO IT if the Doctor recommends it. Its a tiny tiny little surgery (we can do them in the office if the child is co-operative) and will help a bunch. The child still gets ear infections, but instead of the pain of the pressure in the ear, the ear just drains.

I'd guess its teething, and do the tylenol and motrin for a couple of days. Running the vaccuum DOES help because it moves the ear drum. Also a hot water bottle or laying on the affected ear helps too.

P.S. If you are a smoker, this is known to cause ear infections as well.

 

[gailatmsu]

Poor little girl. If it's teething, Hylands teething tablets always worked well for my two. They dissolve pretty much instantly so they're safe to use on little ones.

 

[IzzyLucyWillie]

sure hope she feels better!!!!!!!

 

[BigBrownDog]

P.S. If you are a smoker, this is known to cause ear infections as well.

Yup - what I was going to say. And it is not just smoke in the air - it is smoke on your clothes too. So - going outdoors to smoke does not resolve the issue.

 

[Aim]

Teething can be hell! My kids both had chapped rosey cheeks when they were teething- high fevers and were just crabby little things, plus runny noses.

Some doctors will tell you that teething does not cause those symptoms- I say BS! Both of my kids had each of the symptoms with every flippin' tooth! And they started early- 3 months old.

Anyways- if it is teething- have you seen Hylands Teething Tablets?? You can get them at Walmart/Target/Rite Aid. They worked really well for us with Cameron. They are an all natural tablet that you can dissolve into a bit of water.

http://www.hylands.com/products/teething.php


Good luck. I hope she feels better soon. Poor little pumpkin.