Quit Breastfeeding. Give Pedialyte.
Do winch your jaws up off the floor, because that's exactly what the emergency-room doctor told me today. I just about fainted.
Perhaps a little background is in order.
This has been a lousy week. Dominic got the stomach flu on Sunday, I got it on Monday, and we were just poorly organized and cranky all week. Today, I took the boys out for our normal Friday errand-running and Tim Horton's fix. When I went to change Philippe's diaper, I noticed he had had a huge poop, and then I noticed his feet were blue. Blue. At first, I thought his shoes were too tight, but then I saw that his hands were blue too. Weird.
Later on, once we had gotten home and put Dominic to bed, Philippe spit up a bunch of times, in a lovely arc, and turned blue again, this time to the lips. I phoned the nurse care line (I loooooooove that service) and she told me to take him to the hospital immediately. Very nervous, I gathered everyone up and went.
It turns out that cyanosis, a very cool word but a very scary thing, can be a side effect of the flu in young infants. After they expel a lot of liquid, by vomiting or diarrhea, it affects the fluid in their bodies so much that their circulation is compromised. It is so weird.
Anyway, the doctor said very casually to me that I should just stop nursing him for a couple of days and give him Pedialyte in a bottle.
I gaped. There are SO many things wrong with that statement that I just didn't know where to begin. When the doctor saw my face he asked me what was wrong and I could only stammer out 'Are you sure?' (He was not impressed.)
*long rant*
Firstly, can you imagine what effect that kind of statement would have on someone that was not very enthusiastic about nursing, or even very unsure of herself? That would kill it dead right there. Secondly, can you imagine saying that to someone who doesn't.. well, let me just say it.. someone who is not overbright or who does not think analytically? Eric's aunt, who is of that description, actually gave her son flat sprite in a bottle for years and years because some pediatrician told her to do it when he had the flu. Finally, Health Canada would have him strung up for saying the words 'Stop nursing' consecutively; there is such a big push to promote breastfeeding that you cannot say that stuff. It is important to phrase it in such a way that nursing is encouraged. (This may sound really nitpicky but I think it's important in this case; so many people are hanging on to breastfeeding by a thread and something that stupid could make them stop.)
Now, I'm not even into all the problems that could cause with the actual nursing process. How do you keep up your supply? What do you do when your plastic-hating baby is screaming and screaming for the breast and refuses the bottle? Does this man even know what breastfeeding entails?My guess is no, because when I finally got myself together and said 'Don't you mean to stop formula?', he said 'What's the difference?' Uh..
*/long rant*
Anyhow, I got hold of a pharmacist, a lactation consultant, and our group coordinator, and the consensus, for those of you still reading is as follows: if your infant has the flu and is vomiting and has diarrhea, go ahead and give them small amounts of Pedialyte in a dropper or a cup (NEVER a bottle) every fifteen or twenty minutes for two to four hours, then offer the breast. Repeat until the symptoms are gone.
Philippe is already feeling better.
This week has sucked.
Perhaps a little background is in order.
This has been a lousy week. Dominic got the stomach flu on Sunday, I got it on Monday, and we were just poorly organized and cranky all week. Today, I took the boys out for our normal Friday errand-running and Tim Horton's fix. When I went to change Philippe's diaper, I noticed he had had a huge poop, and then I noticed his feet were blue. Blue. At first, I thought his shoes were too tight, but then I saw that his hands were blue too. Weird.
Later on, once we had gotten home and put Dominic to bed, Philippe spit up a bunch of times, in a lovely arc, and turned blue again, this time to the lips. I phoned the nurse care line (I loooooooove that service) and she told me to take him to the hospital immediately. Very nervous, I gathered everyone up and went.
It turns out that cyanosis, a very cool word but a very scary thing, can be a side effect of the flu in young infants. After they expel a lot of liquid, by vomiting or diarrhea, it affects the fluid in their bodies so much that their circulation is compromised. It is so weird.
Anyway, the doctor said very casually to me that I should just stop nursing him for a couple of days and give him Pedialyte in a bottle.
I gaped. There are SO many things wrong with that statement that I just didn't know where to begin. When the doctor saw my face he asked me what was wrong and I could only stammer out 'Are you sure?' (He was not impressed.)
*long rant*
Firstly, can you imagine what effect that kind of statement would have on someone that was not very enthusiastic about nursing, or even very unsure of herself? That would kill it dead right there. Secondly, can you imagine saying that to someone who doesn't.. well, let me just say it.. someone who is not overbright or who does not think analytically? Eric's aunt, who is of that description, actually gave her son flat sprite in a bottle for years and years because some pediatrician told her to do it when he had the flu. Finally, Health Canada would have him strung up for saying the words 'Stop nursing' consecutively; there is such a big push to promote breastfeeding that you cannot say that stuff. It is important to phrase it in such a way that nursing is encouraged. (This may sound really nitpicky but I think it's important in this case; so many people are hanging on to breastfeeding by a thread and something that stupid could make them stop.)
Now, I'm not even into all the problems that could cause with the actual nursing process. How do you keep up your supply? What do you do when your plastic-hating baby is screaming and screaming for the breast and refuses the bottle? Does this man even know what breastfeeding entails?My guess is no, because when I finally got myself together and said 'Don't you mean to stop formula?', he said 'What's the difference?' Uh..
*/long rant*
Anyhow, I got hold of a pharmacist, a lactation consultant, and our group coordinator, and the consensus, for those of you still reading is as follows: if your infant has the flu and is vomiting and has diarrhea, go ahead and give them small amounts of Pedialyte in a dropper or a cup (NEVER a bottle) every fifteen or twenty minutes for two to four hours, then offer the breast. Repeat until the symptoms are gone.
Philippe is already feeling better.
This week has sucked.
posted by Coco at 9:53 p.m.
21 Comments:
Oh my....I would have probably gone off the deep end, and I'm nowhere close to a breastfeeding advocate. Forget breastfeeding v bottle feeding - that isn't even HEALTHY for an infant! Not to mention how hard instant weaning is on a mother who is already stressed about a sick child who can't get it's nutrients from anything BUT milk of some form. What a flipping idiot! I certainly hope you called a higher being within the hospital to report his moronic statements and reasons why he's such a dumb doorknob.
*shakes head in disbelief*
I forgot to add, I'm glad Beeloop is feeling better already. It had to have been scary to have him turning blue and projectile vomiting.
This was scary. I'm so glad that you got good, useful information from the pharmacist, lactation consultant, and counselor. I hope you're all better and oot and aboot real soon. (Canadian spelling of out and about)
That was some pretty frightful medical advice you got there.
I am happy to hear la petit is feeling better. He looks adorable in those pictures down there! Le bon homme!
Sorry you are having a bad week. I would offer you a ginger cookie to lift your spirits but they are too wickedly good to share.
*wonders if the secret ingerdient in cookies is breastmilk*
*hug* The nicer weather is almost here.
Oh, I'm glad Beeloop is okay!
Some doctors, mostly male but female too, are complete ignoramuses about breast feeding.
Altho, think of all the cookies you could have made for Monsty!
FWIW, when my kids were a few months old and in the heat of summer I had their dad give them one small bottle of water each day. It was a nice bonding thing for them and did not effect my (established) nursing ability at all.
They just thought that daddy had funny nipples and kind of tasteless milk. But he talked to them the whole time, and maintained that nursing-level eye contact that babies crave so much.
When she was older I remember my middle daughter sitting on dad's lap and gently examining his nipples. Then she gave him a look of such compassion. Poor Daddy; his nipples didn't work.
Wow, how scary that sounds. Glad to hear Beelop is doing better. I'm assuming that Dominic and you are both better, also?
I don't get it.
Where does the whiskey come in?
Very scary.
I can remember the first time I was told to give Pedialyte in a bottle, which kept coming right back up. And then my favorite doctor suggested the dropper thing. I have done that whenever he is sick since.
Glad he is better. Both of them.
*swipes a ginger cookie from monsty and gives it to coco*
Should we change your blog name to Coconut's Pedialyte?
LOL at Swami's hubby's nipples.
Conner used to lay in bed with Micahel in the mornings and used to be fascinated with Michael's nipples. After the second time, he wore shirts.
Wow!
*picks jaw up off the floor*
Holy Crap.
I'm a big fan of breastfeeding. So much so that I have to shut up a lot.
This makes me stutter.
Glad the little couch potato is feeling better, poor little thing. You must have been so scared. Poor mommy, too.
I don't know nuthin bout havin no babies, Ms. Scarlett.
Or something like that.
Happy Mother's Day!
Sorry you had a bad day. Happy Mother's Day though.
Hmmm. I like the end advice...I read the whole thing being very confused, since the little I know about this was that pedialyte was good and useful in this case but I couldn't reconcile that with all the other things you said. Phew. I'm glad you all figured it out. (Someday I will be quite glad to already know these tidbits.)
Glad to hear that Beeloop is doing better...Happy Mother's Day to an awesome mom.
Freaky doctors. Thank Goodness you are not a panicky mother. I have always heard that you should never stop either breast feeding or formula if an infant is sick. They are still being hydrated by their only source of food!
Poor Beeloop with the blue feet and lips! That is really terrifying! I always hear "call a dcotor immediately if extremities and lips are blue!"
Trips to emergency room=so scary
Awwwwwwwwww poor Beeloop! Poor Dominou! Poor Poor Coco *HUGS*
Is everyone feeling good this week? I sure hope so.
*ignores all the breastfeeding mumbo-jumbo*
*big hugs* to the Coco family. I'm glad everyone is feeling better.
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