Dylan's 1st Cold

This is a "first" we could have done without for a while, but unfortunately it came a little sooner than we would have liked. It started late Sunday night with a little cough, but quickly turned into turned into a full blown cold Monday. He had a bad cough, runny nose, crusty eyes, etc. So needless to say we ran to the doctor as soon as possible Monday morning. The doctor said he had the start of an ear infection and a cold. Unfortunately, she told us that there wasn't a lot we could do other than to get a humidifier to help his breathing and make sure he gets plenty of fluids. She told us to keep a close eye on him and check his temperature regularly- if his temp went over 100.3 we needed to bring him in immediately.

Unfortunately, yesterday morning his fever went to 100.7 so we brought him back to the doctor. After she checked him out, she advised us to go straight to the Emergency Room at Children's Hospital. Panic. Our pediatrician told us that it is usually nothing when infants get sick like this, but they don't like to take any chances. She ordered a full round of tests- x-rays, bloodwork, spinal tap, etc.

We arrived at Children's Hospital around noon. Dylan did great with all of the tests- he barely even cried. I think the whole thing was much harder on Dustin and I. The doctor and nurses told us we would most likely be admitted. They automatically admit all infants for 48 hours if ANY of the tests come back even the slightest bit abnormal. Thank goodness all the tests came back completely normal!!! They said the fever could be explained by the ear infection and told us they had no reason to think anything else was wrong. They gave him a round of antibiotics through an IV (watching the IV go in was the hardest part of the day) for the ear and upper respiratory infection. They also used a machine to clear his sinus cavity out twice. We were discharged around 6PM.

Since we have been home Dylan is doing much better. He's not fussy at all- just very very tired. He is breastfeeding again which is a HUGE relief! The last few days he just been too tired to breastfeed, which is so unlike him. We are also supplementing with formula to help him build up his strength again.

We had a follow-up appointment at the pediatrician's office today which went very well. His fever is down to 99.2. The ear infection is still in the early stages (glad we caught it early) so they gave him a shot with more antibiotics. We go back tomorrow for another follow-up. They will most likely start him on a 10-day cycle of oral antibiotics tomorrow if he continues to improve.

We still have no idea how he got sick. The doctor said he could have gotten it anywhere because it is most likely it is an air-born virus. Since birth we have been in out of the doctor's office so I have a feeling he picked it up there- even though we were religious about keeping him covered, nobody touching him, using hand sanitizer, etc. Just goes to show you can never be too careful!!

As scary as this whole process has been, we just feel so lucky that it isn't something more serious. We will keep everyone posted with updates. Thanks for all your love and support!