My Baby sleeps peacefully again!

It was on a balmy afternoon and one of those rare (read: precious) moments when I got some time to myself and what caught my eyes was my son’s Baby Book. My heart literally skipped a beat when I started gazing through the same. So many cuddles, toothless grins and hugs….I was getting soaked at each page with so much love, until the last page of the year that read…..

His first cold!

A miserable milestone, and not usually one to grab the camera for. Still, it’s a milestone every baby will eventually pass through. And if you are a parent of a 2 year old, you would know this is serious business. When their little noses are too congested up to breathe, they’re simply too young to understand the situation. And they just look at you with puffy eyes that say, “Why, WHY has my nose completely stopped working?” They are so distressed that they begin to cry, which of course makes the stuffy nose worse. It is at this point you realise you are in for a very long night.

Fortunately our kids never had a perennial problem of nose congestion (I have seen a lot of babies who encounter nasal congestion because of allergies!), but there was that one particular night when our son had a head cold and it was our first brush with nasal congestion.

I remember how awful I felt listening to him struggle to breathe. On top of that, I felt so helpless because my baby didn’t know how to blow his nose yet! Babies are obligatory nose breathers which makes them even more uncomfortable with a blocked nose. He seemed so frustrated of the situation himself that only one thing – and one thing alone – would soothe him. He wanted to sleep right on my chest clasping my neck tightly and my arms wrapped around him! That’s what a congested nose does to a baby, right? Makes him clingy & cranky! And if I shifted from this precarious position, he would awake from his fragile, stuffy sleep and begin to cry desperately, “No, mumma sleep”.

I lay there with him, not sleeping much at all. I could feel the discomfort even he was facing lying in that position with a nasal congestion. With a congested nose, the nasal passage gets obstructed causing the baby to suffer at night because of difficulty in breathing. And a disturbed sleep is directly proportional to a cranky baby (and mommy!) the following day!

Anyway, coming back to the night…

His feverish little body touched mine, and it made things a bit toasty. His breathing was loud and gravelly, as he struggled to breathe well. Babies deal with nasal congestion differently. They mostly end up breathing through their mouth because of a congested nose. And guess what, as your little one relies on breathing through his mouth, the lips and the roof of her mouth may also end up drying up.

I lay there, nose-to-nose with him, inhaling the air he was exhaling and knowing that in 24 hours this cold was going to be lodged in my head, too (he sneezed on me a couple of times, from a distance of 1.5 inches, you see!).

The humidifier roared on his other side, making my hair feel damp.

There were a lot of reasons to feel miserable.

Know my least favorite part about baby congestion? The snot crystals that line the rim of the nostrils like a margarita glass. I can’t stand them.  It’s like an itch I have to scratch.  I see a snot crust and my hand automatically begins searching around for a soft wet napkin to start scrubbing.

Just as I began to wish there was another solution to this whole situation, I did what came natural. I hopped onto Facebook and asked for help. All of my lady friends were a huge help, not only showing concern for grumpy bear and support for a tired Mama, but they offered up some really great advice that came in really handy, and eventually did the trick! 

The next moment I heard the little one cough, very gingerly I placed him on the pillow with head elevated to ease his breathing. Meanwhile my husband fetched Nasivion® Paediatric (Child) Nose Drops from the chemist next door, after consulting a pediatrician. I read the back of the Nasivion® Paediatric (Child) Nose Drops, and the bottle states that it can be used for children aged between 1 to 6 years. Instilling 1-2 drops into each nostril 2-3 times per day does the trick, as specified on the pack. 

With a bit of resistance and a few yells & whoopes, the mission got accomplished! ***

Soon the little one rolled over to a more comfortable posture on the bed. His little arm tightened around me. And his hoarse voice whispered, “Kinoo loves mumma.”

And then he drifted back to his sleep.

I was overcome, in that moment, by a realization. No matter what my little baby was going through, no matter what silly sacrifices might be required of me, I knew that just by being there, I was making him feel better. And, in one of the more miraculous aspects of motherhood, I knew the day is coming, so desperately soon, when I wouldn’t have a solution to his problems. Till then, I would rather spend this time holding him tight, looking at him and perhaps memorizing every inch of his little face. I was enough for him and that meant the world to me!

Go Mommy!

*** I must clarify here that we had been suggested Nasivion® Mini (Baby) Nose Drops when our babies were born because they used to make an unusual grunty sound from their nose while crying! So we were not apprehensive in using the nasal drops this time too for our son. In short, please consult your doctor before using any such medication for your baby.

Also, Nasivion® Saline Drops must be considered as the first line of treatment as it is safe and can be used by anyone. If the problem aggravates, then after consulting the doctor you can opt for Nasivion® Mini (Baby) Nose Drops or Nasivion® Paediatric (Child) Nose Drops depending on the age of your child.

For more details visit http://happynosehappymom.com/