Premmie Mums #7

Hi girls!
Being a parent can be overwhelming at the best of times & that feeling can be compounded if your baby is premature or has health problems that require a stay in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or a Special Care Nursery (SCN). This thread is here to help you gain, & provide support to other parents going through similar experiences.

If there is anything you would like to discuss about the thread or have any problems then please contact one of the moderators. All emails/PM's are treated confidentiality.

Astrolady astrolady@bellybelly.com.au ~ Administrator
kirsty kirsty@bellybelly.com.au
Ambah Ambah@bellybelly.com.au ~ Senior Moderator
Sammi-j raven@bellybelly.com.au

Woohoo I'm up first..
Well, Willows 2 top teeth have finally come down, its only taken 2 months. And she is sitting up by herself now, which is really good because we got her an activity center for her birthday and she has to be able to sit up to use it.
Nic, How is Nixon feeling, Is he any better??
I hope everyone is well.

Raven

Thanks everyone.
Nixon is slowly getting better. he stopped vomitting Sunday but still been lots of dirty nappies. he is eating again but become really fussy which he has never been. he will have a few spoon fulls then **** his mouth or spit food out or gag on even non lumpy stuff? i dont know if his appetite is still getting back together or he is now going to be a bugger to eat! he ate about 3 small spoon fulls of dinner last night then refused anything else. even a bisc didnt entice him other then playing with it. so trying to be patient with it. yeah its been 10days since he was first sick, gosh its been a long 10days!

WTG willow for sitting up by yourself clever girl!

Thats good news Nic! I'm sure Nixon's appetite is just getting itself back together, it will come good soon. Has he got a fav food?? Maybe try him on that, then slowly go from there. I'm just glad he is getting better :)
Good Luck

Raven

Hey Nic,
Glad to hear that your little man is feeling a bit better. I hate Gastro. It's horrible and hangs on forever. Don't be surprised if he gets a cold now and then another gastro type bug. I know it's awful but that's the way the current bug out there is going.
With the food... I think that it is just that he has been sick and he is pulling himself up. Ivy and Noah were like that for ages after they had it. Were very reluctant to eat alot. After about a week though their appetite slowly came back.
Big hugs to you, it's exhausting when the littlies get sick, isn't it?
Hope that you are doing ok and that you don't get it. Big hugs to Nixon.

Hi Nic, I think what Tiggy said is right on target. IMHO even after the bug is gone, the bowel is still irritated & things take a bit to settle. Poor little guy. I don't know how you'll react to this idea, but what about giving him a bit of flat Sprite? This was suggested by a nurse friend when my first baby had gastro. It gives them extra fluid & energy just to get over a couple of days. The few times I've needed to do this, I've just bought one bottle or can & when it was gone, that was it. Does he like banana? If so that would be perfect too: it's a constipating food, which is what he needs now, and plenty of fruit sugar in it for energy.

I took Gemma to the GP yesterday for her 6 month visit. He said she looks great: weight 6.2 kg. I asked about iron & told him about the hospital records being wrong, not hearing back from the liaison nurse, etc. He rolled his eyes over that. Then he said not to worry, that low haemoglobin problems generally happen with prems when the baby hasn't started cereal by 6 months, for whatever reason. Since she has, we should have no problems. She's not pale, doesn't seem lethargic, or anything like that. Quite the contrary--I wish she would sleep more!! She's very unsettled today after the needles. DS no 3 got one too: meningococcal C, which he missed out on last year. He gave the GP an evil look but didn't cry!

Castle,
Great to hear that your GP thinks everything is good with Gemma. Was hoping that would be the case.
LOL on DS's withering look, I can imagine!

Thanks for the tips Castle, actually i gave Nixon bananna for dinner and he ate most of it!
but then come bed time was another story. he fell asleep at 7pm (early then usual) so i put him to bed and then headed to my neighbours. when i returned 30min later he was back up and wide awake. had a play started getting tired so i put him back to bed about 8.30pm. From this time onwards dh and i took turns to go settle him, this is unlike Nixon but he just kept carrying on.
Eventually we sat in our bedroom on our bed and he was once again happy as larry and wide awake (mind u he'd been awake since 1.30pm) i suggested we give him half a bottle might help get him ready for bed, as dh went to give it to him he vomitted all over our bed. I had a spew cloth there and quickly held it in front of him, he continued to throw up more then i have ever seen. For about 30seconds he just kept bringing it up, projectile. Up came all that banana (which really was the only solid food he had all day)
2mins later he was back to smiling and giggling.....

so i dont know if this is why he wouldnt settle because he was happy just moments b4 and after.

and i had the runs yesterday too, i seem to be ok so far today though.

Ugh gastro is horrible! I would suggest no solids for him for at least 24 hours.

DS no 3 had lots of feeding issues, BF until 11.5 months (far less than the first 2), and always had to have comp bottle feeds. I was a bit worried about how to stop bottles but he got a bad gastro attack, just like Nixon, a week after his first birthday. He threw up anything with milk in it: formula, cow's milk, goat's milk. I ended up giving him flat Sprite and that electolyte replacement drink you can get at the chemist, for about 3 days. (can't remember the name of it?? but that is what it's meant for. Tiggy should know.)
And lol, once that was over so were the bottles! I'm not saying this will or should happen to Nixon, just that I know what it's like to wipe up after a big spew! They always seem so cheerful after one too. His poor little tummy must feel so irritated.

I hope you don't get it too! (or dh, I hate it when men are sick).

Gastrolyte

yeah actually i got some of them about a week ago in the iceblocks. Nixon didnt like the teste of it but i just put some into hit water bottle.
he hasnt thrown up today, or even done a poo so hoping the worst is finally over.

Thats great news Nic. Hears hoping it IS finally finished and life starts to get back to normal for you. Theres nothing worse then having gastro in the house because everyone seems to get it.

Raven

Happy 1st Birthday. little Willow!!:happyforyou:

Hope you had a lovely day.
Happy birthing day Raven, hope your day was full of happy memories and lovely hugs and kisses.

Oh Happy Birthday Miss Willow!
I hope you had a very fun day and got lots of pressies!

Hi

I am new to this forum so I hope you do not mind be jumping in.

I gave birth to my first daughter Hollie Summer on the 1st December 2006 @ 34 weeks. She was 2.3kg and 48cm long. She spent 2 weeks in the SCN which was horrible and now I am having the joys of colic, reflux and crappy weight gains.

She is 3 months and is only 4.8kg. She is on Lovac for her reflux and its making her constipated and not stopping the reflux. I am also giving ger gavascon infant.

Any tips ??

Natalie

Hi Natalie, congratulations on the birth of your daughter Hollie.
Tell us a bit about what happened, why did she decide to come early?
I had my son at 33weeks he was almost the same size as Hollie at 2.29kg & 48cm
we also went through the joys of reflux/colic and slow weight gain in the begining.
Just looking at Nixon's charts and he was 4.2kg at 3months so Hollie is doing very well, even if she is gaining less then other babies.
How long has she been on losac for? It can take a few weeks to start working right, Nixon was on Zantac and if they dont take the correct amount for the weight it can have no affect on them.

Other things (and im not sure if ur already doing them or not) are
1.propping her basinett/cot up onto a 45degree angle
2.Keeping her upright for 20-30min after feeds
3.propping the change table up/ or turning her on the side to change rather then lifting her legs up which might squish her tummy
4.lay on a 45degree angle yourself and put her on your chest, still getting tummy time but not directly on her tummy where it may hurt or be uncomfortable
5.rolling up a towel or small pillow to put under her if u do put her on the floor for tummy time.
6. If breastfeeding try feeding her on an angle so she is more upright/ if bottle feeding same deal.

Thats about all i can think of now, many mums in here have dealt with reflux babies too and may have some other tips.
For Nixon his reflux started getting better when he started sitting up at around 8months of age.

Thanks Ladies,
We all had a great day, even with the bit of rain we still got to have most of her party outside which I was really happy about.
I have updated Willow's webpage with the pics of her birthday. She looked like such a little Princess. (Well she has always been a little Princess...lol) But more so today, You'll see what I mean when you see the pics.

Welcome to the group Natalie and congrats on the birth of your little Girl Hollie.

Anyway, How is everyone going?? All well and happy I hope.

Raven

Hi Natalie and welcome to the group. Hollie sounds as though she is doing well for a prem bub. Ivy and Noah were born at 30 weeks and weighed in at 1600g and 1700g. They were boofers for 30 weekers! We have also had the joys of colic and terrible, terrible reflux. Nic has made all good suggestions. I haven't got anything better for you. Hope to hear more from you. It'll be nice to get to know you.

Raven so glad that you had a great day! Off to look at your princess now.

We are all good. Both are over their ills and Noah has started standing on his own for short periods!!!! I always thought it would be Ivy first because she was up and cruising weeks before him but he has mastered balance now. Maybe Ivy is struggling because of the middle ear infections, not sure.
Other than that, we are still going to Prelude (early intervention group) and we are planning on swimming lessons soonish.
I've not been coping well with night duty and then having to stay awake all the next day with the babies, so I am dropping a shift a week from next month. It comes at a good time because it is William's anniversary and angel day in April.
So that's us, just plodding along now until the (very belated) hearing test and then our appointment for Ivy with the ENT.

Hi Natalie and welcome to the group. Congratulations on Hollie's birth.
My youngest daughter Gemma is now 7 months old. She was born at 33 weeks, 1800g. She was in NICU for 2 weeks as well. Luckily we had no reflux problems, but we dealt with poor weight gain for a looong time. You may see an improvement this month. With G, once she was 3 months old, she turned a corner. It was as if she woke up & started feeding & growing. However, really good weight gain did not happen until 6 months, once I started her on rice cereal mixed with formula. As long as your doctor is happy with her weight gain, don't worry. Everyone tells me that it will creep on over the first year or 18 months.
Lots of people have problems with reflux anyway--without prematurity. But I know it makes everything much harder.
DS no 3 also had terrible problems with weight gain (he was not premie). It took a full year before he stayed on the 25th percentile. It seemed that nothing we could do could make it stick to his bones. He's now a tall, skinny 2 year old. It is frustrating, but time will help a lot.

And Raven congrats on Willow's birthday!! I always think it's the MUM who really deserves the congratulations on birthdays. She looks gorgeous. I hope we are doing as well at one year.

Raven- willow's photo's are great she does look like a gorgeous princess! im glad it was a great day.
Tiff- How did you know or find out that Ivy had a middle ear infection? ive been wondering what signs and symptoms babies show for ear infections
Natalie- as Castle also said Nixon didnt really start to gain a lot of weight until he was about 6months either. until then he was a lot smaller then babies his actual age or even corrected age but after 6months he just took off like a rocket, now he a plump little boy with fat rolls!

speaking of birthday parites i have to start getting Nixon's organised. We are having it back up in Sydney combined with his cousin Alyssa who is 4 days his junior. Mum and dad have offered their place for the venue, my sis and I have put a list together now we just have to get some invites.
Q: those who already had a 1st bday party, do u do up lollie bags? if so what did u put in them? Tiff if i remember correctly u had some really awesome bags u gave to the kiddies?? we are inviting about 20 children but half of them will be under 1yr old.

Nic, for the first couple of bdays I did not do lollie bags at all. I just focused on having a good time with the parents :) lots to drink, yummy things to eat....for one party I think I gave the mums each a nice lip balm.
When the older boys got bigger, I still rarely did lollies. I like to go to Bunnings or similar & get things like a mini measuring tape, a roll of masking tape, & make that up into bags with a Freddo or pack of Smarties each. Sometimes GoLo or the $2 shop will have goodies too....plastic magnifying glasses...a set of nesting plastic boxes. Believe me, masking tape alone is enough to make a group of 4 year old boys VERY happy. :D

It will be fun planning girl parties now!

Nic,
With Ivy she is usually unwell with a cold to start with. The first couple of times I was too late and her eardrum perforated and that's how I knew. Mostly now, it goes something like this... Ivy has a cold (usually a very runny nose) then she will pull her ears,stick her fingers in her ears, hold her hands over her ears, run an incredibly high temp, between 38.5 - 39.8 degrees and scream. Boy, does she scream and she doesn't settle either, she just wants to be held and comforted and I can't put her down. Lying down is the worst for her, she can't seem to bare it. Usually, I check everything else before I assume it's a middle ear infection and then we hightail it to the docs.

Having said that, with one of my other girls, she was so chronic that in the end, she didn't run temps anymore, it was only when her behaviour changed that I figured something wasn't right and with another of the girls, I never had any idea until the drum perforated, her behaviours never differed. She would be sick though, with a cold or asthma or something else.
I'm sure Castle could tell you alot more on the S&S of otitis media.
When we go to the docs, they look to see if the drum is clear, translucent, red, bulging (with fluid) depending on what they find, depends on the severity of the infection. Latest research suggests that up to 80% of infections are viral but another paper suggests that all babies under the age of 18 months be treated with ABs as it is difficult to ascertain which it is, without a swab or bloods. With Ivy, if it Viral, her temps tend to stay low grade, high 37's up to mid 38's. Ivy has had so many now, I can get on top of it quickly, IF I can get into a GP!!

How exciting to be planning Nixon's birthday party! I remember when you announced his birth!
We had a combination of big kids and little kids party bags. For the older kids I had a mixture of lollies and party treats. I found some great stuff at Spotlight's Spartys - a bendy man, a big packet of nic nacs for pinatas, stuff that kids think are cool.
With the bubbas, I put in a bib, a jar of baby food, a baby juice popper,some fruit sticks and a little photo frame, or something like that. We bought plain coloured paper bags and pasted a photocopied photo of Ivy and Noah on the front. They turned out really well.

The best thing we bought for the party, that kept all the kids amused for ages was a bubble machine! The party was outside and the kids chased the bubbles around everywhere. We had such a good day.

Hi Girls

Thanks for the warm welcome and tips on the reflux. She has been on Losac for 2 weeks now so I will give it a bit longer to start working.

I developed pre-eclampsia and thats why Hollie was early. They incuded me as I was going downhill, she was quite happy in my tummy :p

Well my home computer is currently getting fixed so I can only jump on here when I am at work. I only work a couple of days a week for some extra cash and Hollie is with her Nanny...

Again thanks for the warm welcome and I look forward to getting to know you and your bubs better :)

Natalie

Hi there everyone,
Welcome Natalie!
And a late happy Birthday to Willow!!! Raven, glad to hear that the day was great!

Nic- We had party bags for Kyla's 1st. In the baby bags I put some lollies (for the mum), bubbles, cos every baby loves bubbles, and a little toy (they have great things at 'Socrates' like glowy flashy bath toys).

Kyla's doing good. She's pulling herself up alot more but is still going over heaps on her ankle. THe physio has arranged for a pead. orthopeadic person to come out to the group and fit her for orthotics which should help stablise her a bit. In the meantime we had to get some little boots fitted which really straighten her out when she stands but she really doesn't like them much!

I'm nearly at the end of my down-reg cycle for IVF now, one more week on syneral (which is giving me awful headaches!) and then hopefully will start the injections if all is well!

Hi Nic,
I saw in Tiff's last post that she said I could give you more on signs & symptoms of ear infections....LOL, I feel like an expert because I have continued to get them as an adult.
First of all, I've seen an ENT off & on for them & he told me that, no question, the reason I continue to have problems is b/c my parents let it go untreated, or tried low-key treatments, for far too long (years). My eardrums are both scarred, I don't hear well out of one ear, and I have a permanent hole in that eardrum from the grommet which was not put in until I was 15. So, it really is worth being aware of the problem & getting help if needed. Tiff & I had a long chat about this in the previous thread & you could look at that too.
She really gave you most of the big tips. Almost all of them start with a cold or some other kind of URI (cough/sore throat). If you get a strep infection in the ear, these characteristically have a VERY sudden onset and a lot of pain. The child seems OK and 20 minutes later is screaming in pain. These are the ones that you have to treat ASAP with an antibiotic because they lead straight to perforations. With a strep infection, also there is usually a notable fever.
Prems are at especial risk for ear infections because they can pick up gram-negative nasties in the hospital nursery, which are very hard to get rid of. It's generally agreed that the bacteria which cause ear infections in the first few months (for any baby) are not the same as the ones children tend to harbour as they grow older.
There are other bugs which cause infections in the ear & not all of them have the whammy punch of strep. The fever might be lower & the pain not as acute. When the kids are older, they can tell you more..."My heart is beating in my ear" (throbbing) or "it just hurts" or "it feels like my ear is full of water" (often happens with a low-grade, long term problem).
With a baby, it's more difficult to tell. Classic signs would be, very unsettled, screaming, pulling at the ear, disrupted sleep (lying down causes painful pressure in the ear). However, as Tiff said, every child is so different. I am very robust & don't "look sick", rarely have a fever, and that has been my pattern throughout life with ALL illnesses. Two of my boys are like that and with each of them I've taken them in to the GP & just said, "I think there's something wrong," and found a BAD ear infection. And that is given that I am VERY aware of ear infections & would be anxious to get them in if there were obvious signs; but for them all I could really see was unsettled behaviour & a couple of night wakings.
There's been a lot of press over the last 10 years about bacterial vs viral infections. Personally I think, & have done some reading to support this, what happens is that a secondary bacterial infection starts after an initial virus. I have a Handbook of Paediatrics (given to me by a nurse friend with strict instructions never to let a doctor know I had it). It says that when aspirates from middle ear infections are cultured, 94% show bacteria present. As for the other 6%, there could still have been bacteria, all it means is that they couldn't culture anything but a virus! Viruses seem to set up bacterial infections in the ear because they impair eustachian tube function, they alter normal bacterial patterns in the ear nose & throat, & they wear down your normal defences anyway.
The ENT also told me that in order to diagnose properly, you have to be able to view the eardrum. Sounds basic but if it's covered by wax you can't visualise it. This is not something that you the parent can tell. This wax is deep inside & has to be removed by the doctor. Also, the definitive diagnosis is made by using a pneumatic otoscope (blowing air to see how/if the eardrum moves). You are not going to see those 2 things done at a GP's office. The point is, "overdiagnosis" of otitis media is from doctors just looking in the ear & saying "yes it's red, let's start meds". Redness alone is not enough.
LOL, one of the most embarrassing things for me when I saw the ENT as an adolescent, was the wax removal. He would look in my ear & then take me into another room. He would put a wire thing, probably some kind of curette, down my ear, & take out the wax. Inevitably there was an enormous amount of sticky red wax; as a teenage girl this was mortifying. But I could immediately hear better with it gone! Then he would use the pneumatic otoscope, which I also hated, but that is the only way to tell if fluid is behind the eardrum (unless it's bulging & about to burst!).
For those who tend to have ear infections, I think it's important to:
1. get on a cold ASAP. Wipe often, blow gently if possible, try not to let the nose get stuffed up. When it does the eustachian tubes get blocked.
2. Keep the ears warm when the child has a cold/ear infection. The reason is that many of us have eustachian tubes that are shorter than they really should be, and very sensitive to fluid. A cool change in outdoor temperature, for me, makes my nose run a little. The extra fluid produced seems to easily go up my tubes to my ears & wreak havoc there. I know it sounds silly & grandmother-ish, but a hat really does make a difference in cool weather or when you have a cold.
3. Warm air indoors. DRESSING warmly is not as important as having the AIR warm. This is a biggie. You can feel warm & be well dressed, but if you're breathing cool air all the time, then you have the problem above, with fluid production. Several years ago whilst on holiday in NZ, I read a thingie in the paper there saying that the WHO recommends an average indoor air temp of 18 for optimal good health. All I could think was woo hoo! someone is on my side! It doesn't mean that you need it so warm inside that you could wear shorts in the house all winter. But if your child has a cold, it will help to leave a radiator on in their room, turned low, all night.
4. Active treatment of coughs & sore throats. Instead of waiting to see how it goes...use a good cough syrup, especially at night. For sore throats, lots of liquids to drink and hard lollies to suck on. The ENT told me that "medicated" cough drops are fairly worthless, any hard lolly will do--barley sugar etc. Of course, not an option for babies.
5. Frequent hand washing. I also got some alcohol gel & have it in a little bottle in my handbag, for times when I can't get to running water.
I have LOTS more information :) if you could possibly want to know any more after all this! just let me know.

Hi all,

Tiff & Castle i just wanted to say thanks for all the info on ear infections. now i know what to look out for and will use those posts as i guide if in doubt!

So how is everyone?
Nixon is well, he is commando crawling everywhere now and getting faster at it,thismorning he followed me around the whole house while i vacummed which was cute but took me twice as long to get the job done!
he still really only saying dad that is clear, lots of other mumble that i cannot make out i am dying for him to start saying mum! Maybe by his first bday he will surprise me with it.

speaking of which Ronan's First birthday is this Saturday! Hope he has a fabulous day Racs!

hope you are all well

Hi Nickers,
How cute - Nixon following you around! Is he all over his vomitting now?
Rac- Ohhh. I can't believe that Ronan's 1st b'day is nearly upon us!! Hope you are both doing well.

Kyla's first molar has just broken through. I think it's causing her a bit of pain poor thing.

They often say Dad first! It's easy to tell who's really exciting in their life.

Hey Nic! Great news about Nixon's crawling and following you. Very cute

We are good. Ivy and Noah are both having small periods of time where they are standing alone. Noah can stand unaided for about three minutes now. It's amazing! I never thought we'd get there...well, ok, I knew we would but it just seemed a long way off! They are tag team tornados at the moment. They have the morning ritual of demolishing the loungeroom and then we are good to go for the day! Ivy, who started letting go first, is having real issues staying upright.

Not much else to report. Ivy had another ear infection last week that resulted in perforation. She is so much better this week though. Next week we have our long awaited hearing test and then the week after that, we are off to the ENT (YAY).

Carrie, good to see you around. How is everything going with you? How is Kyla?

Rac, wishing you an amazing birthing day and Ronan the best first birthday ever!!!

Castle, what is your gorgeous girl up to?

Hi Tiff,
I just had a look at your latest photos. Ivy and Noah are getting BIG! I love the ones of them with the girls. They are doing so well standing up by themselves!
It must be difficult having to cope with ear problems all the time though. Is there a reason that she keeps getting them?
Kyla's doing good. As I said, her 1st molar is coming through and she will see the orthopeadic person on Monday.
As for me, I started injections yesterday for IVF - so start send good vibes this way!!!
PS- How cute are those starbunz nappies. I've been really slack and haven't used cloth for a while. I just can't seem to get on top of the washing and ironing. But I HAVE to soon.... I feel bad!

Oh Carrie, I will be sending every good vibe I can muster your way. Hoping that you have a successful cycle!
Hope Kyla's appointment goes well too.
I think with Ivy's ear infections, she's just prone to them. Short eustatian tubes and I wide bridge accross the nose, reflux and being prem, it all stacks against her. All my other girls had it too. Noah is blissfully unaware!
Yes, they are getting big! Noah is 11kgs and Ivy is just over 10kg but they are tall too. They grow up so fast!

ETA: Yep love the starbunz but am loving the Berry Plush too atm. Don't feel bad. THe washing and ironing are piled to the sky in this house!

Hi all.
Gemma is doing well & looking soo adorable. She wants to walk & run around the house & yard with her older brother(s). However, have to crawl first! She spends lots of time on her tum and can pull & 'clock' around incredibly far. The event of the morning was that she pulled her knees under her & started rocking a bit. I actually hope it holds off till after Easter b/c we are going away & it would be much easier with a non-crawler. She's not sitting alone either. The ideal would be to have a sitting, but not crawling, baby whilst on holiday. :)
Gotta tell you that I do very little ironing. I love the look, but...unless it's essential, I don't. Essential: DH's shirts, many of mine, anything linen... Non-essential: school clothes.

Tiff- The reason I ask about the ear infections is because when I was little I always had them and burst ear drums. I had my tonsils and adenoids out to no avail and they finally worked out that it was a milk allergy for me.

Castle - Sounds like Gemma is going great guns! What's the bet she starts crawling when you're away - just to add a little extra excitement to your life!!
I also try to iron as little as possible. But usually end up leaving things sitting in the dryer for too long so they get crumpled...and then I HAVE to iron them.

Just dampen a hand towel (lightweight, ideally) and put it in the dryer with the wrinkled things!! And then use the buzzer to get them out on time. Cheers!

Castle- that is it pull and 'clock' around is what Sam & Joel do all day ... I haven't heard that before thanks.
Joel is up rocking on all fours now a week or so but nothing more than a few thrusts and flops forward. Both are sitting but still topple over forwards reaching for toys or backwards when they have had enough sitting.

Carrie - goodluck with cycling - all my strength and vibes to you. I wish you another miracle :wink:

Nic- Nixon is going great by sound of it. His pic is gorgeous what a winning smile.

Tiff- wait till Noah & Ivy really take off ... who will be chasing who and who will be following you too. You must be so proud of them both.

Castle - hope DD is comfy sitting around.I was glad mine weren't crawling when we were caravaning last week.
Your ears sound like mine. You have alot of knowledge - more than I know. But your story sounds just like mine.
I had very good medical care as child to no avail - my ears are crap.I still have constant infections and dud hearing in both ears.Them smoking (parents not my ears) I guess didn't help matters. I have seen so many ENT's specialists - had surgery a few times child (partial mastoidectomy)/adult and had grommits as adult too. I give up now. Tell me more I will have to do something soon.

My niece (Ms9) has terrible ear infections too (so did my bro) and my SIL is at her wits end - Ms 9 has large perforation -was due to have surgery in April school holidays -tympanic graft. But has had 3 infections/weeping so far this year - ENT DR today said won't operate till clear for 3 months - also poor ENT specialist told SiL he has prostrate cancer and having surgery soon - and won't be back for at least 6 weeks after that (:crossfingers:) .
SiL said she might have to look for new ENT Dr - we are in Sydney.

I hope my boys are spared this.

Oh Trish, your poor SIL & niece. Sounds like she needs surgery SOONER rather than later! I know this sounds like the opposite of what most people do, but would your SIL consider coming up here to Newcastle?? We have a paediatric ENT here who is excellent. He told me that he is the only paed ENT in Australia (meaning, he's done paediatrics and ENT--nearly all ENTs will see kids, but aren't paediatric specialists). He does have a pretty good waiting list, but it sounds like they are down to wait several months anyway. Tiff is taking Ivy to see him at the end of the month. I have never taken my kids to see him, just met him socially.
As far as adult tips, I think there isn't much more to say--sadly! For me, it got better once I was into my thirties. Also, being a SAHM helped. Hand washing is huge; I try to never get a cold. The other thing I've done is get treated for allergies & asthma. I know now that a lot of what I thought of as 'colds' were actually allergies. Not trying to blame the parents (esp not now that I am one!) but they simply didn't recognise this, because I can see now that I've had them for a long time. Asthma was also diagnosed, to my surprise b/c I am not a wheezer, but the doctor spent a long time talking to me about it & now they place more emphasis on coughs. I have an inhaler but I rarely need it. For example, last time was when I was visiting my parents in winter. They had a fire in the fireplace, & I had a cold when i got there. The smoke added on to the cold was enough.
When I do need an antibiotic, I insist on getting 10 days' worth. The GP will often resist that, but I just say that my hx means i need that. Otherwise, it's not killed 'dead' iykwim.
OK, must go, people need big brekkies before their cricket finals!

thanks Castle I will let her know anyway.
Goodluck for bigboys cricket finals - my DS played cricket a few seasons hope the day is a pleasant one weather wise.

Thanks for the tip Castle, i'll have to try that one!

Hi there Trish, glad to see that you and your beautiful boys are doing well. They are looking absolutly gorgeous too! Thanks for the good vibes :)

VERY SHAMELESS BOAST TIME

I just wanted to boast to you all that My little Ivy girl took two whole steps on her own this afternoon!!!!!!!! WOOHOOO!!!! Here we go, girls! We are off and running!