hello, i have a question, and, i should introduce myself

[Proudly AP]

i am a wohm mom (dd stays with dh 3 days and with a loving home dcp 2 days per week)

dd is nearly 18 months old, still nursing, cosleeping since day one, and bring us so much joy that i cannot even describe it!

i love the posts here. this group is eloquent and fiery (in a positive, advocating sort of way), i'm glad i found this group. i don't get in much, but i do enjoy reading each time i'm here.

hi, all, glad to start to "meet" you all!

**waving**

oh, and i have a question...

dd has had 4 ear infections in 5 months. she doesn't get any other kind of milk, but eats yogurt, cheese and cream cheese. could these be the culprits, could they be caused by laying down nursing every night, or could it be heredity (i had many, many ear infections as a child). i'm getting concerned, as she's had antibiotics a few times now. :

edited to add, i'm thinking about changing my user name, it sounds kind of 'in your face' or 'cliquey' or something, but i wanted something that hinted at what i feel about parenting. hmmmm

[Court]

Just wanted to say "hi" and welcome. I love reading these boards too, but often don't have time to post. My ds is 18 months too and cosleeping, bfing. I love it when I'm not the only one!

He's only had one ear infection, but it seemed to last for months. It took several rounds of antibiotics to clear it up. Sometimes they just linger. My guess at the culprit would be heredity, that's what a doc told me once. I often wondered, and still do, if laying down nursing contributes to inner ear fluid. I don't know. I think as long as they're not on their back, facing up, it should be fine, though. I had 11 ear infections as a baby, and ended up with tubes. Luckily ds has had far less, which I attribute to breastfeeding. Sorry I don't really have the answer, I know it's rough. Hope it gets better for her soon.

p.s. I love your user name, you should be proud!

Courtney

[Quirky]

Lying down to nurse does not cause ear infections:

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns...n-nursing.html

(also has lots of links on ear infections generallY)

Check out these Mothering articles:

http://216.92.20.151/10-0-0/html/10-4-0/10-4-0.shtml

I have read that dairy is often linked to ear infections. It would definitely be worth cutting dairy out of her diet completely for a month or two and seeing if the ear infections clear up.

Welcome to the Mothering boards, there's a huge range of forums here to explore!

[dentente]

Mine just had her 5th in a row and my friend's dd who is 22 months has had her 7th. I think kids just get them. BFed or not, dairy or not. I think the eustacian tube (sp?) is short in some children and they are prone to repeat infections. I bought an otiscope from a medical supply place and learned how to use it to detect early ear infections and I stay on top of it. I can twig to when she is getting one long before the ear itself fills up. She gets a dainty cough and sometime her breath smells a bit off right before she she gets the fever and reddened eardrum of an infection. I have a ped who trusts me and I have refillable scrips for a mild and a stronger antibio. If I feel it's going toward an infection I usually check her drums and start the scrip accordingly. I feel that by catching it early I can prevent the hearing damage a friend's 5 year old endured because her mom never caught the infections in time and the drums ruptured.

Stay in tune with your wee one and trust your gut. If you think that kid has an ear thing going on then take her in ASAP. Ear infections are dreary and can make life with a toddler hellish both for the kid and the parents. I understand how frustrating it is to see them sick over and over but I think once they grow into their tubes they stop getting so sick.

Denny

[DaryLLL]

This is partly a bfing q: does bfing lying down cause ear infections? No, as Jane said, it does not. Lying down with a bottle, yes, it is likely the bottle could drip and pool in the mouth and then into the ear. Your breast recedes out of the mouth when not being actively suckled, and does not drip.

But the rest of your q is a "health and healing" q, we have another forum for that, but I will go ahead anyway!

Some children do get ear infections. 2 of mine did, one didn't. The 2 that did were at least partially vaxed, the one that didn't had no vax (he was never sick for more than a day until he was 8 yrs old).

After the first yr, my dds stopped getting them. I had friends later who dealt with ear infections without using antibioitics. Sometimes, the ear isn't infected, just inflamed, I learned, and so antibiotics are not necc anyway. Not sure if you like antibiotics or not (I happen to think they are overused). Many people have aided healing with alt treatments, (diet, garlic and mullein oil, acupressure-puncture, homeopathy, chiropractic, and others).

Here is a link to books about alt treatments for ear infections (I have read the first one, it is very thorough):

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/se...827273-4543347

[nemom2boys]

Chiming In

Hi, welcome to the board.

I want to chime in about the ear infections. Many ear infections are viral and not bacterial, hence antibiotics are not necessary for every ear infection. In europe, they treat ear infections much differently and don't give antibiotics as often. DS1 is mostly vaxed and has had tons of antibiotics. He is very sick with allergies. I kick myself for all the antibiotics that went into his system. I say don't use them unless it is CLEARLY necessary. Well, that's my .02!

[gurumama]

welcome! My ds2, now 16 months, had the same ear infection problem--3 in 2 months (around 6-7 months old). They started right after his 6 month shots and didn't end for 3 months until we...

1. Cut out all dairy. I stopped too, b/c I bf.
2. Added probiotic powder to his diet because of the antibiotics (3 rounds for him, 2 for me for MY ear infections, so he was getting double sometimes). Solaray makes Infant Bifidus ($15 for a bottle at Whole Foods). 2 servings a day made his diaper rash go away, tummy upset gone too! I took it as well b/c I'd been on the antibiotics.
3. Added 1 tsp flax seed oil to reduce inflammation.

Since we did this last November/December, EVERYTHING has been fine. Not a single ear infection, no antibiotics--he's had two small colds that never turned into ear infections.

Best of luck! PM me if you have any questions.

Mel

[Mommiska]

I third the recommendation to try cutting out all dairy products. I was allergic to dairy products as an infant (would touch a milk carton and break out), so I didn't have any until accidentally drinking my little brother's milk when I was 2 years old.

No reaction then, so Mom reintroduced dairy products into my diet. And no straight milk either (I would drink it, as I was used to soy milk by then) - just other dairy products.

I immediately started having ear infection after ear infection - had them until I was around 8-9 years old, I think.

My mom was later told that the culprit was probably dairy products.

It's worth a try anyway...

[Momtwice]

"Dairy products are a major cause of ear infections. Many doctors and researchers are in agreement with this fact. If you are serious about treating and preventing ear infections (and asthma and hyperactivity), then significant reduction or removal of dairy products from the diet is essential." Dr. Scott Fuller chiropractor

"Dairy is the number one contributor to childhood ear infections." Dr. Sjiroki Sokitch, (Traditional Chinese Medicine)

"I treat ear infections with prevention (anti-allergy measures such as dairy avoidance, dust reduction and getting rid of feather pillows and quilts) and with herbal and homeopathic remedies….
Dairy avoidance is crucial to treat or prevent ear infections."
Pediatrician Dr. Jay Gordon

"kids with ear infections often stop having ear infections when dairy is removed from their diets." also Gordon

"Traditionally parents have believed that bacterial infection causes ear infections. Dr. Schmidt believes only a fraction of ear infections are due to bacteria in the ear. Allergies, viral illnesses, yeast, mechanical obstruction of the ear due to swollen adenoids or structural abnormalities, nutritional insufficiencies, birth injuries to the head or spine are possible culprits. He has discovered links between ear infections and dairy allergy, inhalation of cigarette smoke, fetal alcohol exposure, the mechanics of drinking through a bottle and day care.

http://www.lalecheleague.org/llleade...nJul98p49.html

(the following comes from a website with the charming name "milksucks.com"

In his book Pregnancy, Children, and the Vegan Diet, Michael Klaper, M.D., explains how the proteins found in cow’s milk create a health hazard. He writes, "… a common reaction to such an assault by a foreign [bovine] protein in our immune systems is an outpouring of mucus from the nasal and throat membranes. … The resulting mucus flow can create chronic runny nose, persistent sore throats, hoarseness, bronchitis, and the recurrent ear infections that plague so many children."

One Georgetown University study found that about 30 percent of children with ear infections also suffer from milk allergies. Of all the foods tested, milk was the number one allergen. Scientists found a "significant amelioration" of ear infections when allergens were removed from the children’s diets. Indeed, up to 86 percent of ear infections improved when children stopped drinking cow’s milk and other allergens. The study revealed a "statistically strong linkage" between cow’s milk allergies and ear infections.
–Annals of Allergy
Nsouli et al., Georgetown University School of Medicine, 1994

A 1999 study in Finland concluded that children with cow’s milk allergies have a "significant risk" of ear infection. Researchers discovered that milk causes a respiratory reaction in children that, in turn, can lead to ear infection.
–Acta Otolaryngol
Juntti et al., Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of Oulu, Finland

[Proudly AP]

thanks, so much for the welcomes and the advice.

i had heard about the link between dairy and ear infections, but wasn't sure if it could be a factor since she doesn't get cow's milk. however, she does eat a bit of yogurt, cheese or ice cream each day (pretty much). so i'll try that.

my dh is very sceptical about this dairy link, so i'm not sure if he'll support this or not (if not, i'm not sure what i'll do, since he's the one home with her during the day). hmmmmm.

also, he sleeps with feather pillows on the bed. i use non-feather, but i suspect his pillows could bother her, too. and dust, well, we won't even go *there*

thanks again!

[Momtwice]

I was skeptical too...then I heard that the (late) head of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University, professor/ Dr. Frank Oski believed it. He wrote a book called "Don't Drink Your Milk."

Oh and I LOVE your user name!

[mom2tig99Nroo03]

welcome