Sick Baby

Bennett got his first cold at 4 weeks old.  :(  Unfortunately somehow Brad (who never gets sick), got a cold, and there's no avoiding everyone else in the house getting sick, too.  It was a horrible week, and we're still feeling the effects of it.  For about two days B was SUPER congested and we had to constantly try to suction the snot out of his nose, but it was really high up in his sinuses so it was an impossible task.  

We ended up trying EVERYTHING in the book for baby colds: tylenol, a humidifier, bulb suction, NoseFrida, Vicks Infant Plug-ins, sitting in the bathroom while running a hot shower...you name it!  I learned how to take a baby's temperature rectally (ugh).  He only had a low-grade fever once, thankfully.  What worked the best was the hot shower running, which meant the terrible two stuffy nights we were in the bathroom like six times!  We even called the 24-Hour nurse and took him to the doctor, who said we were pretty much doing what we could, and he would be fine in a few days.  (Yes, I cried at the doctor.  I just felt so helpless and sad for Bennett, plus I was going on very little sleep).  

Now baby is feeling much better, but everything is kind of thrown off from when he was sick.  He didn't eat much the two days he was most congested, and so I am not producing as much milk, which I think frustrates him when he eats.  He also slept on my chest, so he was elevated, and now he's not doing well going back into the bassinet (wakes up about every hour, maybe two if I'm lucky).  Half the time I end up taking him in bed with me out of desperation for a longer stretch of sleep.  He also isn't napping well, which might be that he's too exhausted and seems to be having trouble putting himself to sleep/staying asleep.

Overall, we are kind of a mess here this weekend.  Yesterday and today Baby cried A LOT, and we pretty much just rotated holding/rocking him every twenty minutes to give each other some breaks.  I think his whole "schedule" (if you can call it that) is thrown off from this week.  I'm dreading Brad going back to work tomorrow and being here alone.  It's a long day with two of us, let alone by myself!