Jackson has been battling mucous issues since birth, increasingly at night. He sounds like he is hacking on something in the back of his throat, frequently sneezes and coughs, and his eyes water. Jesse and I were on edge last night as neither of us slept much. At one point I had just finished feeding Jackson and Jesse went to go get the suction bulb. I assumed he was going to suction Jackson's nose but he just threw it at me and went back to bed. We snapped back and forth a few nasty comments which resulted in me crying and holding Jackson in bed while Jesse went back to sleep. Naturally, Jesse had no recollection of this when I confronted him this morning.
I called our family physician office as soon as they were open and left a message for the nurse. I specifically said I didn't want to be a paranoid mother who overreacts at everything so I just wanted to know if we needed to make an appointment or if this was something he would just get over. She called back and told us to go ahead and come in today to check his temperature and vitals to make sure there weren't any concerns. Jackson weighed 9 lbs 13 oz (up 2 ounces from yesterday) and his temperature was fine (99 degrees). The doctor recommended saline drops. We discovered we've been suctioning him ineffectively because we weren't closing his other nostril when we suctioned. The doctor did mention possible allergies, though it is too early to tell. I'm nervous that Jackson might be allergic to the cats, though it is also pollen season right now. Either way, at least there was no immediate concern. Apparently, babies just get really congested.
Today is my brother-in-law's birthday, so I baked a chocolate cake with homemade cream cheese icing. Jesse was cleaning the upstairs and Jackson didn't much care for his swing so I tried out the Ergo carrier with the infant insert. I actually felt better with Jackson in the Ergo than the Moby wrap because it is more structured and impossible for his chin to rest on his chest. I felt like Martha Stewart baking my cake, wearing my baby, cleaning the house, etc.
Jackson spit up all day. I nearly reached my breaking point. Most of the time it was just a small, clear amount, but a few times it was quite scary. I was yelling for Jesse at one point because Jackson spit up so much it was chunky and all over both of us. We had to strip Jackson down and give him a bath. It was especially hard for Jackson to breastfeed because he couldn't breathe through his nose. He kept latching off, gasping for air, then going back to eating. Then he would spit up through his nose. We weren't able to give him the medicine for thrush because he just kept spitting up. Ugh...I feel helpless.
I drove our family to my sister's house 40 minutes away. Generally Jesse does the driving but I am not quite comfortable driving with Jackson. I feel like I have my driver's permit and need someone else in the car to supervise before I can graduate to driving with just Jackson and I. Jesse installed the mirror yesterday so I still feel good about that. I should be ready to be on my own Monday when I have to take us to the chiropractor appointment and Jesse goes back to work.
Spaghetti dinner with family was great as always. Babies were passed around. I wasn't in the mood to use the nursing cover (or really even be around people for that matter) so I just nursed in my sister's bedroom. Jackson gets a bit fussy before bed each night and tonight was no exception. I don't think Jackson was hungry since he had eaten a good amount an hour before, but he was making every hunger sign known to infants. As my brother said, I "topped him off" before we left, hoping to avoid a repeat of Sunday's scream session in the car. Unfortunately Jackson still cried hysterically so before we made it to the interstate I pulled into a neighborhood long enough for Jesse to hop in the back seat and give Jackson his pacifier. (He isn't coordinated enough to hold the paci himself or put it back in if it falls out.) It was a quiet, peaceful ride the rest of the way.
Now that it's 10 p.m. we are putting pajamas on and hoping to get lots of restful sleep free from congestion!
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