What’s With All These Infections?

Approximately a decade later and it’s still the year 2020. We’ve been through it all these days, especially if you’ve been cursed (oh did I say that, I meant blessed) with a toddler during these trying times. As if struggles with career, possible homeschooling, and running out of toilet paper aren’t enough, some of us have been hit with a bout of never ending infections in the household. By no means do I claim to be an expert on the topic of common infections or anything medically related for that matter, but I’m ready to admit that I’ve gone down the rabbit hole looking up how this is all connected. I’ll share my findings, but here’s the spoiler alert, it SO is. 

Rewind to summer of 2019. I’ve had three cases of mastitis in less than six months time. Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland and breast tissue, usually due to a bacterial infection causing extreme step-on-a-crack-and-break-your-mother’s-back pain in the breast and nipple. Most commonly, it affects breastfeeding women, and honestly I’ve never heard of another segment of the population that gets mastitis. Just us boob juice-producing mamas. I took three trips to urgent care during those first six months, and each time they prescribed antibiotics within a few minutes. The last time I visited, they even gave me a heavy dose via a shot to the glute, right there in the office to get a “jump start on the healing process.” 

What didn’t occur to me, and what no one had bothered to share, was that this left my nursling and I compromised, in terms of weakening our immune systems, and that every precaution should be taken to heal completely and prevent further infection. It was around this time that my son had his first sinus infection. We took him to the same urgent care, because it was a Saturday and his pediatrician was closed, and we had his first bottle of antibiotics in hand within the hour. Not a month later, we noticed he was fussier than usual, not tolerating any food or water, and couldn’t bear to be on his back for any reason. We were able to see his pediatrician, who we loved dearly because of his passion for holistic healing, but unfortunately it was too late for any home remedy and we needed another round of antibiotics.

This is where I started to question my role in all of this. He took the antibiotics gleefully (they still taste amazing these days with that bubblegum good good flavor) and never missed a dose, but a week in, and the antibiotics weren’t working. Another round of stronger meds were prescribed, and we thought they had done the trick. We had a few months of pain-free Ramsey before noticing a few other strange behaviors that led us to believe there was another infection in the works.

Before I continue, I should mention that there are several different types of infections that all happen in the ear, all of which require different treatment, but display similar symptoms. An inner ear infection is caused by fluid behind the eardrum where a virus or bacteria is present. A middle ear infection can also be viral or bacterial, and has the unfortunate function of connecting to the nasal cavity to do things like relieve air pressure and  help us sneeze when necessary. Finally, an outer ear infection, often referred to as swimmer’s ear, is visible at the surface of the ear canal and is generally treated with topical drops, administered directly into the ear. If your little one is suffering from an ear infection, they might do things like fuss more than usual, cry when nursing or feeding, have difficulty in a supine (back lying) position, tug at the ear lobes, have difficulty with balance, experience temporary hearing loss (due to fluid build up) and just about anything out of the ordinary. Some also display almost no symptoms at all, because kids are tough, man! 

With that out of the way, let’s go back to what I had previously mentioned about viral vs bacterial infections. As we know, a virus can’t be treated by antibiotics, only those pesky bacteria. What struck me in doing my research right around ear infection number four (that have been medically treated, we’re easily upwards of six at this point) is that the myriad of doctors we’ve seen during our visits haven’t once considered that our son’s pain may have been caused by a virus. Or allergies! Allergies can cause ear pain too, but that’s another topic of and within itself. So, at this point, we have taken multiple rounds, with many different medications, all with very different outcomes and some with unfortunate side effects. Why is this so commonplace nowadays in the medical world? I understand that it’s hard to tell the origin of the ear pain in a toddler because they can’t always communicate with words, but is a simple prescription really the answer every single time?

By now, I’ve spent a lot of time pushing away that mountain of mom guilt. I ask myself constantly if we made the right decision in always taking him in to see the pediatrician at the first sign of pain. To be honest though, I would have felt more guilty had I not. We can’t stand to see our babies in pain, and I’m not going to beat myself up over doing what I felt was right. 

BUT… after all these medicinal treatments, and all these trips to Rite Aid in the middle of the night, you know what I’ve found to be the most effective in ridding my toddler of his immediate pain? Nursing him. Sticking him on the boob and letting him comfort and ease his pain for as long as he needs to. It doesn’t hurt that he’s getting a healthy dose of antibodies too! I won’t turn this into a post about full term breastfeeding because we haven’t hit the two year mark yet (but we’re striving for it,) but it really makes me think about the effectiveness of home remedies and focusing on the immune system as a whole, instead of looking at the problem as an isolated infection or “sickness.” 

Nowadays, we have a sock filled with salt on hand whenever we need it, ready to pop in the microwave for immediate relief. We keep a small army of essential oils on hand (lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus and holy basil) to give a little ear massage before bed. We’ve even tried a homemade garlic drop (thanks Pinterest) that we warm up in a bowl full of warm water and apply with a dropper to the ears when we think we sense something coming on. I recently had a bout of thrush that Ramsey and I passed back and forth to one another that could have potentially been caused by yet another round of antibiotics for him! I’m happy to report that instead of being treated by prescription, we were both able to kick the infection with only natural remedies and some over the counter antifungal cream! I truly didn’t think it was possible, but it is. 

Here’s the pointed version of what I’m getting at. Eat and drink your nutrients. Treat a weakened immune system from the inside out by focusing on your gut health. That way, if you do have to thwart off an attack from antibiotics on your body, or the body of your little one, you’ll already be fighting back without effort. Lastly, always exercise your power of choice and consent. You don’t have to say yes to the prescription right away. We recently found ourselves yet again in the exam room with a swimmer’s ear that just wouldn’t quit and asked the PA that saw us about alternative options to the oral antibiotics. We left with a prescription for topical ear drops instead, and they’ve been working twice as well so far! 

*Photo is an oldie but a goodie! Ramsey nursing belly down on my chest because his ear pain wouldn’t allow him to nurse in a side-lying position.

Thanks For Reading

Ali Bateman