Cough, cough... splutter

That is the sound of our home as we settle down for the night. The coughing is Brad, the spluttering is Naomi.

Our little blossom started with a chesty cough early last week. A trip to the pharmacist yielded a bottle of Demazin and hopes that it would soon be cleared up. A nightmare week followed. More coughing and spluttering, and terrible broken nights where Naomi would wake up, wide awake, and stay up for hours at a time... Finally, on Saturday night, she started with a constant wheeze when breathing so we went off to the 24-hour medical centre in town. She has been diagnosed with bronchiolitis - an inflammation of the small airways that is restricting her breathing. It is also apparently a likely pre-cursor to asthma in later life. What the?!?! There is no asthma in our direct family history??

So we now have to struggle to give her ventolin through a "spacer" device (mask that attaches to a regular 'puffer' device), 4 times a day. If there is no improvement by Thursday, it is back to the doctor to step up treatment to "the next level" (am I the only person who thinks that has a scary ring to it?).

The doctor also advised that a side effect of Demazin is insomnia and hyperactivity in children!! Stopped the Demazin and have had 3 good nights of sleeping -- so don't always believe the "could make your child drowsy" label!!

And to cap it off, Brad has the 'flu, complete with inflamed throat. He is on antibiotics and struggling along at work, because he is so back-logged from taking the week off after our wedding that apparently "time off is not an option". Why do men not understand that a day or 2 off to get healthy now, can avoid weeks of feeling low??

Has anyone else had experience with baby respiratory problems?