Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

So DD went today for her 10 month visit (she will be 10 months tuesday) - well she has been mildly fussy recently and drooling up a storm and putting everything in her mouth which she does when she is teething. She hasn't been sick and hasn't had a cold or fever. The ped looks in her ears and says she has a bad double ear infection

So he gave her drops and antibiotics. Neither girl have ever had antibiotics yet and neither girl has ever had an ear infection before. A few times I thought DD#1 had an infection b.c she was fussy and pulling on her ears but the ped said no.

So moms who have had children with ear infections - did they have symptoms? How did you know (short of the ped telling you) that they had one? I feel horrible that I didn't know. But she has no fever, no runny nose, only drooling, mildly fussy and chewing on everything. She is eating as normal.

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

I took my dd's plenty of times when they were really young ,thinking they had an ear infection ,but nope they didn't...then like you said, you bring them in for something else and they have that .

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

You are not a horrible mom! Don't feel bad! My DD is 3 months old and happened to have an unexplained crying bout for 15 mins last Sat night. I thought she might be gassy or hungry since she rarely cries. Well, wouldn't you know it, at her well visit on Monday- she has a double ear infection! How the helll that happened, I have no idea! She hasn't been out of the house much and no one else in my house is sick either. I really had no way of knowing, just like you didn't. I thought my baby was starting to have a 'witching hour' since she barely cries. This parenting thing is trial and error. Do your best and that all your baby can ask of you!! Hope she's better soon!

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

Don't feel bad its happened to me also. My son never had symptoms and would have an ear infection.

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

Even now she is smiling away I am waiting for her meds to be ready.

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

DD got her first ear infection at 2. So she told me she "hurt her ear". But other than that she had no symptoms and she wasn't tugging. Don't feel bad. You're NOT a bad mommy!

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

I can't tell you how many times I've called her ped because I thought DD had an ear infection.

The one time we take her for a simple cold is the time she had an ear infection.

with the drops and the antibiotic, it cleared up in a day or two.

Hope she feels better soon.

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

We didn't know both times DD had double ear infections, they don't always show they're sick. She did have a runny nose the first time though, getting over a cold. The 2nd time we really couldn't tell at all...my mom happen to check her ears to see how she was doing. I used to get them a lot as a kid, there's not MUCH you can do to prevent them.

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

Dont feel bad. For my kids I've learned that a runny nose or any kind of fever is how their body manifests and ear infection. One time, my son starting complaining about his ear hurting, so I called the doc and between the time he first mentioned it to our appoint his ear drum burst. Talk about feeling like a bad mom. He had puss and wax oozing out his ear (sorry...gross). It sounds a lot worse that it is....apparently that was just the ears way of relieving the pressure from the infection.

I've learned that ear infections and kids go hand in hand. Unless they are recurring numerous times in a year, don't sweat it.

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

I just posted the other day about the same thing. DD had no other symptoms besides being really cranky. Had a low grade fever, I thought it was teething. 2 days later shot up to over 103, wound up having an ear infection. Its hard when there are no other tell tale signs...

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

See she doesn't have a fever or a runny nose. She always has wax runny out of her ear but the ped has always said that was normal.

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

Last year, DD had ear infections consistently from December - April. Knock on wood she hasnt has any this year. The only symptom she ever had was a fever and even that she didn't have all the time.

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

You are not horrible-DS just got over an ear infection and he had no symptoms. DD has one right now, and again, no symptoms.

When DD was an infant she used to have trademark symbols-fever, inconsolable, recent cold.

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

You are not a horrible mom!! please don't blame yourself. I found out today that my 17 month old has an ear infection..first time and you know what...we've never until today given him any medication at all and I can't blame myself for it.

He did not show any symptons at all, he went for his diaper rash and a chest cold he's had for over a week.
The Ped said that diaper rashes and ear infection are very common. HTH

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

DS always runs a high fever and is very very clingy when he has one.

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

Abby never pulled on her ears, but she did run fevers and screamed bloody murder. It was a different kind of scream as if she was in major pain.

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

dd#1 only had an ear infection once... and the only reason we took her to the dr was she had a cough that didn't seem to be getting better...imagine our shock when he said he wasn't concerned with the cough and more with the ear infection! ...dd didn't even get fussy or anything! so don't feel bad, i read that they'll have them and sometimes its easier for them to clear up on their own somewhat.....you're a great mom!!

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

Ear infections come on fast and furious....

You can literally bring your DC to the ped in the morning and be clear and by that same evening have a double ear infection

With my DC's the give away was them not wanting to lay flat...Other than that, they were realively fine during the day when they were upright ...

Hope she feels better soon !!

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

I'm totally thinking that Riley has one too....she's mostly fine but has been having little bouts of crankyness, which is not like her. And I noticed her tugging her ear today. She's been on/off cranky for a week and I kept thinking, maybe, just maybe an ear infection but never took her to the doc...so I know what you mean, I've been feeling bad about it too! I think I might take her to the doc tomorrow just to be sure cuz it's been nagging at me.

It's so hard to know what's really going on, don't beat yourself up!

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

Youre not a horrible Mom. There are times when DS has an ear infection and I know it (usually sleepless nights with crying) and there have been times he exhibited no symptoms at all only to go the ped for something unrelated and find out that he has one. These things happen, dont feel horrible. If there are no outward signs, how were you to know. Its OK!!!

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

The same exact thing happened to us on Monday. I took DS for 11 month well visit and went home with antibiotics...didn't see it coming.

At first I felt the same as you, but he didn't present with any symptoms, so he probably wasn't uncomfortable. If I suspected something, I would've acted on it right away, as I am sure you would've too.

I hope DD is feeling better soon!

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

DD got her first ear infection around 13 mos...she had no signs of an ear infection, she had a runny nose and cough, but didn't seem to be in pain at all and not showing any "classic" signs of an ear infection...meanwhile there have been times where she's shown all signs and was fine...my ped said sometimes you would never know!!! You're not a horrible mom at all!!!!

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

Don't beat yourself up. When DS had his first ear infection, I thought his extreme fussiness at night was due to teething. He had just started to cut his first tooth. He had a low grade fever for 12-24 hours. A day or two later, he had another fever and was still irritable. I brought him to the doctor and found out he had an ear infection.

He has only had 2 ear infections. It starts out as a cold or cough. Then, he either had a fever or had a lot of discharge coming from his eyes. I didn't know this before, but pink eye in a young toddler is usually a sign of an ear infection. He has been extremely irritable at night. He screams when lying down and is very clingy. He plays with his ears a lot so that's not really something I look for.

I hope your DD gets better soon!

Re: Feel like a horrible mom... moms w/ kids who have had ear infections help...

Maybe she has a high pain tolerance. Today I notice when I put her down sometimes - she cries but the minute DH or I pick her up she is all smiles.

Thank you all the ped said she could have just gotten it yesterday morning or could have had it a week there is no way to know. I just feel bad to think she could have had it for a few days and I might have let her go and not known.

BTW this is the first time either girl has needed antibiotics before - they are almost never sick. Is there anything other than a rash I should look out for?