Ear Infection

Annabella has her first ear infection.

Before I became a parent I had no idea that an ear infection was such a big deal. At this point Annabella's had a couple colds and RSV (which is really just like a bad cold for most infants, but can be a big deal...for her it wasn't.) After all that, how bad could an ear infection be?

The answer is that the ear infection trumps everything she's had before. She'll be asleep and crying out in pain. And there's not a whole lot we can do to make the pain go away. The doctors don't even want us to give her Tylenol because she doesn't have a fever. Not that we've listened to them.

She's finally feeling better today. And she slept really well last night. The antibiotics (which she hates!) must be kicking in now.

So for all the non-parents reading this blog, pay attention to this: Once you have a kid, if you notice a change in behavior and an increase in fussiness during the night, think ear infection and get them checked. Kids don't always tug at their ears or carry fevers with ear infections, and they can still be distracted and smiley through the day. I really wish we would have checked her out a little earlier. It pains me to think she might have had this thing for longer than we realized, and that it took a really grueling night to convince me she needed to see the doctor.