OT: Asthma in Infants

[NicoleW09]

Lexi will be 9 months on the 9th and we just found out that she has asthma. I had it as a child and so did my brother. DH's brother and his daughter also had/have it. It was something that we had kept an eye out for because her pediatrician said that she was at increased risk to develop it.

We had to special order a chamber/mask for her inhaler (flovent) because the pharmacies don't stock them. I tried to give her her first dose of it, and she kept pulling it off and trying to lick or eat it. I have to give her two puffs twice a day, and I'm not sure how I'm going to manage this if she keeps pulling it off. She did inhale some of it, but I want to be sure she's getting enough.

Does anyone else have babies with asthma, and if so, what do you do to make this go a little more smoothly? She isn't on a nebulizer, just an inhaler. Should I try to do it during her naps or what?

[jtaylor102481]

My two yr old was dx with asthma at four mouths old when she was lil it wasseasier to give during her naps she is on a inhaler and neb treatments as needed. But when she was big enough to be squirmy I would hold her the same way she said now at two she takes her meds. Easy and she is so used to it but now she old needs her asthma meds in the winter and when she is sick. Good luck

[LosingMyMindInGA]

You're welcome.  I've got 5 kids and there were times when I have 2-3 of them on meds for different things.  I had to devise a way that made it simpler for me since I was the only adult around most of the times they had to be dosed.  I just find it's a lot earier to control their movements.  It doesn't make THEM very happy though. She'll probably fight and scream, but even if she's screaming she'll still breathe it in.  Typically after a few times they realize it's not so bad and don't fight as much.  I just always made sure to praise them and give lots of lovin's afterwards :)

[NicoleW09]

I put her in her chair to give her her last dose an she laughed at tried to eat it again, but she did breathe in some of it. I'm definitely going to try your suggestion though!  You're such a lifesaver, thank you so much!

[LosingMyMindInGA]

I had to do this with a few of my little ones.  I would lay them down flat on their back between my legs so that their head was toward my abdomen.  I put my legs gently over their arms so they could fight.  I used my thighs to keep their head still and then I had both hands free to hold the aerochamber on their face while they breathed.  They still tried to struggle, but it made it easier to keep it there.  I tried doing it during naps but it just woke them up.