Ethan Update

Some of you already know, but Ethan has had some issues breathing through his nose since he was born. At first we chalked it up to being a newborn and then we thought he had a sinus infection. After 3 weeks of struggling to breathe and now his feedings are becoming more difficult, I took him back to see another doctor.

She said his left nostril is almost completely closed and he's not getting any air through there. The right side is not closed, but if he's congested, then that can cause the feeding problems he is experiencing because babies cannot breathe through their mouths until they are a couple of months old.

The doctor said that the left nostril's closing can be due to one of two issues. Either it's just swollen closed or he was born with a blockage. If it's swollen, I think we can treat the congestion and wait it out. If it's a blockage, the only way to correct it is through surgery.

It can only be checked by a pediatric ENT by running a feeding tube through Ethan's nostrils and seeing if it can pass through. So today we saw Dr. Rodriguez at Oschner across the lake (btw…I LOVED HER)! She used a scope with a camera on the end and inserted it in his nose to see what was going on. The good news is he does not have a blockage...YEAH! The bad news is he has a devated septum on his right side and is very congested on his left side. And both nasal airways are very narrow.

For now we will use a nasal steriod and afrin once a day, continue to use the humidifier and keep him elevated at all times (he sleeps in his bouncey seat instead of his crib). Hopefully his airways will open more as he grows, but we're not sure.

The doctor wants to monitor his weight because with the feedings taking longer now, he burns more calories than he takes in which is a big concern. As long as Ethan gains weight then hopefully we can wait this out. If not, then he will need surgery to move the tissue in his nose and open his airways.

We go back in three weeks, but Shane and I left the doctor's office feeling better about Ethan's situation and hope that the medicines will make his breathing easier. He such a good little baby and it breaks my heart to watch him struggle to catch his breath. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this works!!