Sedated.
So, today I got a call from an audiologist, who had been contacted by the people at the NICU Follow-up Clinic—you know, the poor saps for whom I left three long, rambling messages pleading for help after being told I’d have to wait six weeks for Simone’s sedated hearing test.
Anyway, the audiologist was calling to tell me that if I liked, she could squeeze us in this Thursday morning for a repeat of the same UNsedated testing that Simone failed to sit still for last week—an Otoacoustic Emissions test and some Tympanograms, otherwise known as The Stick-Things-In-Your-Ear Evaluation. She promised she wouldn’t make Simone sit (Simone has a horror of sitting, and prefers to stand, which caused problems last time) and suggested that I bring the baby already sleepy.
(“Does she take a morning nap?” she asked innocently, prompting a grim little chuckle from my end of the line.)
To further twist the plot, she mentioned that she’d looked over the results of the NICU hearing screen, and while she agreed that technically Simone had passed, she felt there was something “questionable” about the results for one ear.
So naturally, after that little tidbit, I decided to accept the appointment. The waiting is killing me, and if this Thursday turns out to be useless, well, we already have the sedated test scheduled at University Hospital in two weeks. So my question to you is: Baby Benadryl for Thursday—for or against?
I’m kidding, of course. Only not really. Of course I am! Maybe. Or not.
59 Comments
Um, since you asked: Baby Benadryl has backfired on me so many times that I feel compelled to tell you that unless you know it works for Simone, you might not want to try it for the first time on test day…
I’m in agreement with WaltzInExile… Some kids get a contradictory reaction to benadryl, meaning it makes them hyper. If you know Simone doesn’t get this, then honestly, yes, I’d do it. But if you don’t know, don’t bother.
I’m going to third those recommendations. As an infant, my eldest responded to benadryl with hyperactivity. We were on vacation and did not get the babe to sleep until 4am. Awful.
I vote for.
While I don’t routinely drug my child with Benadryl there have been times where it has been necessary and yes, even doctor suggested. She has terrible allergies and they would keep her up all night if we didn’t do something. Oh yeah, and that 14 hour plane ride? Absolutely. Benadryl was my (and 200 others) best friend.
FWIW, we only use the Benadryl Dye-Free.
Without knowing what effect the Benadryl might have on the testing (much less on her sleepiness/lack of), I would say definitely against.
Definitely for. Especially if you know that it is going to make her sleepy.
Oh yeah, bring on the sleep-inducing Benadryl. Or whiskey. (Hey, don’t laugh!)
Unless you know absolutely it has the desired effect on Simone, that’ll be a NO! Sod’s Law dictates that otherwise she will be a totally hyper monster (albeit gorgeous)and all you will achieve is another episode of stressed out baby, mommy and possibly the audiologist too with no useful results ;-)
Baby Benadryl. Since some people mentioned that babies sometimes get hyper from it, I would totally do a test run on her. Give her some tomorrow to see how she reacts, and if it makes her sleepy, use it during the test. And no, that’s not “DRUGGING AN INNOCENT BABY!” It won’t hurt her, and it will quite possibly help her.
Here’s my honest opinion. In my experience, most babies wake up as soon as that OAE probe enters their ear, even if they are totally zonked out. So it is a NICE THOUGHT if a baby can come to an appointment asleep, but the reality is, she will probably wake up, benadryl or no.
I think it’s great that you are going to try it again, and I hope it is less frustrating. I do strongly encourage you to keep the ABR appointment just in case. Given Simone’s birth history, I think a full battery of testing is very important, since one thing to remember about audiological testing is that one test by itself doesn’t tell you everything. You have to put all of the test results together to get the whole picture. This is because each test assesses a different part of the ear (outer ear through the brainstem).
This may be information overload…but a baby can still pass an OAE screening and have a certain kind of hearing loss called auditory neuropathy. This is where an ABR would still be helpful to rule AN out.
Also, a baby who was exposed to ototoxic drugs may have a high frequency hearing loss that might not get picked up by the testing if the test parameters only look at certain frequencies.
I hope I’m not overwhelming you. I just want you to be well-informed so you can advocate for Simone. You may also email me if you wish to discuss this further!
Good luck. I know you will keep us all posted.
My only concern about Benadryl-induced sleepiness is to wonder if it would dull her responses to the test. But the commenter above has a really good point about that whole sticking-things-in-ear-causes-people-to-wake-up thing. Still, I would probably not do it, if it were me, just because I’d be worried about negatively influencing the test.
Geez, my comment is going to just look stupid after that informed, thoughtful one by Be Like the Squirrel, Girl. Not to mention, I have nothing new to add anyway. But here goes anyway…
I vote yes, absolutely yes, to the Benadryl. Especially the dye-free kind in case she decides to projectile vomit it. I also concur that a test run is in order so that you don’t inadvertently bring MEXICAN JUMPING BEAN BABY to the screening on Thursday. Good luck!
I second the still having the ABR regardless of results. Though my son failed the newborn screening the ABR was what gave us an accurate picture of his loss. I did quite a bit of reading into OAE tests and while useful as a screening tool they’re not perfect. Also I seem to remember reading (years ago, so don’t set too much store by it!) that the threshold the OAE machine is set at can vary and sometimes miss milder losses.
Good luck!
Try it ahead of time, and if it works, go for it. My kids have the opposite reaction to Benadryl, which I had the misfortune of learning on a long airplane ride.
Pharmacist and mom who used Benadryl to her advantage here.
Definitely test it out tomorrow to see if it makes her sleepy and not hyper. I’d check with the audiologist too to see if it could impact the test in any way (since I have no idea what it involves), my guess though is it wouldn’t.
If you do decide to use it, I agree with those recommending the dye free formulation.
If you want help with the dose email me with Simone’s weight.
mommyneedstherapy@gmail.com
Baby Jack Daniels? Baby Brunello? Mommy two-olive martini?
Hang tough. Waiting with you.
Anytime you have to fudge the dosing because it’s not really meant for infants, that puts it in a no column for me.
We had the same test. He was supposed to be sleepy, and woke up just as we arrived. We kept him in his carseat the whole time.
I had my own ABR on Friday and totally thought of Simone. She will champ it, I have no doubt.
ummmm, and I’d totally benadryl it. I don’t have kids, so I don’t think my vote counts.
Thursday! will be thinking of you.
test the benadryl first, i understand babies don’t all respond well to it. double shot of vodka for you. or some swiss schnapps if your mother brought a bottle over for you last time she visited. no need to test that.
I do believe that dosing a child that young is tricky which is why the tend to avoid it. I’ve personally never wanted to tempt that.
Go for the Anne Geddes trick. Fully tummy and very warm. Which should be hard, cause it is cold.
I don’t have any additional information to add, except that I am right there with you in the frustration with the medical experience (and, goddam it, I am PART of the medical experience!). We just found out today that insurance isn’t covering G’s Synagis for this winter because he is too old and never had any respiratory problems. Which, on one hand, yay! Maybe insurance is smart and he really doesn’t need it! But on the other, aack, do I need to come up with $1500 a month or face CERTAIN DEATH for my child? Do we need to go into even heavier quarantine? How would that even WORK? Sorry. Tough days all around. I’ll be thinking of you guys.
If you’re sure it will make her sleepy, GO FOR IT. But it makes my kid anxious, so I wouldn’t do it if you aren’t sure.
I know you’re looking for topics for the month. We started a more fun variation of the the “getting to know you” forward on my blog. The questions might give you some fodder for posts, if you’re interested.
How about a pot brownie or some baby mush with a little stoner kick? I’d say just hot box a small room with her in it but with her breathing issues that wouldn’t be wise. Not too much though, ’cause she’ll get paranoid. (Yes I am particularly obnoxious today)
Hope you get some answers on Thursday. And I hope they’re answers you want to hear.
I would check to see what her reaction to it is some kids it backfires and they bounce off the wall. I would try some Tylenol if the benadryl doesn’t work, it might knock her out. Good luck!!
Thursday morning is also the time that I take Flann in for his (first) hearing test, followed by an ENT appointment. I don’t quite understand the “sleepy” recommendation. Sleepy in my kid’s world equals cranky and yelling, not docile and floppity.
What about Melatonin (sp?)? My SIL gives it every night to her autistic little girl just to help her get to sleep. It’s a natural sleep aide. It doesn’t drug you up or anything, it just relaxes you enough to enter slumberland.
Good luck on Thurs.
Infant Gravol is very good at inducing sleepiness, and I have never heard of it causing hyperactivity. Might be a safer bet.
Good luck on Thursday!
(my SIL used to use baby tylenol)
I’d say if it makes her sleepy go for it. It might save sedation later on.
We were told to keep our daughter up past her bedtime, wake her early and not let her go to sleep on the way to the appointment in the car. They also thought it would be good for her to be a little hungry. There was a glider rocker in the testing room. They dimmed the lights, we rocked and gave her the bottle and she was out for the test.
Benadryl made my kid crazy hyper for her ABR. I say test it on her a day or two before! If it works, it will be really handy to give it to her before the test.
I don’t have any medical backup on this, but my question on reading your post is that since benadryl dries out sinuses, is there’s a chance it would have an effect on any fluid in the baby’s ear? Because if you’re having tests to determine, in part, if fluid in her ear is causing a problem and you give her something that changes things for even a few hours, could it skew the test results enough so that they might miss what they would otherwise catch?
Feel free to ignore me, as that’s the sort of over the top worry marathon stuff that pops into my head all the time. Which is one of the many, many reasons why Simone is lucky she has you for a Mother, and not me.
I say benedryl for you, or better yet a few nips before your appointment. You will be calmer, calmer baby.
Definitely give her something that will make her a bit sleepy. It certainly can’t harm (ie dont give the whole bottle), but it will help with the hearing test. do it!
But yes, have a trial run the day before :-)
Wait, what?
She recommended you bring Simone in sleepy? Has she ever been around a baby before?
Am I the only one whose babies turn into hyper little gits when they’re overtired? You know, with the screaming and the wailing and the general thrashiness? So to me, this sounds dumb. I mean, she’s going to wake up during the test, right? And then she’s going to figure out that she’s really tired and OMG, you people are JERKS who won’t let her SLEEP!
I would say take her in well rested and well fed, if these things make her less likely to pitch a fit.
i have to second akeeyu. my baby is also of the variety where 30 seconds past the “sleep window” and we’re in over tired hell…not conducive to any sort of testing. fill up that tum tum and keep her bundled up and cozy. good luck with the test.
Call your family practitioner and get some advice, he/she will know how responsive Simone really needs to be. Baby Benedryl has its merits, but my kids only needed to sniff the cork and they were more unconscious than asleep for hours!
Also, a trial to see how her little system copes with it, is a great idea.
While Benadryl for its regular use tends to make my girls sleepy – my mind first went to “if she is tired, wouldn’t that make her a bit less…cooperative”. I mean with the stick stuff in your ears test and all. Not sure…good luck though. And perhaps a nice sidecar for mom. And two when you get home. Sending lots of good vibes your way.
My son had several procedures done between 4-18 months and I gave him benadryl before each one to help. Again, you may want to try today or tomorrow to make sure that it has a sleepy effect and not the “dancing on the ceiling” one!
BRANDY. It’s all I got for suggestions.
Best of luck!
In keeping with the blog site…I vote sidecar for Mom and child.
I vote for IF you know that it normally makes her drowsy. It’s not like you are medicating to make your life easier or to give yourself a break or whatever. You are medicating her to make HER life easier. To make her less likely to freak out and to be more relaxed during medical testing. I’m all for the Benadryl. :)
In twelve + years I’ve never met a kid who got hyper with benadryl or gravol or tylenol. Only sleepy. Until this post and these comments….good lord. (Yes yes I believe you all, but umm Wow)
Anyway, try a test run of one or the other, and make sure she is fed, warm and well-rested.
At minimum, I think she will just be very very relaxed.
Oh, and to one commenter above, benadryl doesn’t dry out the ears, it just relieves hives in allergic kids, so you might be mixing it up with pseudoephedrine, the miracle drug that dries up fluid in kid’s ears.
No, no longer available in the US because the FDA are stupid, and limited in Canada because they always do everything the US does. My kid’s ENT is very sad about this. He says it is the best thing ever for preventing ear infections and he’s overwhelmed with tube operations and yes–concerned parents who are worried their children are hearing impaired. Sigh…
Would she take well to swaddling during the test? I’m thinking Benadryl is probably not the best way to go for all the reasons mentioned above. Swaddling, on the other hand, would just (for lack of a better word) strap her in without being able to wiggle free during the test. But then again, it may bring years of therapy later on. :-)
My humble, uneducated opinion: drug the baby and don’t blog about it. She will be happier, you will be happier, and nobody will leave mean comments!
Ask the audiologist about the Benadryl (if you dare). Both my kids had CT scans as infants (somewhat emergent, to rule out injuries because, yes, I’m that good a parent). My son calmed with swaddling and a pacifier. My daughter needed the Benadryl.
If you know it works for her, then yes, use it! If you haven’t tried it before, do a trial run before test day. For some kids, Benedryl has the opposite effect. Good luck!
Heh, you’ve already gotten so much advice that I don’t feel I can add anything practical. Good luck! I hope they’re able to tell you something conclusive. And positive!
Also, is it bad that I keep hearing “24, 24 hours a day…I wanna be sedated…” in my head?
You might try a little bit of tylenol for sedation. It may not put her to sleep but will probably make her calmer.
Good luck thursday.
As the parent of a child who has been through many OAE screens and tympanograms, I would say that the Benadryl isn’t going to touch it, even if it makes her sleepy. The key for us has been that a) our son is comfortable with the audiologist doing the testing. It sounds like you’re already on a better path there! And, that b) we have something with us for him to look at and get engaged with besides the cords! Good luck.
What about good old grape flavored Dimetapp? It used to help my daughter sleep when she needed to have her 3rd set of tubes put in and needed her tonsils and adenoids removed. It is after all, an antihistamine.
Again, maybe some nice warm milk in a sippy cup or bottle might lull Simone to la-la land.
That picture of her on Baby of the Week is absolutely adorable, she is so beautiful.
I’d suggest baby motrin.. works wonders.
Benadryl is indeed a double-edged sword. I’m a big fan of the just-in-case hit of baby ibuprofen (a slightly larger dose than usual). The one time I gave my younger child benadryl, on a flight from NYC to Vancouver, thinking “oh sure, this will knock him out,” I ended up pacing the aisles of hte plane with him wrapped, squalling, in the baby sling. Up and down, up and down. Motrin and yes, a bit hungry, then bottle or nurse, and zap – sleepy baby! Good luck. Waiting for these tests is a nightmare (baby #1 was a preemie who weighed in at 1 lb. 10 oz at birth)
Yay– more contradictory advice to send that pretty head of yours spinning faster! But, what the hey… In my experience, trying to time your baby to be anything for a certain period of time in the future is a bit silly. We’ve done more NICU specialist followups than I can count(the first year she saw everyone but a psychiatrist). my assvice is that I would do your usual “routine,” try and make sure she’s fed and warm, and that you’ve played with her lots that morning so she’s gotten mama time. If she’s sleepy, let her sleep. Might she fall asleep in the car? Bring familiar smelling blankets and toys, and of course, your breasts. Never forget your breasts. If you’re in the habit of forgetting your breasts, though, we have problems that go beyond benadryl/no benadryl.
uh, i am in research, so i say… whatever it takes to get results (ie, yes benadryl).
As a medical professional I can’t condone giving benadryl to induce sleepiness. As a mom though, hell yes, I’d give it in a second.
However…have you ever given it to her before? Children can have a paradoxical reaction and become hyper.
So…I’m really no help. LOL
I do want to wish you good luck and hope that you get some answers this Thursday.
Nothing to add about Benadryl, just wanted to say I love that picture of her.
Take a couple of Dum-Dums lollipops w/ you. Eating one may be enough of a distraction for her to do the test. A lollipop was the only thing (besides her beloved binkie, of course) that kept my daughter from losing her shit on Halloween. Simone is plenty old enough to get a little candy & you will be starting the “be good and you get a treat” bribe/expectation nice and early ^_^ b