Today is the European Antibiotic awareness day and I thought what an opportunity to blog about the use of antibiotics from a mother’s perspective.
From my understanding, antibiotics are used to clear bacterial infections and for serious ailments such transplants, chemotherapy and joint replacements. They do not work for viral infections or colds.
When used incorrectly, antibiotics can cause more damage than good. They become ineffective if and when we really need them as our bodies could develop a resistance to them.
I compare this to using nappy cream for your baby as a nappy base. If baby develops a rash the nappy cream won’t work because the skin has developed resistance to the “powers’ of the nappy cream. Use Vaseline instead as a base so that if your baby develops a rash the nappy cream will work effectively and quickly. Once the rashes are gone you can then resume the use of vaseline.
Ok back to the matter at end- Antibiotics. Now despite the fact that antibiotics do not work on viruses, I can understand some mothers’ dilemma when they insist on using antibiotics when their little one has a persistent cold or cough.
Sometime ago, a friend’s son had a cold and running nose that won’t just go away. His parents kept taking him to the hospital and the doctors kept sending them back home with cold remedy medicines. A few weeks later, the boy was out of breath and they had to call the emergency department. A helicopter ride later to the Intensive Care Unit, the boy was unconscious and it was discovered he had a bacteria infection in his lungs all these while. He was in ICU for a few weeks.
It was such a scary period but thank God he recovered. This is the type of scare parents tend to avoid. Knowing that their child is safe and will not land in the ICU from a “simple cold”.
My friend demanded for antibiotics at some point for her son before the ICU experience but the doctors kept reassuring her the cold and cough will go away and so she trusted their diagnosis. I am not sure what type of tests they did for my friend’s son and why they didn’t discover on time that this was not a simple cold but a bacterial infection.
I think for the European antibiotics awareness day to be worth it, doctors and parents need to work hand in hand. When a parent instinctively believes there is something more going on that a simple viral infection, doctors should not dismiss it especially if the cold has been persistent. I think further tests should be done to find the root cause.
I am not a doctor but I am a mother and can feel instinctively if my child has more than just a cold especially if it is lingering.
I know some mums take it to the extreme but they are mothers after all and scared for their children. Doctors and GPs need to reassure these mothers by doing much more than just listening to the child’s chest with their stethoscope. I know there are logistics and costs involved with doing several tests but if it means saving a child’s life then so be it.
I don’t think any mum in their right senses will keep demanding for antibiotics if they can see from tests that their child does not have a bacterial infection and they understand that antibiotics won’t cure a cold.
I believe once parents are educated about when the correct usage of antibiotics and doctors also do their best to prove that antibiotics is not needed (on a case by case basis), then I think the simile excessive demand for antibiotics will reduce.
Parents at this point would confidently treat a viral infection or cold with lots of cuddles and calpol if needed.
I would like to end my post with a special note to parents. When your child does need antibiotics, please please please FOLLOW your doctor’s instructions and FINISH the dose of antibiotics given to you. Also USE at the right time.
If it says every 6 hours use it every 6 hours even if it means you waking up in the middle of the night to administer it to your child. That way the antibiotics will work effectively to clear the bacterial infection and you won’t have to keep going back to the doctors.
Happy European Antibiotic awareness day. Use antibiotics wisely 🙂
**For more information about European Antibiotic awareness day, click the link.
