Name: Sher

Problem: Can a baby get an inner ear infection from being placed flat on it's back while being fed? Could a newborn have withdrawals from the mother taking 600mg. a day of Tegretol (anti-convulsant med) during pregnancy?

Editor's Note: These are really questions for your doctor. Please check with him/her before taking any advice suggested here. - Delila

Solution posted by Tbaktoo: From my experiences, I would say yes. But, there is a catch to that.....it usually occurs when a child is given a bottle to drink on their own and they fall asleep while drinking the bottle. What happens is that the milk, or whatever they are drinking, stays in the throat and goes into the eustachian tube which connects to the ear canal. So, it is because of the fluid going in the canal from the eustachian tube that really causes the infection. You don't always have had a cold with these ear infections.

Also, another thing to look at if the child is having a lot of ear infections is another source other than from drinking a bottle lying down. Another source could be water....from a bath or swimming. Many parents let water get into the baby's ears during a bath. If your child is prone to ear infections this could be the cause. I would recommend ear plugs which can be purchased over the counter in any pharmacy section of stores, if your infant or child is prone to ear infections.

Another source of ear infections could be underlying allergies.

Ear infections are primarily the result of dysfunctioning eustachian tubes. (From Nursing Care of Children and Infants by Whaley and Wong).

I would recommend: not letting child take a bottle to bed when they are apt to fall asleep with bottle, and to use ear plugs if child prone to infections. BUT, one last comment......only a doctor can tell you the cause.

Through my own experience...I do offer a suggestion only that if your child continues to have repeated ear infections that are continually treated by a primary pediatrician that you consider a consult with an ENT (Ear-Nose-Throat) doctor who specialize in this. My daughter had repeated ear infections and my primary doctor would never send me to a ENT so I took her on my own. Ear infections can cause scarring and can affect their hearing. My child had ear tubes put in and her infections were decreased by 99% as a child. If your child is in school....the school nurses also do impedance testing which can show some hearing loss.

These suggestions and information is sent by me from my personal experience as a mother of 3, experiences with many ear infections and my experience as a nurse for 27 years and by no means is meant to degrade any physician or any advice your physician has given you.

Another solution posted by Skyvis: The possibility of getting an ear infection from lying on the back while drinking a bottle is almost none. Inner ear infections are caused by bacteria from a recent cold. The bacteria lie in fluid that collects in the ear while sick and becomes an infection. I got this information from my pediatrician when I was battling constant ear infections in my now 21 month old. Please do not let this substitute for asking your own doctor though. He/she is your best source of information.

I have no knowledge about the drug side effects when breast feeding. This is definitely something you should ask your doctor about:)

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