Battle with the "boogie sucker"

I cannot tell you how much I hate using this darn thing.  It's on my list of baby care things that I am not fond of, which includes nail care.  It's funny because these "boogie suckers" remind me of when I was younger and my mom had one or two of them in the house for my youngest baby sister.  They must have been a fun toy to play with, because right when I saw one in the NICU with Liam, I was taken back to my childhood.  Kind of strange...

So, I've always been worried that Liam will become too stuffed up to breathe at night, when I'm not watching him and making sure he's okay.  He doesn't get too stuffy or runny much, but usually before he goes to bed I use the aspirator briefly to clear out his nose so that he can sleep comfortably.  When we were in the NICU, one of the nurses told me that when babies have reflux or even when they are just nursing or drinking a bottle, it is very likely that they will get some stuff clogged up in their nose.  Liam's pediatrician suggested that I also use saline drops in his nostrils when he is stuffed up, which for both Liam and I, makes everything worse.  It is a race to get the drops into his tiny little nose holes before he jerks his head!  Luckily, this doesn't need to be done much.  I can usually just get away without using the drops.

I always do this task last, after Liam is changed, lotioned, etc.  He makes a big deal out of it, so I try not to do it too much, but I'm frequently hearing a little sniffle here or there.  It has got to bother him, especially when he's eating.  Every once in awhile when he is nursing, his nose will make a little sniffling sound and he seems uncomfortable.  You know how it is when you eat with a stuffed up nose or try and sleep...

Sometimes, he will tolerate the ordeal.  I keep him motivated by praising him and encouraging him on what a good job he is doing during those times. Most of the time though, he gets pretty upset.  I have even thought to myself, "maybe I should try it out and see how horrible it is".  Lately, he has actually been hitting it away and has even grabbed it.  He sure knows what he doesn't want!