Baby has been sick for a week. It has not been fun. Well, maybe just a little. It's been fun staying home with her, but not fun seeing my poor, sick child.
It started Monday afternoon. I picked her up from daycare and thought that she may have a little bit of a fever. I read something in one of my baby books about how moms have a sixth sense for fevers in their children, so I didn't bother grabbing the thermometer, but decided to take my word for it.
Monday night she woke up a bunch of times.
Tuesday morning I needed solid proof that she had a fever, so I grabbed the special thermometer that is just for her and took her temperature. Yes, I put the vaseline on it and put it in her...well... you know. What? that's the only accurate way to take a baby's temperature! Anyway, she had a fever. (See, moms do know!) I called in sick last minute on Tuesday to stay home with Baby.
All day, Baby was a totally different baby. I thought maybe she was teething and that was causing the fever. I know, all the doctors say teething shouldn't cause a fever, but talk to any mom and she'll tell you differently. Plus, Baby kept drooling and putting her fingers to her mouth.
She had zero energy, though. All day long I held her and she cuddled with me. She cuddled with me! My Baby, who refuses to sit still for a second, sat on my lap with her head on my shoulder. She fell asleep a few times that way, she woke up and sat there on my lap. She was miserable, though. Poor thing.
That night she started to cough a little bit, and we could hear her start to make this deep, throaty sound when she was breathing. I looked in one of my baby books and determined that she had most of the symptoms for croup, but wasn't really doing the coughing thing. Husband made me call the advice nurse to see what we could do (yes, I was just going to wait it out, but Husband was pretty worried. I mean, she wasn't really coughing. Maybe my diagnosis was right? After much "You call if you're so worried," "No, you call, you were home with her," Husband dialed and then I talked). Once the advice nurse was on the line, Baby did start coughing more. The nurse heard her and identified the croup right away just from hearing her (yay, mom diagnosis was right!). We got an appointment for the next morning. In the meantime we were supposed to make sure she didn't get too upset so that she didn't produce more mucus to clog her airways. (Yes, we were supposed to spoil our baby!)
All night Husband and I camped out in the living room with a sick and tired-but-too-sick-to-fall-asleep Baby. Previously we had sat in the bathroom with the shower going so Baby could breathe in the steam. It was supposed to help her breathe better. We were told to keep her head elevated and not lay her flat. How is one supposed to put her to sleep then? We were at a loss with what to do with her. We thought about putting her in her carseat, but she wouldn't fall asleep in it. She's used to going to bed in her crib. We decided to just take turns holding and rocking her in the living room. We turned the tube on and got comfortable. Husband fell asleep on the couch and I was literally up until 4:30 in the morning holding and rocking baby. I attempted to fall asleep with her a few times, but she woke herself up every fifteen minutes or so because she didn't feel well. At 4:30 I woke up Husband and made him take over. I took a short nap on the couch but had a hard time sleeping because Baby kept waking up. Around seven I called it quits.
Wednesday morning we took Baby in for her appointment at 9:15. As it turns out, the advice nurse had given us incorrect information. We tried to check in, and they told us our appointment wasn't until the next day. I was like, seriously? I asked if there was anything available that day, and they said they didn't take walk-ins. I tried to explain that we were not walk-ins. We were just told wrong information. She said we could go ask a nurse. We walked over to the pediatrics section and found a wonderful nurse. She took one look at Baby (who was super pale and lethargic) and said she would check with the doctors. Thankfully, a doctor was able to see us right away.
We got Baby naked and weighed her. My poor little ten month old is only sixteen pounds. She just sat through the exam, but then started crying when he took some wax out of her ears. She didn't have any ear infections, though. Just the croup, which the doctor said is caused by a virus. Sometimes it can be worse, and have something to do with her throat, but he checked her throat and it wasn't the advanced thing.
He wrote us a prescription for some steroid thing which would open up her airway, and said that Tylenol would be good for her fever.
I tool Baby outside to breathe the cool air and Husband went to wait for her prescription. Poor Baby fell asleep on my lap. We had a few people comment on how cute she was, and one woman was appalled that she didn't have shoes on. I wasn't sure what to say, so I just kind of gave her a look and said Baby wasn't feeling well. She doesn't walk around yet, why would she need shoes? (I did buy her a little pair not too long ago, though. In anticipation of when she is walking).
We took Baby home and Husband and I took turns holding Baby and sleeping. We were all zombies. Baby was doing much worse though. We could hear her breathing in and out and trying to suck in air. We spent lots of time in the bathroom letting the hot water run itself out. Our water bill this month is going to be so high. She also had a hard time eating and nursing. She really wanted to nurse, but each time she tried it hurt her, so she would start to cry. It was so sad. The thing that usually gave her comfort was causing her pain.
That afternoon the drugs must have kicked in. She started to be a little more active, which made both of us feel better.
Wednesday night she slept in bed with me and I kept her propped up in my arms while I was propped up on pillows. I think her fever finally ended around here, too.
Thursday I went to work and Husband stayed home with her. She was worse in the morning, but better in the afternoon. However, she had lost her voice. It was so sad to see her cry, because nothing came out. She just wrinkled up her little face, but no sound came out.
Thursday night she woke up in the middle of the night with a coughing fit. We sat in the bathroom in the steam again and I decided not to go in to work on Friday.
Friday was much better, although she was doing more coughing. Her energy was starting to return. My mother came over to help distract Baby while I worked from home for a little bit. I had to turn in all my grades by that afternoon. Luckily Baby was in a good mood and I was able to do that.
Saturday she was coughing and cranky and clingy. She had major coughing fits in the middle of the night that caused her to throw up. Lots of steam for us. I think my skin is getting very well moisturized.
Sunday was the same.
Monday she was much better, but still no voice, coughing, and clingy.
Who knows what Tuesday will bring.
Good luck--Croup stinks!
ReplyDelete