Better Late Than Never

This post is about taking Colt to the hospital when he was 6 weeks old. It is a few weeks late. I know it is all said and done, but I have had people asking about what happened. So for those few people and my memory here it is.

We took Colt to the hospital on a Tuesday...

So rewind a few days before that. Colt was being kind of fussy. Not inconsolable, just cranky. Remember the post about his big burp then feeling better? Well that made me wonder if he was having tummy troubles. There was one day in particular that my diet was awful (think lots of soda...hey it was a rough day with my girl and I needed a little pep. The diet coke was there so I just kept drinking) so I attributed his fussiness to that.

After a few days and nights of that we come to Monday night. He is not like himself at all. He won't sleep even when I am holding him. He woke up about every 30 minutes screaming. I tried burping him, rocking him, nursing him and got the same result. All. Night. Long.

About 6 am my older kids started waking up. I went to get Pierce out of his crib and he had vomited. It then finally occurred to me Colt might be unwell. After cleaning up Pierce I take Colt's temperature and it is 101.6. Oh dear. I call my pediatrician and they ask if I can be there in 15 minutes. It takes me 15 minutes to get out the door and everyone in the car so no! So they give me 30 minutes. Hmm I don't feel good about how urgent they are making this, but I keep thinking I'm sure it's nothing.

We get there and get to the room. The PA does a basic check on him and says he seems to look good. Phew, its probably nothing. There are no major red flags but they want to check his temp with their thermometer to see if he has a fever. After getting it rectally (poor baby) the nurse comes in to tell me it was 101.8 and they want him to go to the hospital like right now. I was NOT expecting this. I start asking why and get answers of, "fevers aren't normal in a newborn and can mean meningitis, infections, ect... He might get an IV, blood work and a spinal tap."

Hit the brakes!!! A spinal tap?!? On my 6 week old! I realize I cannot handle hearing anymore so I stop asking questions and put on a brave smile. At this point I have all 3 kids screaming at me. Pierce feels awful, Saffryn is antsy and Colt feels awful. I try to keep it together for the kids. I call Dan telling him he needs to get home NOW! I realize with Pierce sick I don't want to ask anyone to watch the kids and spread our germs which means I have to take Colt to the hospital by myself while Dan watches S and P.

I rush home from the pediatrician and try to pack a bag for Colt and me. My mind is racing and I am trying to appear calm and collected for my children's sake. Dan makes it home and I relay all the scary stuff the PA said to me. I let out a few tears then take a deep breath and take baby to the hospital.

On the way there I prayed for his health. I also prayed for my strength. How was I going to handle this by myself? The thought of my baby going through all of this was very hard to handle.

Get to the hospital and the admissions lady tells me my pediatrician has called ahead and wants me to go to the ER so he can be a direct admin. I am so worried. What is wrong with my baby?!?!

After going to the ER they send me straight to the pediatric ward and the doctors and residents and nurses come in. They start taking his vitals. His temp is still 101.8. They take his blood pressure with the smallest cuff ever. It was normal. His breathing sounds good, ears look good and there are no major red flags. The doctor and resident start asking me questions and really put me at ease. They make it seem as though this is not an emergency situation. They are very calm and smiling. They tell me he looks good but they need to do some things to be sure and try to find out why he has a fever.

They tell me when babies come in 28 days or younger they do a spinal tap no matter what. Colt was 45 days old so if he continued to eat well and have plenty of wet diapers they would hold off on the spinal tap and just do blood work. Relief swept over me! I think I can handle them taking blood!

The doctors left and 2 nurses came in. They first gave him a catheter and he over flowed the container!!! I was so proud. Lol. I know that is a weird thing o be proud of but that showed everyone he was well hydrated and made the need for a spinal tap go way down!!! Then they got an IV in and took some blood. Thankfully I have no fear of needles and they were quick. Colt was such a good boy! He was so cooperative and enjoyed the sugar water they gave him! That also helped me be strong!




Picture of Colt after his IV was placed. Poor poor baby.

Then everyone left and said we will wait to see what the blood work says. A few minutes later the head resident came in and gave Colt some Tylenol. Colt then ate and went right to sleep! The first good nap he had in days! I just got to watch daytime tv and hold Colt all afternoon. After a few hour nap his fever had broken! What a great sign! A little while later the head resident came in and said his blood work looked great! No infection!!! Colt probably had the same virus Pierce has. They wanted to keep him overnight to make sure his fever didn't return and to watch his eating/diapers and overall fussiness. Huge relief!

Dan's parents rushed over to our house in the evening so Dan could come visit us! It was so good to see him. After I got a much needed shower he had to go back home. Colt fell asleep and had several 3 hour stretches which after the past few nights felt amazing!

The next morning he was still fever free and so much less fussy so we got sent home!

What a scare! Another reason why being the 3rd is tough...you catch whatever sickness your older sibs have.

When we got home he was so quiet and content which made me realize just how crummy he must have felt. I am so very thankful Colt got better so quickly. It is so sad seeing your children sick or hurting. Thanks for the love when we were there!!! I am always blown away by my friends and family!


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