First Virus
They don't put a spot for this in the baby books. But if they did... we'd have our entry as of last night.
Charlotte and I went for a lovely photo session yesterday afternoon and then decided to visit a friend's house for a little party. Just as we were getting ready to go, Charlotte decided to leave the contents of her stomach for our hostess. (Who, coincidentally, had been dealing with her own sick baby.) Once we got her all cleaned up and out of her now yucky dress, we tried again. About 5 feet from the door, she said, "Wait Mommy, I have more to leave behind." So I cleaned her up again then soothed her so we could make our journey home.
I called Daddy who was driving home from a training session and told him about his sick little girl. Once I pulled into the driveway I heard a familiar sound. Yep, Charlotte was heaving and leaving more 'gifts' behind. I could hardly get her out of the car and into the house due to my extreme nervousness. She has thrown up before, but never anything this long and with heaving!
Oh my! What is a new mom to do when over the next hour, her sweet baby girl continues to heave and bring up yellow stomach acid because there was nothing else left in her little belly? Call the pediatrician of course! The doctor on call for our practice said to watch her and if she continued to throw up over the next hour to take her in to the closest ER. At this point, she was still alert and didn't have a temperature.
Of course, I know better than the doctor and when Charlotte tosses her cookies 5 minutes later declare to my husband that we are going to the ER. Yes, I know it's late and you have to be at work tomorrow, but no, I am not going alone. This is too traumatic. Once there, she heaves a few more times over the course of an hour or so, and they tell me to give her pedialite and monitor her for 12-24 hours. If she keeps vomiting after 12 hours, bring her back in. They weren't much help for this new mom's rattled nerves. In all fairness to the doctor, I would have still taken her if we waited an house and probably have received the same advice from the ER anyway.
So by 9:30 pm, home we went... she managed to fall asleep in the car on our way back. That was a blessing because at this point she hadn't slept any since about 2:30 this afternoon. She stayed asleep long enough to be taken out of her car seat and placed in her swing (which we didn't turn on). After another 20 minutes she woke herself up by getting sick yet again! Hasn't my little daughter had enough?
We carry on with her throwing up every 20 minutes or so. Of course, there's nothing but bright yellow acid coming up. I google that and decide it really isn't so bad until the vomit turns green (bile). At 2 am she is really hungry so I give her 1 ounce of expressed breastmilk mixed with 1 ounce of pedialite (per the doctor's instructions). She hungrily takes it in and then just as quickly gives it back to me. I knew motherhood would come with a lot of gifts, but didn't realize this would be one of them!
By now, I've not had more than 10 minutes of sleep because every time she makes a noise I have to check that she is okay. At 3 am she heaves again, but nothing comes out. Her little body seems to have given up the ghost. Through Charlotte tries, she can barely muster a good cry. We both fall asleep in Daddy's chair until about 4 am. Somehow, I don't feel refreshed after that nap.
At 4:30 am she is no longer satisfied with sucking her pacifier and she hasn't kept anything in her tummy since 6:30 the night before. She quietly takes 1 ounce of pedialite and goes back to sleep. Miracle of all miracles she keeps it down! At 5:30 am, we try a little more fluid. She keeps down another 1.5 ounces.
Now that it seems we have moved past the vomiting stage, we got to move into the diarrhea stage. Strangely enough, I find this MUCH easier to handle than vomit. It doesn't involve my little girl straining her whole body and she can soil her diaper without much effort. It seems this next phase of her virus is easier on her body as a whole.
It is now a little after 9 am and I just finished giving Charlotte another bottle, this time 1/2 breastmilk and 1/2 pedialite. She has kept it down and even managed to play in her swing a little. While changing her last diaper, she gave me a smile that could light up New York City. I love being her mommy.
Charlotte and I went for a lovely photo session yesterday afternoon and then decided to visit a friend's house for a little party. Just as we were getting ready to go, Charlotte decided to leave the contents of her stomach for our hostess. (Who, coincidentally, had been dealing with her own sick baby.) Once we got her all cleaned up and out of her now yucky dress, we tried again. About 5 feet from the door, she said, "Wait Mommy, I have more to leave behind." So I cleaned her up again then soothed her so we could make our journey home.
I called Daddy who was driving home from a training session and told him about his sick little girl. Once I pulled into the driveway I heard a familiar sound. Yep, Charlotte was heaving and leaving more 'gifts' behind. I could hardly get her out of the car and into the house due to my extreme nervousness. She has thrown up before, but never anything this long and with heaving!
Oh my! What is a new mom to do when over the next hour, her sweet baby girl continues to heave and bring up yellow stomach acid because there was nothing else left in her little belly? Call the pediatrician of course! The doctor on call for our practice said to watch her and if she continued to throw up over the next hour to take her in to the closest ER. At this point, she was still alert and didn't have a temperature.
Of course, I know better than the doctor and when Charlotte tosses her cookies 5 minutes later declare to my husband that we are going to the ER. Yes, I know it's late and you have to be at work tomorrow, but no, I am not going alone. This is too traumatic. Once there, she heaves a few more times over the course of an hour or so, and they tell me to give her pedialite and monitor her for 12-24 hours. If she keeps vomiting after 12 hours, bring her back in. They weren't much help for this new mom's rattled nerves. In all fairness to the doctor, I would have still taken her if we waited an house and probably have received the same advice from the ER anyway.
So by 9:30 pm, home we went... she managed to fall asleep in the car on our way back. That was a blessing because at this point she hadn't slept any since about 2:30 this afternoon. She stayed asleep long enough to be taken out of her car seat and placed in her swing (which we didn't turn on). After another 20 minutes she woke herself up by getting sick yet again! Hasn't my little daughter had enough?
We carry on with her throwing up every 20 minutes or so. Of course, there's nothing but bright yellow acid coming up. I google that and decide it really isn't so bad until the vomit turns green (bile). At 2 am she is really hungry so I give her 1 ounce of expressed breastmilk mixed with 1 ounce of pedialite (per the doctor's instructions). She hungrily takes it in and then just as quickly gives it back to me. I knew motherhood would come with a lot of gifts, but didn't realize this would be one of them!
By now, I've not had more than 10 minutes of sleep because every time she makes a noise I have to check that she is okay. At 3 am she heaves again, but nothing comes out. Her little body seems to have given up the ghost. Through Charlotte tries, she can barely muster a good cry. We both fall asleep in Daddy's chair until about 4 am. Somehow, I don't feel refreshed after that nap.
At 4:30 am she is no longer satisfied with sucking her pacifier and she hasn't kept anything in her tummy since 6:30 the night before. She quietly takes 1 ounce of pedialite and goes back to sleep. Miracle of all miracles she keeps it down! At 5:30 am, we try a little more fluid. She keeps down another 1.5 ounces.
Now that it seems we have moved past the vomiting stage, we got to move into the diarrhea stage. Strangely enough, I find this MUCH easier to handle than vomit. It doesn't involve my little girl straining her whole body and she can soil her diaper without much effort. It seems this next phase of her virus is easier on her body as a whole.
It is now a little after 9 am and I just finished giving Charlotte another bottle, this time 1/2 breastmilk and 1/2 pedialite. She has kept it down and even managed to play in her swing a little. While changing her last diaper, she gave me a smile that could light up New York City. I love being her mommy.
It's SO hard to see our little ones in pain, especially when they are sick! With some more time you will become "Dr. Mom", and you won't need the ER because you will know as much as they do, or at least they won't be able to tell you what you don't already know! Besides there isn't anything they can actually do for a virus or the flu. When Amer or Alyssa got sick like that I never take them to the doctor.
ReplyDeleteAfter their tummy is done getting rid of everything, I start their little tummies on Ginger Ale, crackers, after this has helped I give mashed potatoes sprinkled with a little salt. Works like a gem! But they weren't infants when this happened.
I can still remember about 2 yrs ago we were driving home from church, and what do we hear........Alyssa's Sunday school snack coming to greet us in the car! It was bad enough that I took the entire seat out with her still seated in. I removed her from the car seat just out side our Duplex, and literally hosed her down in the yard! After this I took her clothes off, and had to put the cover to her car seat in the wash as well.
I can't tell you how many days like that I have seen! It's probably not the last, however, since going to our Chiropractor they haven't gotten sick. Yay!