Sick Baby

Last Saturday (on my birthday) Blip started showing signs of having a cold.  He didn't fuss or act too sick, but his cold was worse on Sunday, so we made an appointment with our pediatrician on Monday morning.


We met with the doctor and she agreed he had a cold.  At that point, that's all it was...a stupid cold.  She told us to watch Blip closely because if his cold worsened, he would need "support" to get through it.  I think we both new "support" meant a hospital visit, so we smiled and left the office with our tiny baby...hoping his stupid cold would stay just that- a stupid cold.

While at the doctor's office, Blip weighed in at 7 lbs.  We used a different scale than the one we had been using for his weight checks, but since he was at 7 lbs two days after his three week mark...we were happy.  That would mean he hit 6 lbs 14 ounces on his three week birthday and then gained an ounce a day.  Everyone seemed happy about this.

We bought some saline drops for his nose/sinuses to help us break up the crap stuffing him up...and we were using the blue bulb sucker thingy to help Blip breathe better.  I couldn't believe how much yellow and green snot we got from his tiny face, but it seemed to help him.

Bu late Thursday afternoon, I knew Blip was getting worse.  He was very lethargic all day.  He hadn't been sleeping well all week (when he did sleep it was not restful like normal) and if I put him down he cried.  Blip is a very mellow baby.  He is not fussy and he doesn't cry.  He already self-soothes, so I knew he didn't feel well.  I held him all day...he just laid on me and moaned.  It was awful.


I knew it was too late to get in with the Pediatrician, so I told Mike we would just monitor the baby throughout the night and call to make an appointment first thing Friday morning.

Blip had a rough night, but did not seem any worse until Friday morning.  Mike got up with him early and let me sleep a bit.  While they were up together, Blip started having a coughing attack.  His cough had gone from dry to wet by Friday morning.  Mike called and made an appointment as soon as the opened.


At 11:15 we arrived for the appointment.  We met with Dr. Jaqemart...that's who Richelle sees, but we had not met her yet.  By the time we left the office, I absolutely loved her.  She is older and seems like a grandma...she was so sweet, kind and gentle.  I loved the way she touched the baby...and how she cared for not only him, but us as well.  I think she could tell we were struggling with how sick our child was.

When we weighed Blip (on the original scale from his weigh-ins) he  only weighed 6 lbs 14 ounces.  Ugh.  I was surprised he was only his birth weight...especially since it was his four week birthday.  Dr. J was also very concerned about his weight.  She suggested I pump and bottle feed for a 24 hour period so we could see exactly how much Blip was consuming.  He nurses well, but there is no way to know what he is taking in for sure.  I agreed to do that.

Dr. J looked Blip over and listened to his heart and lungs.  She agreed he was very sick, but then he started coughing.  As soon as she heard him cough, she told us he needed to be hospitalized.  I asked her where and she said Thunderbird.  I asked her why there and not PCH...and she assured us that they have the same level of care and Pediatric Hospitalists on duty 24/7.  She told us they have a Pediatric ICU (PICU), so if he needed an ICU, they would be able to care for him.  We felt comfortable with that, so she left the room to call the hospital.  She said we could wait in the room until she was able to get us admitted.

It took some time to get us a room at the hospital, so she asked us if we wanted to go home and pack our bag to stay with the Baby.  We thought that was a good idea, so she took down Mike's cell phone number and said she would call once we the hospital was ready for us.

We got home and the doctor called, so I packed a quick bag and headed back out the door.  We were admitted quickly once we arrived...and then were shown to our room.  Luckily, we had our own room...it was nice.  There was a hospital bed for one of us and the same "bassinet" thingy he had when he was born for Blip...and a recliner for us to sit in (sleep in) too.  I also rounded up a couple other chairs for visitors to sit on.  And we could use the "patient only" bathroom.  (This time I was smart enough to pack a roll of good toilet paper...so we didn't have to use the crap they have here.)  All in all not a bad set-up.

We have seen four Pediatrician's since we've been here.  Three Hospitalists and the on-call doctor from our Pediatrician's office.  The doctors we've seen have all been great...especially Dr. Hayes.  He came to see us on Saturday.  He was very patient and went over everything with us.  He stayed well inside the room...away from the door until we had no further questions.  He was in no rush and wanted to make sure we were comfortable.  The first doctor was good too...and so was the doctor we saw today.

The nurse today has lowered Blip's oxygen support.  We will not be released until the baby is off all oxygen for 24 hours.  He seems to be doing fine with the lower levels, so hopefully this trend will continue.  He seems content, as long as his belly is full, his diaper is dry and his nose has been suctioned.  (I can't believe the crap they are suctioning out of his tiny face!!  It's so thick and disgusting.  I am so glad they are able to get it out of him so he can breathe easier.)