Tuesday, November 5, 2013

When Life Comes to a Halt

     We had a sick little girl on our hands over the weekend (high fever, cough, stuffy nose, and just generally feeling icky) and it was not fun. I'm sure many of you can relate - having a sick baby sucks. Period. She had some minor sniffles about 6 weeks ago, but was still her usual happy self, so we thought having a sick baby wasn't too bad, but this time around, whatever she had/has was much worse.

     My husband said it best - when the baby's sick, life comes to a halt. I didn't leave the house all day Sunday and on Monday I only went out after Cam got home from work for a much-needed grocery run. I just didn't want to take Tessa anywhere, so she stayed in her pajamas and we had a quiet day at home with lots of cuddles, stories, and naps.


     If you know Tessa, you know that the above photo is not her AT ALL! She normally doesn't sit still for 5 seconds and definitely doesn't lay down anywhere but her crib and only when she's fast asleep. Yesterday, if I put her down on the floor, she either just sat there and cried, or just put her head down and laid there, totally ignoring her toys. Poor little girl!

     By afternoon nap time, her fever was quite high and she seemed very lethargic, like to the point of not being able to keep her eyes open. I was starting to get a little worried. I gave her a dose of Baby Tylenol and put her in her crib, then called our local Health Link number. I wasn't sure how high of a fever was too high (after reading conflicting information online), or how long a fever should be left (she had had a fever for almost 24 hours by that point). I'm a nurse, and I've been around some very, very sick people as part of my job, but when it's your own child, it's a completely different story. I'm Tessa's mom, not her nurse, and I just needed some reassurance that she was OK.

     To further complicate things, our area is in the middle of a measles outbreak, so of course, all I can think is that she has the measles. I keep checking everywhere for signs of a rash - so far, so good, but it's always in the back of my mind. I'd also be really hesitant to even take her in if things get worse. Given her symptoms, we likely wouldn't be allowed to enter a doctor's office and if we were to take her to the hospital and explain her symptoms, they would most likely send us directly to the isolation unit where all the suspected measles cases have to go right now. So, if she didn't already have the measles, she'd most likely come in contact with it by going in. And if we were to go in, all they'd probably do for her would be Tylenol and fluids, which we're already doing at home. So that was what was going through my head all day yesterday...hoping she didn't get worse so we wouldn't have to make the tough call of whether or not to take her in and knowingly expose her to something worse than she already had. Thankfully, I think she's on the mend today - still feverish, but more perky and active - I've even got a few smiles out of her today.

     It's so tough to be a mama to a sick baby. I now understand so much better the feeling of wishing you could take someone else's pain and suffering yourself. I felt so sad for her and so helpless yesterday - other than giving her Tylenol and trying to keep her hydrated and, of course, loving her, there was nothing else I could do. On top of that, it's so hard to know when she might need more help than I can give her at home, or how long to just wait it out. It's such a tough call, and hopefully one that we won't have to make any time soon.

     Here's to a (hopefully) healthy winter!

16 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry mama! You're right-life does kind of stop, but it also makes you focus on some really important things. I hope Tessa feels better soon. Scary about the measles outbreak! Yikes!

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  2. I hope she feels better soon! It's so scary when their fever starts to climb!

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  3. It's so sad when they're sick! Carter had a fever a few weeks ago and just like Tessa he never lays down except when he's in his crib but all he wanted to do that day was cuddle and lay on us! It was so sad! I'm glad she is getting better today for ya!

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  4. So sad! Sickness is taken to a whole new level when you throw kids into the mix. Mom's should be immune from sickness, I always say. Hopefully she starts feeling better soon!

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  5. I'm glad she's starting to feel better! It's so crazy how a sick baby consumes pretty much every second and every ounce of energy.

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  6. It's SO hard when they're sick, especially when they're that little & don't understand why they feel that way :( I'm glad she's starting to feel better.

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    1. Yes - SO hard! It's so sad when they're obviously in pain but can't communicate it other than by crying or whimpering! Thanks for the support!

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  7. MEASLES OUTBREAK?!!! WHAT?!!! I would be a hot mess of paranoia! Yikes, friend. You poor thing! Praying it all passes fast!

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    1. Ugh - tell me about it! Part of me wants to just stay in my house for the next few weeks...but life has to keep moving!

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  8. You said it great, you are Tessa's mom, not her nurse!

    Hope little Tessa feels better soon!!!

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  9. Aw poor Tessa! Poor you!! Hazel had croup the last 2 weeks and then I got sick so I can toootally relate! Hope she is really on the mend now!

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    1. Ugh - croup is not fun! I remember my brother getting croup frequently when we were kids! Hope you guys are feeling better too.

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  10. I hope she is feeling better! :( You are right that life just STOPS when the kiddos are sick. Thanks for adding it to Time For Mom! Hope to see you next week. :)

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    1. Yes - it stops, but at the same time, it's exhausting!! Thanks for stopping by

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  11. I hope Tessa is feeling better. And a measles outbreak oh my. Praying your home is and will stay healthy!

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