Bugs and Boo Boos

On Saturday Isaiah got pinchy. He cried most of the evening. I held him as I rocked him to sleep and he would just nod off before waking with a start and crying. Still, I put him down and he slept for 8 hours. The next morning he seemed to be feeling better. But as the day went on, he got warmer and warmer. I took his temperature. Sure enough, 39 degrees.

I flipped my mom hat and my nurse hat back and forth. Should I give him Tylenol? Should I take him to Emergency? I called Health Links and discussed him with them. Take him in to be checked out, they said.

So we packed up and headed to Children's Hospital. They moved him in quickly. He was so hot and such a little guy. The doctor ordered samples of his urine and his blood. The nurse set up the catheter tray when Isaiah went silent. A split second later old faithful shot a stream and the speedy nurse moved her sterile container to make the catch. What a good boy! The blood test didn't go as smoothly. I held his soother in and stroked his head as they looked for a good spot. The first poke missed and my baby cried in pain. He locked eyes with me and asked me to make it stop while I cried because I couldn't. The second poke was successful and an IV was started. I told the Husband that I would rather go through labor and delivery than do this again. Helplessness is a terrible feeling.

His test came back positive for a Urinary Tract Infection. The counts were high but not tremendously. For an older baby they would just order oral antibiotics, the Doctor said. But because of his age they did not want to take chances. He would be admitted for IV antibiotics.

The first night I slept 1 hour as I laid on my very uncomfortable cot and listened to every sound he made. Other children were crying as well. Nurse checks were done every hour. It was a busy place. In the morning Isaiah went for a kidney ultrasound. Everything appeared normal and he slept through the test.

During the second night, our roommate got very sick. Isaiah did his best to sleep through the commotion. After enduring 2 hours of it, he woke up and decided that it must be daytime. Lights were on, people were talking. Party time! He laughed, smiled, and talked his way through the hours of 2am-5am. We were moved to another room to give the other patient privacy. And I got 2 hours of solid sleep.

Isaiah has a great disposition. He loved talking to the nurses and doctors. Everybody told him that he was handsome and he agreed with them, talking non-stop. He loved the rainbows on the wall, cooing and bubbling at them every chance he got. And he watched his toy zebra for hours, studying his patterns and tasting his feet. He has an eye for TV, which Mum doesn't like too much. He can zone out and watch it for long stretches of time. That must come from Daddy's side of the family.

The doctor wanted to keep him in till this morning. I pushed to take him home last night. He hadn't had a fever since admission and we would stay for his evening IV antibiotics. I was so tired and my milk supply was dwindling. The doctor agreed and we packed up and went to our sweet and cozy home. And we slept all night.

Thank you for the zebra Auntie Lynds and Uncle Trav