Adventures at the Hospital!

just when i think i can't handle anything else...

yesterday, luci seemed to be doing ok for the most part. she was still stuffed up and seemed a little cranky, but that was all... until around dinner time. i started noticing that she was becoming more lethargic, and then i noticed that she had diahhrea, which is really, really bad for newborns. after her 3rd diaper change with the runs, and when she started to refuse to eat and seemed to have trouble focusing on my face, i called health link.

usually i like health link. despite the thousand questions they have to ask, i typically trust their advise. this time, not so much. they told me to make a saline to drop into luci's nose - which was fine, but it takes a while to cool boiled water! so i never actually got to that part. they told me to go to this after-hours clinic, and said a nurse from the clinic would phone me right back with an appointment time. this was at about 7pm. well, when the "nurse" called me, she barely spoke any english and kept calling luci "laci". she also told me i "had" to come in right away, as they wouldn't see me after 8. i hung up, called ian at work, and he advised me to go directly to the childrens and he'd meet me there.

i knew she was ok... but i also knew that newborns go from being "ok" to being really NOT ok very quickly, so we decided not to take the chance.

ian's partner dropped him off and i met him there. we got through triage immediately (miracle!) because of how young luci is. we didn't wait at all, really, and actually saw the doc before we even saw the nurse! he ordered "deep suction" for her, plus tylonol and pedialyte. the deep suction was truamatic to say the least - a respiratory therapist came, and had to insert a catheter into each of her nostrils while a nurse held her still (no easy job). she screamed like crazy - and cried real tears! it was horrible - ian and i just sat there holding hands and trying not to cry. the good news was that it worked - she had a really bad blockage that they cleared up, and she was happy as a clam after that. although, it took a few hours before she stopped taking those horrible, heartbreaking shuddering gasps.

immediately after the suctioning, she fed (yay!) and we were able to go home. she had a good night (for once, i was happy to wake up and feed her!). she was congested again this morning, but ian snagged some saline for us to use to help break up any blockages this time around.

i was also really relieved when ians superintendent came by the hospital to check on us - and to give ian the rest of the night off. very nice, and great to have ian awake today!

so there's our first adventure at the hospital with luci. lili had her first hospital visit at 3 weeks as well.

we're home now, and doing much better, she's been feeding all day.

whew! SURELY we'll have an uneventful week now...right?