Lessons Learned After my Baby Got Sick

Baby recently got hospitalized and confined in the hospital for a few days! I really pitied him as he cringed in pain as the needle is pierced in his small baby hands as the IV was being placed. I shed some tears knowing that he is still too young to feel such pain! And as the heartbreak song asks, "Where did i go wrong?". Surely any working mom would have some guilt not being able to be with baby 24/7 and hopefully guard his every move to reduce chances of him catching any virus or germs.

Aside from the IV, he was pierced once again to collect a small amount of blood for CBC. Hayy... awang awa talaga ako. But what can i do? His fever has been on the 38 level for more that 3 days.  The pedia also suggested that he stay in the hospital for observation.  I obliged since i know he'll be  better taken care of there.

At first baby had cough, then the next day he was sneezing more frequently. This was followed by colds and a bad case of stuffy nose. We gave him Disudrin for this.  On the 5th day, i think, he had high fever. The fever did not come down even if we gave him paracetamol (Tempra). We then gave him a paracetamol in suppository form. Husband and i agreed that if the fever, which was at 39 centrigrade at this point, does not come down, we'll take him to the ER. The fever came down a bit so the next day we opted to have him checked up the next day.

[caption id="attachment_3271" align="aligncenter" width="300"] No one ever wants for a baby to get sick. I was really crushed as my baby was pinched for the IV. On times like this all moms and dads is just to stay strong and hope everything clears up.[/caption]

The doctor immediately said he should be admitted since he seemed to be catching his breath. She said the warning sign, if you would check his breathing was when his breathing is so deep you can see the outline ribs and if he seems to be inhaling and exhaling faster than usual.

After the xray and the blood test, the diagnosis was pneumonia, viral lang so he would not be given antibiotics.  Thank god it's not dengue or any other worse disease. He had to stay in the hospital where his meds (Salbutamol) was given through the nebulizer + Disudrin drops.  His fluids was also constantly replenished through the IV. The doctor says he might have caught the virus from his caregivers. That was my suspicion, too since the house is seemed to be plagued with coughs and colds.  It's flu season and family members caught the virus.

So after 3 days he was up and about so i'm happy. He shed some pounds but at least we know he's clear of any disease. Now he's slowly gaining weight.

Here's what hubby and i learned and relearned after baby got sick:

Baby's immune system is still developing. 

Remember that even if he's still getting the vaccine almost every month, he'll still catch some type of disease. Shots can only prevent a number of diseases.

Avoid going to crowded places where he's most likely be in contact with sick people. So, noted. We'll limit his trips to the malls! Since convergence ang mall ng napakaraming tao, pati na rin mga virus.

We've been having colder nights since the end of October. For chilly nights, since Amihan kicked in, keep baby in thicker clothes so he won't get too cold.

Health starts at home. 

Sa bahay, since hindi naman maiiwasan magkasakit, i''ll have take take vitamins. Next flu season, i'll insist na talaga that they do get the shots. As my pedia said, having baby vaccinated against flu will be useless if the rest of the household won't get the shot too.

To prevent or at least limit the spread of diseases within the house, always wash hands when handling baby. Use baby's own utensils when feeding him. Avoid face to face contact if you feel you're developing a cold. Never sneeze around the baby.

Keep breastfeeding!!! 

It's the best way to comfort the baby. His appetite was down and limited. It was quite hard to breastfeed him while lying down since he had colds. Moms will need to nurse with baby in upright position to keep milk from backing up. Limit nursing in the side lying position. Baby might lose his appetite for nursing, but be sure to keep that skin to skin contact to reassure him that you're always there for him. After nursing, place a pillow under his back to elevate his lungs.

[caption id="attachment_3273" align="aligncenter" width="300"] This was our position for almost the entire time my baby was in the hospital. A mental note for moms with sick babies: Give more hugs![/caption]

Aside from nourishment, babies  get solace knowing that he'll be hugged by his mommy for the rest of the time he's sick.  The only silver lining was that during the period when he was sick, we got to cuddle and hug most of the time. He just laid on top of me... and i secretly enjoyed.

So there, take good care of the precious little prune!!!

Also worth reading:

• Nice-to-have items for the medicine kit

***