Last Thursday night began like any other night. Johnny and I put Sally to bed and then got working on this or that. Sally had a cold and had been coughing a ton. She was also being treated for an ear infection. When we were getting ready for bed, we realized she was coughing nonstop and couldn't sleep at all. So we brought her into our bed. As always, Sally immediately was wide awake and chattering away because of how excited she was to be in our bed. We explained that she needed to sleep, but she kept coughing over and over. We also noticed her breathing was labored and rapid. We called our pediatrician, and she said to take Sally to the Mount Sinai pediatric ER on the UES.
We called an Uber and went over there, feeling unsure of whether we really needed to go. Despite her labored breathing, Sally chatted nonstop in the car, exclaiming that we were in a car, going on a trip! In the ER, they put us in a temporary room and gave Sal an albeuderol nebulizer treatment. It didn't help, but they decided to give her a few more. They also took an X-Ray to rule out pneumonia. The time just slipped away, and we'd been sitting in one room for hours. All we knew was that Sally's breathing was a concern, she had a fever, and her oxygen levels were lower than they should be. No one was telling us anything else. We were just waiting for someone to tell us what was wrong so we could go home. Then a nurse came in to check her vitals one more time, and based on her reaction, something seemed off. Next thing we know, the doctor comes in and says, "Mom and Dad, she's gotta stay." In other words, they were admitting Sally to the children's hospital. Her oxygen levels were at 90% and nothing was making them improve. She didn't have pneumonia, but they tested her for RSV. We waited another few hours for a room to be prepared and for the results of the RSV test to come back.
The nurses and staff were all so sweet in the children's hospital. They brought Sally a doll house to play with, and they were super understanding of our situation with my being so pregnant. Sally was monitored and given saline breathing treatments periodically. They attached a clip to her toe to check her oxygen every couple of hours. We put Sally in diapers, just to make things easier, and she drank out of a bottle while she was there. The trick was keeping her entertained in the hospital room. We had TV, coloring, and the dollhouse.
At 1:00 that afternoon, I went home to sleep, and Johnny called me after three hours to tell me that Sally was throwing crazy tantrums. She'd been given a steroid, and she was hulking out because of it and her sleep deprivation. I went back almost immediately and helped calm her. We were told she was looking better and that we might be able to be discharged that night. Sally fell asleep finally, and her oxygen levels just weren't good enough, so they had to keep us overnight. Johnny went home for a bit to shower and be there for a Prime Now order and then came back with burgers for us. We finally got Sal to sleep late that night and then tried to get some rest ourselves. Johnny had gotten zero sleep still. They made a special exception for us to both sleep in the room since I was so pregnant. They brought in a chair that turned into a bed for me, but Johnny was on the floor. I decided to go home at 1:00 a.m. (via Uber) and give Johnny my bed and sleep in our own bed.
And now back to present day:
There were so many emotions surrounding Sally's hospital stay. Not only was it horrible to see Sally so sick and not be able to do anything, but we were worried about me going into labor and having Wynn while Sally was still contagious. And I was worried that Johnny and I would get RSV and Wynn might get it that way, too. I called my doctor the day Sally was admitted, and she was very concerned and told me that we'd need to quarantine Sally away from the baby if I went into labor while she was still contagious (which would be for the next week or so). I was certain I'd go into labor while Sally was still sick, and the whole situation really weighed on me. Somehow it all worked out. Sally got better before I had Wynn. I really don't feel like it was chance that it all worked out how it did.
Thankfully, Sally ended up being totally fine, but the situation really put everything into perspective for Johnny and me. We were grateful she wasn't more sick than she was, as many of the children in the hospital had much more serious illnesses. It also reinforced how nothing really matters but our little family. I'm so grateful for little Sal and that I get to be her mom. Being a parent makes you so vulnerable, but it's also the very best thing in the world. The week after her sickness was a great time to appreciate each other and spend some final time as a family of three.
When I got home, I had so much pent up stress that I scrubbed our kitchen and bathroom for an hour before finally going to sleep. I was so happy Persie was home with me so I wasn't alone. I woke up at about 6:30 and showered and took the bus back to the hospital. That morning, Sally seemed like she was doing better, and we just hung out with our girl while the doctors decided whether to send her home. During the night, her oxygen levels had been okay, not great but good enough to discharge her. And she was consistently getting about 94% or 95% oxygen levels during the day, so they told us we could go home. We were told to monitor her and watch her closely the next few days to make sure she didn't worsen. And they told us to just bring her back in if she did. We also had a followup appointment with the pediatrician for the following Monday. Luckily, Sally has steadily improved, and she's been doing great since.
And now back to present day:
There were so many emotions surrounding Sally's hospital stay. Not only was it horrible to see Sally so sick and not be able to do anything, but we were worried about me going into labor and having Wynn while Sally was still contagious. And I was worried that Johnny and I would get RSV and Wynn might get it that way, too. I called my doctor the day Sally was admitted, and she was very concerned and told me that we'd need to quarantine Sally away from the baby if I went into labor while she was still contagious (which would be for the next week or so). I was certain I'd go into labor while Sally was still sick, and the whole situation really weighed on me. Somehow it all worked out. Sally got better before I had Wynn. I really don't feel like it was chance that it all worked out how it did.
Thankfully, Sally ended up being totally fine, but the situation really put everything into perspective for Johnny and me. We were grateful she wasn't more sick than she was, as many of the children in the hospital had much more serious illnesses. It also reinforced how nothing really matters but our little family. I'm so grateful for little Sal and that I get to be her mom. Being a parent makes you so vulnerable, but it's also the very best thing in the world. The week after her sickness was a great time to appreciate each other and spend some final time as a family of three.
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