When Your Baby Is Sick – A Stressed Moms Tale

Suffering from colds throughout the winter is nothing new. We all get them and unfortunately, so do our little angels. Often, I find it is usually someone else’s darling that infects my family with some plague. It all started with a fun two-year-olds birthday party and ends with baby-man getting pneumonia.

Last Sunday we had more than lots of fun at the big birthday bash. Except for the moment when snot nosed little kid (really, the boogers were running out) hit baby-man in the head with his sippy cup. The proximity was too close and within four days I was headachy, feverish and snotty myself. I officially got the most up to date plague. Daddy-man and I had planned on celebrating our 10/8 anniversary (10 years together 8 years married to the day) but mommy was sick. Who could know that things would get worse.

It wasn’t until the following Tuesday that baby-man started to get the sniffles and a cough. Just like mommy. Wednesday night is when the fever stuck. 102 – 103. Mommy was slightly panicked, ok, I was really panicked but the nurses assured that it was common for children with a cold/virus to get. His fever stabilized to 99 by morning. He was fine all day Thursday until evening struck again. This time, his fever danced at 103 – 104.5 all night. He cried and couldn’t sleep. I was panicked inside. My angel was burning up and I couldn’t get it to come down. Morning came and his fever subsided. We all finally got to sleep around 7 am. His fever stabled at 100 degrees.

The doctor called us to follow up. She wanted to see him that afternoon. Daddy-man wouldn’t be able to go with us; he had a doctor’s appointment at the same time. I would have to run all over town because I needed to see my doctor too. By the time I got baby-man to the doctors, I had fever, sweaty, he is crying like he is in pain but luckily no fever. The doctor tries to listen to his chest. Baby-man doesn’t stop crying. She rules out it’s not the flu or an ear infection. She isn’t certain as to what is wrong or causing the fever. And then, baby-man coughs. She immediately sends us to the hospital for x-rays.

Here I am, exhausted carrying a 23 lbs baby, diaper bag, purse, coats and I am running a fever myself. Daddy-man rushes to meet us at the hospital. Baby-man cries the whole time, has a Breath Holding Spell during the x-rays. Doctor rings us shortly after to inform us that baby-man has pneumonia in his left lung. My baby has PNEUMONIA. We go home and get the medicine in him. He no longer has a fever. We are ALL exhausted.

God smiles upon us, we are all on the mend and baby-man lies against my chest as we lay propped up in his bed and sleep. I’ve never been more terrified or more in love with my baby or my husband. I always love my family, but it is when you are the most tired and scared and anxious that we are reminded of how much we truly need and love them.