Shortly after we came home Lorenzo started getting sick. He was really stuffy and had a hard time breathing when he was feeding. After taking him to the Dr.'s they did a RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) test. It came back positive and I have never been so worried. Funny how you can worry so much for someone you have just met. We had only been home for four days and we had to go to the hospital again. For most people RSV would be like a common cold, but for a newborn baby it is very dangerous. If not treated it could develop into Bronchiolitis or Pneumonia. Because of this we were told to go up to Primary Children's Hospital where he would be watched and treated. There is no medicine for RSV, and the treatment they do is suctioning.
They would often have to do NP suctioning (Nasopharyngeal) which is a way to remove mucus in the back of his throat. Watching him get suctioned is the most painful thing for a parent to watch. Whenever Lorenzo would sound snotty like he could not breathe the nurse would come in and would stick a very small suction tube (Catheter) up tiny nostrils that goes all the way to the back of his throat. It doesn't actually hurt the baby when they do this, but the discomfort is so great that they cry the hardest their little lungs allow. I felt so bad every time they came in to do this. At first I had to walk away because I wanted to cry right along with him. After a while you get used to it because they come in so often to do this. It's easy to feel helpless sitting around. I knew sitting around feeling sorry for myself wouldn't do any good. The last thing I wanted to do was to be posting things on Facebook making others feel sorry and ask us questions that we didn't have the answers to. That doesn't help the situation. My way of coping with it all was trying to make myself feel useful. Along with taking care of Lorenzo and his needs I would constantly go to the Breast Pumping room to do my part so that my little one would at least have my antibodies to help him fight. That was my way that I felt like I could help him. It was something small, but like I said I felt useful.
The over all stay at Primary Children's was not comfortable. The amount of children that come in for RSV is so great that they have more than one patient in a room separated by curtains. So there are only 2 visitors allowed at a time and there's only space for one person to stay really since it was a tiny cot next to his crib. I heard a lot more than I wanted to hear sitting in that small space. I got to hear the situations of others and how their child was coping. For some it was a short stay, for others it was a long stay. There was a 6 week old patient next to us that went from bad to worse all in one night. The baby ended up spiking a fever and was not doing well at all. They had to do tests and it was not looking good. I don't know what ever happened to that mother and her baby. I think about them often. When I reflect back on that whole experience I am so grateful that Lorenzo is doing as well as he is now. It opened my eyes to see that it could have been so much worse. We took it one day at a time grateful for all the small moments. One night without having to drive up to the hospital for additional suctioning was a huge milestone for us. His first weeks of life revolved being connected to tubes and wires so even just holding him and cuddling him without the oxygen and monitors was a big deal to us. We prayed a lot for a little one, both before and after he was born. And I'm certain they will not be the last, but we are so grateful to have him home. Home sweet home....
They would often have to do NP suctioning (Nasopharyngeal) which is a way to remove mucus in the back of his throat. Watching him get suctioned is the most painful thing for a parent to watch. Whenever Lorenzo would sound snotty like he could not breathe the nurse would come in and would stick a very small suction tube (Catheter) up tiny nostrils that goes all the way to the back of his throat. It doesn't actually hurt the baby when they do this, but the discomfort is so great that they cry the hardest their little lungs allow. I felt so bad every time they came in to do this. At first I had to walk away because I wanted to cry right along with him. After a while you get used to it because they come in so often to do this. It's easy to feel helpless sitting around. I knew sitting around feeling sorry for myself wouldn't do any good. The last thing I wanted to do was to be posting things on Facebook making others feel sorry and ask us questions that we didn't have the answers to. That doesn't help the situation. My way of coping with it all was trying to make myself feel useful. Along with taking care of Lorenzo and his needs I would constantly go to the Breast Pumping room to do my part so that my little one would at least have my antibodies to help him fight. That was my way that I felt like I could help him. It was something small, but like I said I felt useful.
The over all stay at Primary Children's was not comfortable. The amount of children that come in for RSV is so great that they have more than one patient in a room separated by curtains. So there are only 2 visitors allowed at a time and there's only space for one person to stay really since it was a tiny cot next to his crib. I heard a lot more than I wanted to hear sitting in that small space. I got to hear the situations of others and how their child was coping. For some it was a short stay, for others it was a long stay. There was a 6 week old patient next to us that went from bad to worse all in one night. The baby ended up spiking a fever and was not doing well at all. They had to do tests and it was not looking good. I don't know what ever happened to that mother and her baby. I think about them often. When I reflect back on that whole experience I am so grateful that Lorenzo is doing as well as he is now. It opened my eyes to see that it could have been so much worse. We took it one day at a time grateful for all the small moments. One night without having to drive up to the hospital for additional suctioning was a huge milestone for us. His first weeks of life revolved being connected to tubes and wires so even just holding him and cuddling him without the oxygen and monitors was a big deal to us. We prayed a lot for a little one, both before and after he was born. And I'm certain they will not be the last, but we are so grateful to have him home. Home sweet home....
