Team Smith: February 2011

Last week RSV struck our household with a vengeance!! This post will probably be long and boring to most but I wanted to include some of the details of last week just for the record.

Over the weekend Coyt started showing signs of a bad cough/cold, he wasn't running any fever but wasn't himself and during the night Sat. he would get choked up coughing after he ate and spit up most of his milk along with a ton of mucus. We changed clothes a million times (his and mine) and washed just about everything in sight due to these episodes. We called the on call doctor on Sunday and got him some pedialyte, per his instruction, but that didn't seem to stay down any better. We watched him very closely and went back and forth on whether or not to take him to the ER all day. He was having wet diapers so we decided he wasn't dehydrated and we could hold off until first thing Monday morning when we we could take him to our doctor and possibly avoid exposure and expense in the ER.

Sunday night was a LONG night. Watching your little precious choke and cough and get weak due to his inability hold anything down was rough! Thankfully Crew was happy as a clam with no sign of anything so we just had one sicky to deal with.

Nannie came over first thing Monday to hold down the fort with all three of our other babes while we took Coyt to the Doctor. Stacey pushed back a meeting so he could go with me and I am SO grateful! We didn't have an appointment but just showed up about 15 minuted before they opened. I am sure they could see the desperation in my face as I explained that I was very concerned that my two month old was becoming dehydrated (wet diapers had declined significantly over night) and of course they agreed to see us ASAP.

Dr. Randles asked a bunch of questions and looked him over and was pretty confident it was RSV. Sure enough the test came back positive and due to his age, gestational age, slightly low oxidation levels and his poor eating she sent us to the pediatric ER at Medical City.

We showed up to the ER and there was no one in the waiting room - PTL! So they ushered us straight back to a room, bypassing a few stops along the way - such a blessing.

Here is our peanut in the ER. :( You can just see how terrible he feels. He would look at us with that little "help me" face. Thankfully the doctors could offer more help than we could.

They took a chest x-ray and did blood and urine cultures (all came back clear), monitored his heart rate, oxidation levels and breaths per minute and got an IV started. Getting a IV going on a two month old is apparently very challenging due to their tiny veins, but Coyt was a perfect patient and a trooper to say the least.

And then the waiting began. We were starving and joked that we had both thought of stopping and get something to eat on the way to the ER but thought that might make us terrible parents so neither of us said anything. We were regretting that choice hours later. I was also regretting not thinking to bring my pump along as the hours passed. Eventually the hospital doctor came in and told us he wanted to admit us for the same reasons we were sent over that morning. We were taken to a hospital room and Stacey made a run home for some essentials and some food.

Precious patient.

Our boy got fluids to keep him hydrated, breathing treatments for his wheezing and eventually oxygen when his levels got too low. It looks like he has a broken arm but that is just the IV all taped up.

Nannie kept the rest of our brood and Cassie came in on Tuesday to help. Angie came up to keep me company on Wednesday and we were released that afternoon! We were so happy to have everyone back under one roof, but the joy was short lived after one look at our Crew baby.

Nannie had reported that he was on the decline and it was pretty obvious that he now had "The RSV". However, we were hopeful that we would be able to treat him at home since we now knew what we were dealing with. My Mom came up that night and thank goodness with Coyt on the mend and Crew on the decline it was another long night of lost lunches and laundry. We took both boys in for a doctors visit the next morning, Coyt for his follow up and Crew for a looksy. Crew wasn't wheezing and his oxidation levels were higher than Coyt's had been but he couldn't keep anything down so just to be safe they sent us back to the Pediatric ER...sigh...mamma is Really So Very tired at this point!!!

Stacey met me at home and this time with a little more experience we stopped for a bite, packed our bags just in case and headed to the ER for some serious deja-vu. Mom stayed home with a still recovering Coyt and the boys headed off to school for Pajama Day. No surprise what PJ's they picked. These guys were such a bright spot during our long week. They behaved liked perfect angels during the short overnight visit home between hospital visits. God knew no doubt that I just didn't have it in me to tolerate anything less.

After the same poking, prodding and testing we'd endured a few days earlier Crew was admitted and got fluids ASAP. Nannie had to work over the weekend so Cassie picked up Stacey and Wyatt from school and took them back to her house. Dad came up to join Mom at our house and they held down the fort with Coyt.

Sweet love. Crew's IV was in his ankle so he was a little easier to swaddle.

Crew's symptoms were less severe but he had a harder time with feeding. He also started running a fever the second day he was there, which was due to a new found ear infection so he got IV antibiotics for that and had to endure another blood and urine culture to make sure there were no other infections hiding out before they could release us. Both boys got their noses suctioned thoroughly before each feeding which they HATED!!! :(

Crew looking pretty peaceful all things considered.

We ended up staying three nights with our Crew Dog. His second round of tests all came back clear and he was able to keep down two ounces every three hours throughout Sat. night. We finally got released around 4:00 on Sunday. I mean to tell you I couldn't get out of there fast enough! I was starting to CLIMB THE WALLS!

Through the past week I learned several things and was reminded of several I already knew. In no particular order...

Our families are amazing!! They just stepped in like nobodies business and took over everything that needed to be taken care of including taking care of the boys, meals, supplies, visits and encouragement just to name a few.
Medical City Children's is not a romantic place to spend Valentine's Day.
I am incredibly blessed to be married to Stacey Smith II and have a partner like him during weeks like this one. And he looks great in orange spandex.
I know a lot of babies! All our sweet friends offered to bring meals or visit or do whatever we needed, but most have a baby at home so we said absolutely not!! The last thing we wanted was to bring any more patients to Medical City.
Coyt and Crew are superstar patients.
I can't imagine if one of my children was really sick. I was never worried that we wouldn't walk out of the hospital with our babies in better health than when we came in and can't even fathom it.
The lights on/off button is WAY to close to the nurse call button.
I like having my twinsies together and our six pack under one roof.
The DVR has ruined me for watching TV without it.
God is SO good. He sustained us with energy, patience and endurance during this very long week and held all of us in his hand every second of it. He allowed our sweet C's to fully recover and we could feel the prayers and support being poured out on our behalf every second of the day.
And if I never see my babies in a hospital bed again that is fine by me!

Wyatt tries really hard to be a helper but bless his heart he is rough as a cob! Thankfully he loves his baby brothers and most of his roughness is just the result of an overzealous desire to show them that love.

Side not: Could he look more gigantic!!

Stacey on the other hand really is a HUGE help to this mama!

He situated himself in front of the babies while I was grabbing a shower so that he could bounce them or give them a pacifier when they needed one.

The other day when he was feeling a little put out with their crying and several failed attempts to give them pacifiers he said, "Mom, you really need to get in here and feed these babies they want nothing but milk!" Well, when you're right you're right smarty pants.

Yes he has the remote and is probably going blind that close to the TV but how can you correct your live in sitter when he's this sweet.

Can't imagine life without either of my helpers.