Soooo I can't believe I am actually blogging this Saturday morning. Can't believe I'm on my computer. Can't believe I don't have a 1-year-old strapped to my chest whining in my ear. (No offense, Evelyn.) It's been a long week. We officially have had our first rendezvous with RSV :-(
Lord, let it be the last.
Last Sunday, I felt something creeping up for both Evelyn and myself. She kept waking up Saturday night, we were both super tired all Sunday, and by Sunday night I noticed Ev had a slight cough and my own throat was tightening. The sore throats (and sleeplessness) worsened and by Tuesday, I had to call in sick to work to get some rest. The same day, Evelyn was sent home from daycare with a fever of 101.4.
Her teachers informed me that cases of RSV had been reported in their classroom, and Evelyn was just one of 6 babies in her class that day because of the virus (normally I think there are twice that many, at least.) I took her immediately to see Dr. Williams after picking her up from daycare. Dr. Williams swabbed her nose to test for flu and RSV -- negative on the flu (thank God) but positive on the RSV (not shocking).
Dr. Williams listened to her breathing, which was a little wheezy but "not too bad at this point," and checked her oxygen levels, which were 100 (excellent). She prescribed tylenol for fever and pain, and a breathing treatment of albuterol with a little mask for her to wear, so she could inhale the medicine :-( This was to help prevent the virus and junk from entering her lungs and creating potential for pneumonia (my understanding).
"How long can I expect this to last?" I asked Dr. Williams? "Forever," she said shaking her head. She said symptoms could last up to a month, especially the coughing, but the worst of the fever, congestion and wheezing should pass by day 5. I drove home that night feeling fearful of what the week (month?) would bring, and I had good reason!
As all Mamas know, caring for a sick baby is tough. It takes a whole lot of patience to jump right back into what feels like "newborn mode" again -- a whining, needy baby crying constantly because of... you can only guess what! Not wanting to be set down for two minutes so you can use the bathroom, refusing to eat or drink anything even though she needs fluids more now than ever, and furiously shaking that head "no" whenever you come close to her snotty nose, which is constantly draining.
Evelyn literally strapped herself to me like a koala for the past 5 days, all day and all night. She refused to nap or sleep anywhere but right on my chest. Now, I just can't sleep well that way, so I lost a lot of much-needed rest for my own sick self this week. But as all you Mamas know, I wasn't completely upset about all of that snuggle time with my baby bear :-) I did find myself often reflecting on how wonderful it is to be needed and trusted so much, that you are the only person your baby wants. Heck, she hasn't even wanted Daddy this week!
Overall, I think the worst parts about our experience with RSV were the fever and the cough. The fever is finally gone after 5 days; the cough sounds like it's going to be here for a while, but it's more productive. The albuterol breathing treatments have helped for sure. Dr. Williams was doubtful if they would really help, and prescribed the albuterol to be used "if and when" her cough started to sound worse. But, we talked to my father-in-law, who is a CRNA, and he suggested we go ahead and let her have the treatment every 4 hours to keep something worse at bay. I'm glad we followed his advice. And, Evelyn actually seemed to like the treatments (once the mask was off her face) and was less prone to cough after having them.
The fever was truly awful because Ev was so uncomfortable, she would just whine and cry, and she only wanted to be laid up on my chest the whole time, which only made her sweat more! So having a firecracker baby burning a hole on your chest and whining literally in your ear is pretty much torture, but when the tylenol kicked in and she would finally fall asleep, the snuggles were of course heavenly... Until I moved one inch, disturbed her, and every time she would get woken up before she was ready -- ornery is not even the word for it.
"Ehhhhhhhh Ehhhhhhhh!" she seriously sounded just like she did as a newborn.
Now it's Saturday morning, 5 days later, and I feel like we are finally turning a corner. Last night I felt my worst all week (probably the sleep deprivation) and went to bed at 9:30, right after Evelyn. We secretly placed her in her crib after she fell asleep, and about an hour later, she woke up and realized it, furious to not be sleeping on Mama's chest. She pitched a huge tantrum, so I went and got her, and laid her in the guest bed with me. She of course fell right to sleep, SNORING. I just couldn't take another night of it. I felt like the worst was over for her, and now she was just having her way with me because she preferred to sleep with me.
So I got back up and placed her back in her crib. Immediate resistance, but I told her firmly, "Lay down, go night-night." She did, and then threw another fit 5 minutes later. I walked back in, told her, "Lay down, go night-night," she did, she threw a tantrum, and repeated this one more time before she finally laid back down and slept through the night, and so did I, until 7 this morning. Seven hours of sleep later, I know I feel so much better, and I can tell she does too. Right now she is playing on the floor with her piggy bank, and independent playtime is NOT something we have seen all week! She looks up at me from time to time and whines and stretches her hands out for me to get her, but I tell her, "You're OK," and she goes back to playing. I can tell we are going to have to transition away from her neediness and attachment.
You know what's funny, though? I started blogging this morning, wanting to document how difficult this week was, and the specifics of what all comes with RSV. But in the back of my head are all these sweet moments during the week:
We made a pallet/fort of blankets and pillows on the floor and wallowed all over them together, just like Mom and me when I was little.
From time to time, she would give me a big, open mouthed kiss out of nowhere when I was holding her, as if to say, Thank you for taking care of me, Mama.
One day when she was sick, she still wanted to help me take the dishes out of the dishwasher, handing me each piece one at a time and saying, "Day-doo" (thank you) each time.
One morning, I looked over at her sitting in her rocking chair eating Fruit Loops in her candy-cane striped footy pajamas, and I realized she was a tiny version of me, eating MY "Noop Noops" when I was little. I texted Mom a picture and asked her if it brought back any memories? She said I had no idea!
This week also reminded me of one time when Mama actually poured my Kool-Aid on me when I was little and sick, and refusing to eat or drink. That may sound horrible, but haven't you ever felt like, "Come on, don't you trust me to do the right thing for you by now?!" There were times this week when I SO wanted to do the same thing with Evelyn because she was being so difficult. Ok, so I did force a spoon of baby food in her mouth at one point because I was so fed up! Haha! I admit it. One day she will understand.
Before I go enjoy a (mostly)-back-to-normal day with my girl, I will say that at the end of a very, very hard week, I can tell that Evelyn appreciates me for taking good care of her. I very much feel that way after every time she gets sick and we go through a rough spell together. She is a little more lovey and a little more of a "Mama's girl" for sometime afterward.
So I'm adding another medal to my collection, one for "RSV Week." :-) And I'm not taking her outside for the rest of cold and flu season.
Just kidding :-)
I would post pictures, but Google says I'm out of space, so another day when I can figure it out!
Take care, everyone!
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