Just a Little Ironic

The above photo is of Jaina lying in her hospital bed. I took that picture this morning. I find it just a little ironic that my born-at-home baby spent the last two nights in the hospital, just three and a half weeks after her birth. The arm you can't see is wrapped in gauze and taped to a board to keep her from ripping out her IV.

Wednesday night Jaina slept through the night. Which is not normal. She usually wakes up to eat around 4 am. She woke up finally at 6 am on Thursday. I expected that she would be very hungry. But she would not eat and kept falling asleep. I tried to get her to eat every 30 minutes or so, but she wouldn't. Most of the time I couldn't even get her to wake up. And when she was awake she would just lay there looking a bit dazed, not moving, not fussing, and not eating. I was worried, not just because of the odd behavior, but because I know how quickly small babies can become dehydrated and how dangerous that can be.

Jaina and I had our 3-week checkups with the midwife scheduled for late Thrusday morning. John came home to take us to that appt. By that time I was just about frantic with worry. Betty (the midwife) took one look at Jaina, heard what had been going on, and immediately fetched Dr. Chartrand to look at her. Dr. Chartrand examined Jaina and found that she had a fever of 100.1. He was most concerned about her lethergy and the fact that she hadn't eaten for 12 hours. So he sent us to the ER of Children's Medical Center in downtown Dallas. He told us they would run blood and urine tests, and would do a spinal tap to check for meningitis. He also said they would probably admit her so they could keep her hydrated until she started to eat again.

We stopped by the apartment to pack some bags, dropped Libby off at a friend's house, and proceeded to the ER, where things went exactly as Dr. Chartrand had said they would. Jaina did so well, barely fussing when they drew blood and inserted the IV. She did cry when they did the spinal tap, but she didn't scream. Which was the hardest thing - I could tell just how bad she felt by the fact that the spinal tap barely registered with her. They got her started on fluids and sent us to an observation room to wait for our room on the floor to be readied.

While in observation, one of the residents came in and said that the initial analysis of Jaina's CSF (cerebral-spinal fluid from the spinal tap) showed probable viral meningitis - their 4th case that week.

By 7 pm we were up in our room and Jaina still hadn't eaten. Now that she was on the fluids I wasn't so concerned, but I was feeling a bit sore. The friend that was watching Libby for us had loaned me her breast pump, so I was able to pump. I gave my bags of milk to the nurse and she put it in a special freezer for me. John gave Jaina a blessing, then went home and collected Libby. Jaina and I settled in for the night.

Every 4 hours Jaina was given a dose of antibiotics as a precaution against a variety of infections. She was placed on heart and oxygen monitors for the night. So many cords and wires! I couldn't bear to take a picture of her in that state, I don't want to remember it. She slept well Thursday night and at around 4 am Friday she woke up and ate well for the first time in over 24 hours. She continued to eat well throughout the morning and her fever had disappeared. After lunch the doctors ordered her fluids reduced by half and took her off the monitors. Jaina was beginning to be more active and alert when she was awake. John had dropped Libby off at the same friend's house and went to work, visiting us on his lunch hour.

Friday night was another great night. She really started chowing down! This morning the doctors took her off the fluids entirely. A little before lunch they came in and said that her cultures were still clear and that it wasn't neccessary for us to stay until the final reading of the cultures, which wouldn't take place until this evening. So they got the paperwork done, I called John, and we left around 2 this afternoon.

I can't express how grateful I am for the tender care Jaina recieved while at the hostpital. The nurses and the team of doctors that cared for her were all gentle and patient. If I was breastfeeding, or if Jaina was sleeping in my arms, they did all of their exams while I was holding her. They encouraged me to continue breastfeeding, supporting my need to pump occasionally, stored my milk, and even fed me. Breastfeeding moms get free room service at Children's. All the tests and procedures were explained well to me, and my questions were encouraged and answered thoroughly. At night the nurses were quiet when they came in to administer the antibiotics and check Jaina's vital sings, and last night I didn't even wake up when they came in. Jaina recieved great care, and I was well taken care of also.

I am also grateful for the prayers of our families. And for the comfort of the Holy Ghost. I called Mom Thursday night and she read some scriptures with me in Isaiah. The whole time we were at the hospital I felt like the doctors knew exactly what to do to help us and that they cared for Jaina's well being and would do what was best for her.

We are so glad to be home. Jaina is sleeping peacefully on my chest as I type this, after having just chowed down her dinner milk. I am so happy my sweet little girl is fully recovered so quickly. And I am thankful for the friend that cared for Libby on such short notice. What with all the walks and swimming they did, I'm not sure Libby even noticed I wasn't around.