Gavin's Hospital Confinement
It's 2AM. I just got back from the hospital after rushing Gavin to the ER this afternoon.
Since last night, he kept crying non-stop. I've tried everything I knew but he just wouldn't calm down. I knew something was wrong when even the tears wouldn't put him to sleep. I knew he was hurting somewhere - I just don't know.
This morning, he was still agitated. I even skipped my cardiology appointment since I didn't want Gavin out of the house when he looked sick to me. And he felt warm but I couldn't get his temperature since he kept moving (while he was crying hysterically) and I don't have a rectal thermometer. But when he started vomitting everything he takes in, I got worried so I brought him right away to the ER.
The triage nurse helped us the moment she found out that Gavin's only 6 weeks old. They took his vitals and he was running a fever of 100.6 degrees. Although he weighed above average (he's already 11 pounds), they were worried that he was already dehydrated because of the vomitting. He was slightly pale, his skin and lips were dry and he was lethargic as well.
They checked for infections which newborns were suseptible to. They checked his ears, his throat, his eyes and did A LOT of tests on him. I was already starting to panic especially when I heard the doctor say that his breathing was a bit fast.
They had to draw blood for the test but I started crying as soon as they stuck the needle on him. I just couldn't bear the look on his face - he was in pain. Then they told me that they couldn't draw that much blood because he was too dehydrated - his blood was already thick, it clots right away, making it difficult to pass through the tube. So they decided to put a central line on him since Gavin would have to be on an IV drip for nourishment.
It was like a nightmare seeing my son being poked and probed. They were able to attach the central line but only 100ml of the IV was given then it came off when Gavin suddenly moved his arm. They had a hard time putting it back again so they kept poking him with needle after needle both in his small arms and legs. As soon as I saw blood coming out of his arm, I left the room. I just couldn't see him like that. They weren't able to do it in the end. The doctor didn't want to push it any further since Gavin's already exhausted from crying and he's been poked too much already leaving a bruise in his right arm.
They also needed urine sample. But since he's just a baby, they used a catheter to get the pee. Gavin's not yet circumsized so they has to push back the foreskin in order to insert the tube. I guess he was uncomfortable with having a foreign object stuck through his penis that he kept crying so loud especially when they had to push the skin back to its original state.
Then there was the spinal tap to rule out meningitis. The doctor asked me to leave the room, fearing that I might pass out once I see the long needle that would enter Gavin's back. Same procedure like the epidural, I can just imagine how much pain my son has to endure. They had to do it twice with 4 people trying to hold him steady. Waiting for it to be over felt like a decade to me and all I wanted at the moment was to comfort him while he cries
They also gave him a shot of antibiotics and some Tylenol for the fever (which became worse at 101.9). By then, Gavin was already tired, hungry and weak, he could barely open his eyes.
Their diagnosis at the moment is sepsis since all the test results haven't come back yet although they said he's anemic.
The doctor informed me that they have to transfer me to another hospital since Gavin needs to be admitted and confined for 48 hours until they get the results for the lumbar punction test. They had no available rooms at NCBH (Gavin's pedia's hospital) so they transferred us to Jacobi Medical (which is a bigger and better hospital) by ambulance. It felt weird being strapped into the gurney - since there's no other way to transfer a patient and I was carrying Gavin.
When we got the Jacobi, Gavin's room was already prepared. The rooms in the pediatric unit have cribs (beds with ajustable rails) and a cot for the parents to sleep on. His fever already reduced to 100, thanks to the Tylenol and he was crying that much anymore. Unfortunately, the doctors assigned to Gavin were interns - who I'm guessing younger than me - and I felt uncomfortable leaving my son with inexperienced doctors who writes their notes in pink paper.
But I had to leave him - just for tonight - since I didn't anticipate the thought that he would be admitted. I'm at home right now, packing Gavin's clothes and a few books to read during out stay. And although the unit's open 24 hours for parents, I opted to rest at home tonight and come back as early as I can since I haved slept for the last 24 hours.
I'm already missing him now that he's in the hospital. I should be getting my sleep right now but I couldn't because he's not beside me. I even started smelling his clothes while I was packing, thinking how comforting that baby scent was to me. Tomorrow, I hope he feels better - I pray that he becomes better or else my guilt would slowly eat me up knowing that I wasn't able to take GOOD care of him.
Since last night, he kept crying non-stop. I've tried everything I knew but he just wouldn't calm down. I knew something was wrong when even the tears wouldn't put him to sleep. I knew he was hurting somewhere - I just don't know.
This morning, he was still agitated. I even skipped my cardiology appointment since I didn't want Gavin out of the house when he looked sick to me. And he felt warm but I couldn't get his temperature since he kept moving (while he was crying hysterically) and I don't have a rectal thermometer. But when he started vomitting everything he takes in, I got worried so I brought him right away to the ER.
The triage nurse helped us the moment she found out that Gavin's only 6 weeks old. They took his vitals and he was running a fever of 100.6 degrees. Although he weighed above average (he's already 11 pounds), they were worried that he was already dehydrated because of the vomitting. He was slightly pale, his skin and lips were dry and he was lethargic as well.
They checked for infections which newborns were suseptible to. They checked his ears, his throat, his eyes and did A LOT of tests on him. I was already starting to panic especially when I heard the doctor say that his breathing was a bit fast.
They had to draw blood for the test but I started crying as soon as they stuck the needle on him. I just couldn't bear the look on his face - he was in pain. Then they told me that they couldn't draw that much blood because he was too dehydrated - his blood was already thick, it clots right away, making it difficult to pass through the tube. So they decided to put a central line on him since Gavin would have to be on an IV drip for nourishment.
It was like a nightmare seeing my son being poked and probed. They were able to attach the central line but only 100ml of the IV was given then it came off when Gavin suddenly moved his arm. They had a hard time putting it back again so they kept poking him with needle after needle both in his small arms and legs. As soon as I saw blood coming out of his arm, I left the room. I just couldn't see him like that. They weren't able to do it in the end. The doctor didn't want to push it any further since Gavin's already exhausted from crying and he's been poked too much already leaving a bruise in his right arm.
They also needed urine sample. But since he's just a baby, they used a catheter to get the pee. Gavin's not yet circumsized so they has to push back the foreskin in order to insert the tube. I guess he was uncomfortable with having a foreign object stuck through his penis that he kept crying so loud especially when they had to push the skin back to its original state.
Then there was the spinal tap to rule out meningitis. The doctor asked me to leave the room, fearing that I might pass out once I see the long needle that would enter Gavin's back. Same procedure like the epidural, I can just imagine how much pain my son has to endure. They had to do it twice with 4 people trying to hold him steady. Waiting for it to be over felt like a decade to me and all I wanted at the moment was to comfort him while he cries
They also gave him a shot of antibiotics and some Tylenol for the fever (which became worse at 101.9). By then, Gavin was already tired, hungry and weak, he could barely open his eyes.
Their diagnosis at the moment is sepsis since all the test results haven't come back yet although they said he's anemic.
The doctor informed me that they have to transfer me to another hospital since Gavin needs to be admitted and confined for 48 hours until they get the results for the lumbar punction test. They had no available rooms at NCBH (Gavin's pedia's hospital) so they transferred us to Jacobi Medical (which is a bigger and better hospital) by ambulance. It felt weird being strapped into the gurney - since there's no other way to transfer a patient and I was carrying Gavin.
When we got the Jacobi, Gavin's room was already prepared. The rooms in the pediatric unit have cribs (beds with ajustable rails) and a cot for the parents to sleep on. His fever already reduced to 100, thanks to the Tylenol and he was crying that much anymore. Unfortunately, the doctors assigned to Gavin were interns - who I'm guessing younger than me - and I felt uncomfortable leaving my son with inexperienced doctors who writes their notes in pink paper.
But I had to leave him - just for tonight - since I didn't anticipate the thought that he would be admitted. I'm at home right now, packing Gavin's clothes and a few books to read during out stay. And although the unit's open 24 hours for parents, I opted to rest at home tonight and come back as early as I can since I haved slept for the last 24 hours.
I'm already missing him now that he's in the hospital. I should be getting my sleep right now but I couldn't because he's not beside me. I even started smelling his clothes while I was packing, thinking how comforting that baby scent was to me. Tomorrow, I hope he feels better - I pray that he becomes better or else my guilt would slowly eat me up knowing that I wasn't able to take GOOD care of him.
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