Ava caught a nasty cold. It started with a runny nose and a 3 day fever. Once her fever broke, she had an awful cough.
About a week later it was Reese's turn. She had the same symptoms as Ava, but a 5 day fever drove us to the walk in clinic. They did a nose swab for RSV and it was positive! I was so scared. Just two days earlier, we were at Costco and I ran into a lady from our ward. She asked how the girls were doing and I told her we had been out sick for a few weeks. She said "Keep it away from the baby, RSV is going around and it's very dangerous for babies!" SO, I freaked when I heard RSV!
I think we took Valerie to the doctor at least every other day that week. I felt like one of those crazy hypercondriac Moms! Valerie had a little congestion and runny nose all week. The doctors just kept sending us home with well wishes until our third visit. They decided to do an RSV test. It was positive. I almost died. I was so scared for her! The doctor was really nice and actually made me feel a little better by saying that even though it CAN be scary for babies her age, most of them get through it just fine and their parents never even knew they had it!
That night I slept curled up underneath Valerie's swing where she slept. Every noise woke me up!!
The next morning I noticed she was breathing faster than normal, and her head would bob back an forth with every breath. I waited until Raf woke up so he could see. We called the hospital and the nurse said "I don't mean to scare you, but you need to call 911." I said "ARE YOU SERIOUS?" I had a mental breakdown and could barely speak with the poor 911 operator. The ambulance came and they tested her oxygen which was 96, they watched her breathe. They said they didn't think they needed to transport her to the hospital, but suggested that either we take her ourselves, or take her to our pediatrician for a breathing treatment.
Valerie's pediatrician, Dr. Barnhart, was at the hospital doing newborn checks, so we had to see another doctor. While we were there getting the albuterol treatment, Dr. Barnhart walked in!! It was such a berth of fresh air to see her face!! She finished up at the hospital and took over our appointment. She sent us home with a nebulizer and told us to come back and see her in 4 hours to reassess her.
We didn't see much change in those 4 hours. Back at the doctors office now, the nurse checked us in the room. We were waiting on Dr. Barnhart. Valerie fell asleep and I laid her on my leg facing me. I was watching her and she just stopped breathing. I picked her up and shook her and she started again. She fell back asleep right away, and after just a few more breaths, she did it again!! Dr. Barnhart walked in at that moment. I laid Valerie on the table, she was awake now. Her eyes were so red and swollen. She was so tired! Dr. Barnhart watched her and she did it again!! She said that Valerie was just so exhausted from all the labored breathing that her little body was just too tired to breath! She called for an ambulance to take us to the hospital. I was such a wreck. The paramedics had all these questions for me and I couldn't even answer them!!
Once we got to the hospital, a doctor came in. She said there really isn't much they can do for RSV, but that they would suction her snot and try to make it easier for her to breathe. They used a tube that vacuumed out the snot. Valerie hated it, but WOW what a difference it made!! Valerie was awake the whole time at the ER. I was hoping she would have another breathing episode while we were there so the ER doc could see. She didn't. When we got there Val's oxygen was 94-96. The doc told us that they don't worry unless it hits 93. It dropped to 89 and I paged the nurse. She called the doctor in and then she told us that they won't admit us unless it hits 88. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I was so mad!!! I was so exhausted, I just really wanted her to be monitored. I was so worried about her. The only thing that kept me from screaming was that Valerie was awake, and although she looked a fright, she kept flashing that perfect little smile to me. That smile saved me. How can she possibly smile when she is struggling to even breathe? I felt my Heavenly Father so strong in those moments! It was like he was showing me that she will be ok, despite that my 1.5 month old hadn't actually slept ALL day. He was keeping her awake to show me that grin….to keep her breathing….
The doc told us that days 3-5 are the worst for RSV. She said she had a feeling that we were at the absolute peak and she would start to make a turnaround now. They vacuum suctioned her again sent us home. Raf and I slept in shifts that night to watch her chest move.
The next morning we saw such a change in Valerie! She was moving with more jerks again and not breathing so fast. We took her in for a followup appointment with Dr. Barnhart. She didn't get a complete clean bill of health, she got an 'en route to a clean bill.'
I felt like I could carry the whole world right then. We conquered this!!! Valerie, you did it girl!!!
Raf and I sent flowers to the doctors office. The staff and Dr. Barnhart are so wonderful!! SO if you happen across this post because you googled Woodcreek Pediatrics, or Shabnam Barnhart MD, know that your baby is in good hands!!!
