A Favorite Memory

I want to make sure I write this down, in case Jacob grows out of this phase.

A few months ago, when Jacob was teething, he would sometimes wake up crying in the night...really crying. He did not want to be held, did not want to be put down, but was definitely still tired and he wanted to be asleep.

One of these nights Jason was trying to console him and get him back down, then I'd try. Jacob just cried and squirmed. I had a thought that I should try singing to him. I began with "I Am A Child of God." He immediately settled right down, put his head on my shoulder, and we sat down to rock for a few minuets before I put him back in bed. He went right back to sleep.

Since then, when he is extra fussy, I begin to sing and almost immediately he quiets down, puts his head on my shoulder and relaxes. I sing "I Am a Child of God," "I Love to See the Temple," "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ," and "Follow The Prophet." I think it is amazing how it quiets him. (Not to mention the leg up it will give him when he goes to nursery at Church. We want our super genius to be prepared!) ;)

I have wondered if it was the time I spent in nursery, at church, before he was born. I taught the music to the kids and every week those were some of the songs we sang.

I know music is soothing to the soul, but it amazed me how it was not something I had trained him to do, but rather something he naturally enjoyed. The week he was sick, singing was a life saver when he felt so crummy.

YEAH for singing!!!

Just a Few Words

Is it SPRING yet? Took Jacob to the library this morning for cuddle story time. He enjoyed it. While it is still cold, the sun was out (for the most part) and I wanted to go over to the park rather than get back in the car and head home.

Alas, it was good that it was too cold for the park. He was asleep by the time we got home.

But I NEED SPRING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RSV & Primary Children's Hospital

February 1, 2009, Sunday
Jason left for a work trip in the early afternoon. That night, as I was putting Jacob to bed, I noticed him shivering a little bit. I took his tempurature, but it was normal. He has had a cold all month so I thought maybe it was that and I gave him some Motrin.
I went in to check on him about an hour and a half later and he had a fever of 102. I put cool cloths on his head and the fever broke about 2 hours later. He slept the rest of the night.

February 2, 2009, Monday
Took Jacob to the Dr. He still had a fever, but the Dr. couldn't hear anything in his chest and his blood oxygen level was at 97% (normal is 95-99%). He knew the fever was being caused by something so he sent us over for an x-ray. Jacob hated it. They put him on a little table with his legs dangling out the bottom. Then 2 half tubes are put around his sides with his arms up so they can get a picture and he can't move. He cried and cried.


When they got the results back the radiologist and Dr. said it looked like pneumonia. They gave him a shot and I filled an oral prescription to start on Tuesday. I took him home with the Dr. telling me to come back if his fever was above 101.
We got home and I put him down so I could make a bottle. Usually he will get up and crawl over to where I am, but instead he rolled over and just laid on the carpet. It was so sad to see him so tired.

I held him the rest of the day and gave him Motrin and Tylenol to help him feel better.

February 3, 2009, Tuesday
He seemed to be feeling better and his fever was down. He only wanted to be held about half of the day on this day so I thought things were going better.

February 4, 2009, Wednesday Our 3rd Wedding Anniversary
Jacob got up with a high fever again. I called the Dr. because I hated to keep giving him fever meds. They had me bring him back in. Listened to him again. Dr. felt he could hear some crackling now. Did another x-ray and an RSV culture. Blood oxygen level was 96%. Took him home, the results wouldn't be back until Thursday. Not what I imagined I would be doing on my 3rd wedding anniversary with my husband out of town. :)

February 5, 2009, Thursday
Dr. called me and said the RSV had come back negative. If his fever was still up to bring him back in. Took him in and blood oxygen level was 95%. Dr. said that the results had been misread and Jacob did have RSV. This would explain the fever since that lasts about 5-7 days with RSV. He was surprised that Jacob had not had problems with breathing. Told me to watch him, make him comfortable and that he should be feeling better by the weekend.
That night I thought his breathing was a little fast. Called the Dr. (on call) and he told me what to look for. Jacob went to bed.

February 6, 2009, Friday
Woke up around 4:30 crying. Did not want a bottle, but took a little water. I checked his breathing and it was between 57-65 breaths per minute (should be less than 40 normally and with RSV 40-65, but if over 70 should bring him in).
He slept, but the next morning he couldn't seem to get a nap. I timed his breathing and it was between 70-80 per minute. Called the Dr. took him right in. The receptionists at the front desk don't know what is going on with him, but I get the feeling they are wondering why I am in AGAIN for the 4th time this week.

They checked his blood oxygen level and it had falled (in 24 hours) to 83%! Dr. felt he needed to be sent to Primary Children's Hospital with oxygen. So they called an ambulance to take him and I followed.
We arrived at PCMC around 12:30 p.m. They put us in the ER and the nurse kept checking on us for the next 4 hours until there was a bed open in the hospital. With all that stuff in the room I could never have kept Jacob happy and in that room for 4 hours unless he was sick.
About 5:00 p.m. they took us up to a room in the Neuroscience Trama unit. This is a unit for children with brain injuries, etc., but it was the space they had available. Our nurse was Amber and she was great!
Jason arrived home and to the hospital at 5:30 p.m. I was SOOOOO glad to see him. Luckily he had been able to catch an earlier flight and get home.
They hooked Jacob up to an IV, blood oxygen monitor, oxygen tubes, etc. It is sooo hard to see your baby go through all of that.
One of the worst things was when they suctioned him out. They have this tube attached to a "vacuum", they measure from his nose to his ear and that is the amount of tube they put down his nose to get the mucus out of him.

They gave him an Albuterol breathing treatment. They said it doesn't usually work with RSV, but for some it does, so they try it. It didn't seem to do much for Jacob so they didn't do any more.

Jason stayed that night at the hospital so I could get some rest.

February 7, 2009, Saturday
Jacob's fever finally broke. Spent the day in the hospital watching him. Dr. came in to check and felt he should stay another night since he was still needing to be suctioned because of breathing problems. Jason stayed that night too. Helped soooo much to sleep!

February 8, 2009 Sunday
Jacob was feeling better. Not 100%, but they weren't having to suction him as often.
We checked him out, with oxygen, on Sunday afternoon. He was still tired, but he was feeling a little better.

February 9, 2009, Monday
We had to take him back up to PCMC be suctioned, but he was on the mend.

February 10, 2009, Tuesday
We took him back to the Dr. to have his blood oxygen level checked to see if he could come off of oxygen. (The receptionist asked if he was feeling better. She apologized as she requested the $25 co-pay saying this was getting expensive for us. I know she meant well, but don't think she knew he had been in the hospital.) He was at 95% so they took him off and sent him home. When he got home he began to eat more and seemed to be more like himself.

It was a long week (especially without Jason until Friday), but I am so thankful for modern medicine. I kept thinking about people who used to go through this without fever medication, oxygen tubes, suction tubes etc. As painful as all of that was I was thankful it helped him breathe!!
Thanks to all who had us in their thoughts and prayers.