Poor Sick Baby Girl

So we've had a crazy week and having a newborn at home was the least of it. A couple days after we got home from the hospital Cal threw up at dinner. Then off and on for the next couple days he had a mid-range fever and complained of aches. He would go back and forth between feeling pretty good and then feeling crummy. We were super nervous of getting Scarlett sick so we divided and conquered....Dan took Cal and I took Scarlett. It was so hard trying not to hold or snuggle Cal but we did our best to keep germs contained. Unfortunately, the germs were not to be contained. Last weekend I started noticing I was really achy and had the body aches from head to toe. I didn't have a fever but thought maybe I had a bug or maybe I was just still recovering from the delivery and super sore. It was so hard to tell. The aches persisted through Monday and I couldn't believe how sore I felt. But still no fever or any other symptoms. 

But unfortunately, Monday Scarlett started to not act as much like herself either. She was super fussy and  just seemed like she felt yucky. She didn't seem super hot so I never took her temperature. But when we came home from some errands at around 7:30 pm I finally decided I better check it. I got a 101.7 and a 102. YIKES! Doc had told us the week before if we ever saw a fever in her over 99 to take her right then. So I got so scared and we immediately headed for the ER at Rady Children's Hospital downtown. (Luckily my Mom is here helping out so she could stay with Cal and Dan felt like he had needed to head home from work a little early that night so he had gotten home the same time as us.) She seemed so sad and her eyes were all red. They got us in right away and sure enough her fever was 101.6. They gave her some tylenol and whisked us into the exam area for infants, surrounded by screaming babies and toddlers on all sides, seeing exhausted nurses and doctors all around us, and hearing things like "what did he choke on again?" and "respiratory distress" and "teenage sister dropped her" coming from all the curtains around us. So not cool. So unsettling. I was so emotional and think I started crying the minute we walked into the hospital. I just couldn't contain it. All the hormones mixed with all the fear were just too much. Luckily Danny is so strong and was just a rock. So supportive and tender and in control. Man I love him for that. The doctor told us they just take fevers really seriously in newborns and so they needed to run a series of tests that were a bit invasive, as well as get her set up with an IV. They also said they would for sure be admitting us to the hospital and we'd need to be there for at least 48 hours at the minimum. Then they began the poking and prodding. Poor little 9 day old baby got stuck twice for an IV, blood samples, urine samples, and a spinal tap......that only took 5, yes 5 tries to get it right. Good thing me and my tears took ourselves out into the hall for that part, because I just couldn't have handled it. I pleaded in prayer to my Heavenly Father to please protect our baby girl and let everything be okay. I was so very scared and so very worried. Deep down I knew it somehow would be okay. Luckily after the spinal I was able to feed her and she started calming down and fell asleep on my chest. We called Dan's amazing brother Steven who, being the wonderful person he is of course, bee-lined it down to the hospital and gave both Scarlett and myself blessings with Dan. That made a world of difference and we began to feel much better. I felt so much calmer. Then we just waited to get word.

Luckily about an hour later the doctor told us they had found some elevated white blood cell counts in her spinal and that it likely meant a virus of some kind....most likely what had been going around our house. She said this was good news but that they still needed to wait for the remainder of the test results which wouldn't all come in for another couple days. Since they were out of beds though at that hospital and since she was stabilized, she said they were going to transport us to a different hospital with a children's wing where we'd have a private room with beds (as opposed to parents sitting in a chair next to their babies all night) and a quieter more peaceful environment with less sick kids everywhere. We said, yes please. So we hopped in an ambulance and got shuttled over to Grossmont Hospital.

We didn't make it to bed that night until close to 4:30 am and even then sleep wasn't so great. But still we felt grateful that her fever was down and we were able to rest. They watched her all day and she was continuing to eat pretty well and peeing and pooping like a good baby should so those were all good signs. Poor little thing was so sweet and patient and darling during it all and we were just so grateful to be with her under good, safe care. She got lots and lots of preventative antibiotics and her IV splint was so annoying and huge but she really was so patient with it. Then at about 5:30 pm yesterday we got a wonderful call from Dr. Hershey. He said another test just came back from her spinal tap that absolutely confirmed she had Enterovirus, which is a form of Viral Meningitis. This is the "good" kind of Meningitis as opposed to Bacterial, which can be fatal. Luckily, it was basically just a really bad cold and they expected it to pass eventually. So even though not every test result was in yet, since she was positive for the virus they said it was safe to take her home and let her mend there. We just needed to watch carefully for any changes in her behavior. 

What a miracle!!!!! We were so so grateful and started packing our things so that we could take our newborn home from the hospital for yet a second time.

We are home now and Scarlett is doing quite well. Still running a bit of a fever but doc says that will be normal for a couple days. I am feeling so much relief although still nervous that this sickness has hit our family so hard at such a vulnerable time. I am so grateful though that things are what they are and not worse. We have been so blessed and have felt all our family, friends, and loved ones prayers coming our way. I know miracles have happened and prayers and blessings have indeed been answered.

Please continue to prayer for baby Scarlett's recovery and that no other sicknesses will come our way! :)

Here she is with her poor little IV splint

Sleeping peacefully in her hospital crib

Loves from her amazing Daddy who was so good at caring for her and cheering us both up