Last week was an exhausting and traumatic week for the Abrahams family, particularly for baby Yusuf. About 2 weeks ago he developed a cold, nothing serious, just a bit of nasal congestion. He was still feeding and sleeping well, and he was still he's usual pleasant, contented self. I did the whole saline and aspitator drill which seemed to help at first, but as the week progressed the congestion became post nasal drip which led to coughing and occasional restlessness. In the the meantime Yaasier, Bilaal and Sumayah were all finishing courses of antibiotics for sinus colds and ear infections. Towards the end of the week Yusuf was coughing quite a bit more and was starting to be a bit crabby during the day. So I phoned the paediatrician to find out if i should bring him in for a consult and after describing his symptoms and answering some questions, the doctor prescribed Betnesol drops and said that if the coughing became more frequent or he didn't improve over the weekend I should bring him in, and when weekend swung around that's exactly what happened! He suddenly wasn't sleeping well day or night, he wanted to be held all the time and if he wasn't sleeping or feeding he was crying or coughing! But what concerned me most was the constant chest wheeze. So off to the doctor we go on monday afternoon, the first available appointment, thinking he'll probably be precribed a nebulizer and maybe antibiotics.
But after examination, Dr Li says something no mum wants to hear, he says, "mom, he's not well hey. He has an ear infection that's why he's been crying all the time, he's in alot of pain. But what worries me is that he has bronchiolitis as well so he's struggling to breathe and because he's still so young I'd like to admit him to the ward now then he'll be discharged by Wednesday". To hear that my 2 month young baby angel has to be admitted to hospital came as such a shock I felt like I was going to burst into tears! But I managed to just barely fight back the tears while trying to listen to the doctor. I started to feel a little better when he said that if I really want to, I can treat at home, but the reason he recommends hospitalisation is because Yusuf is so young so he would prefer if the infection is treated aggressively so that he can recover more quickly rather than putting his immune system under anymore strain and risking further complications. He explained that in hospital they can give him pure oxygen and administer the antibiotics intravenously.
Skip a few hours of admission procedures and making arrangements for the other 2 kids, and we find ourselves in the paediatric ward with Yusuf being whisked away to have a drip put in. While answering the ward's admission questions I could hear Yusuf screaming his head off and it broke my heart! And then they bring him back to me with pipes coming out of his nose and arm and my heart breaks even more! I know it's silly, but I felt so guilty, like I failed him as a mother by letting him get sick. The days to follow were exhausting to say the least, but I have an incredible husband who has an amazing bond with our little monkeys. So while living in jozi far from family support made this time extra challenging, we just got on with it and survived.
Well I'm happy to report that Yusuf was discharged on Wednesday and has been improving everyday. He's still quite crabby, but there have been glimpses of his usual smiley self more and more often everyday. And as frustrating it is sometimes, he's gorgeous smile with those fat kissable cheeks an the way he stares at me as though he is completely lovestruck...that is what makes everything worthwhile!
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