Croup

Again we were in the hospital emergency with the baby.

As we waited, my husband and I mused about the number of times that we had been to the hospital emergency… 15, 20, 25? Is it normal to be in there this much?

I had vivid memories of coming in by ambulance, all by myself, fearing that I would lose the baby inside me.

I am still tramatized by my husband’s recent illness, when we waited 7 hours for him to be given a half hour IV.

And I will never forget the first time one of my kids made it to emergency… My eldest son, when he was about 14 months, got pneumonia (I was on hospital bed rest at the time); my heart ached for him as I was unable to hold him, comfort him, or go home with him and let him sleep in my arms.

About 1:30am this morning, when the doctor saw us, he said “good work mom, you did all the right things! The croup is under control.” It seems that experienced mother that I am, can now successfully manage croup! I can’t say that is comforting news when your child is barking like a dog, crying, vomiting, and you feel totally helpless, but at least it’s better than my first time around when I had never even heard of croup!

He got his steroid shot and we were out of there in 2 1/2 hours. He’s still glum, but thankfully not coughing as much any more.

In case you were wondering how I kept it under control… I wrapped him in a blanket and opened the window so he could breathe in the cold air, I also gave him tylenol for the fever, and his puffers for the chest tightness. The coughing was not easing though, and he couldn’t sleep, so in emergency they gave him a dose of the steroid that helped to get rid of the ‘barking’

Thoughts from Mona UmIbrahim

Good work super mom! Alhamdulillah that your son is ok. I feel much more experienced now too in terms of taking care of the kids when they’re sick. And in the cases when i don’t know i just look it up on the internet. I like my role as ‘doctor’

Thoughts from koonj

Phew.

Good work, as Mona says. Really. All my admiration for your strength, and all my dua’s for the young one.

Thoughts from sadiya

Asalaamu alaykum

Subhanallah- i feel for you. I remember those days too. My oldest (now 9) would have bronchospasms and need to be nebulized at the hospital. The second (now 7) used to get croup. The third (now almost five) had bronchospasms, croup, bronchiolitis, bronchopneumonia, and last year was diagnosed with asthma. A lot had to do with food intolerances, and we elimated cow milk and that seemed to help. The older two are now healthy, and rarely need to see a doctor (although #2 still takes us to the emergency when he does his wonderful antics like jumping down a flight of stairs and getting a hairline fracture).

The good news is, those days have passed. No more sitting in a bathroom with the hot water on to steam it up. No more midnight drives in winter with the windows open to open up the airways. No more frantic worries with a child that could not breath.

And yes, i became an old hand at it myself – we eventually bought a nebulizer to use at home ourselves, and that took care of a lot of middle of the night drives.

Your post really struck a chord with me as i remember those days. But there was a sweetness to them.

Thoughts from s-f

Inshallah he will feel better. I had to visit the sick kids in january coz my daughter had gastroenteritis(stomach flu). We were there from 9pm to 4am in the morning! Alhamdullilah, it makes us much stronger, this time, I didn’t cry :(

Thoughts from Cakes

poor baby. poor mama!

glad things are getting better for the little feller.  We run croup around our house every year about this time.  I hate it.  The cough is so eerie and unnerving.  Luckily, they haven’t had it so bad as to end up in the Emergency Room.

give your little man a snuggle for me…

Thoughts from Maliha

Salamaat,
Croup is the worst…it’s sooo scary! When my lil one had it, I had no clue what it was and what to do. Awesome job veteran mommy, inshaallah he will soon be better and on his feet again.

Give him lotsa hugs and kisses from aunty!

Thoughts from shaz

thanks mona, koonj, cakes and maliha.

sadiya, walaikum salaam, it must have been hard for you, alhamdulillah they are all ok now. mine are not sick very often, thank God, but the asthma seems to be affecting the first and last ones. :(

sf, stomach flu is horrible, and the hospital wait under those circumstances must have been equally horrible. I feel for you. alhamdulillah she is better.

Thoughts from Yemi

I hope all is well very soon!  I just went through the whole sick baby ordeal with my ten month son.  It was quiet a nightmare.  Good mama vibes for you.

Thoughts from Tasmiya

Yes, well done you! InshaAllah the boys never have to visit the hospital again. How long does the steroid shot take to work?

Thoughts from shaz

thanks Yemi, he is feeling better now.

thanks Tasmiya, the steroid actually works almost immediately. his barking cough was much less as we went home, and almost nothing when we got home. The steroid does not, of course, ‘cure’ the croup, but it does make the barking cough better… so he was still sick after but more like a flu sick…