Illness

So...here's a gem of information that I did not know. When kids get sick, they go down FAST and scare the crap out of you.

Good to know. Where the hell was that nugget of advice in the FOUR parenting books I read? Nowhere.

So yesterday, my 4 year-old woke up after having a nagging cough all night. No big deal. By mid morning, her cough was annoying me, quite honestly, and she wasn't her usual sassy rambunctious self. It was nice that all she wanted to do was lay around, but I knew it wasn't normal. I called her pediatrician, told his nurse the story, and she gave me a prescription for cough medicine with codeine for her to take a night. Thanks lady, you're a saint. Because I didn't sleep AT ALL the night before due to the coughing, and neither had my daughter.

As the day went on she was OK, but after nap she starting really not feeling well, I don't think. The girls go to gymnastics on Wednesday afternoons, I told her she should stay home with dad while her sister and I went, that didn't go over well. So we all went to gymnastics, where she huffed and puffed through it, I thought- greeeat, my kids going to go into respiratory arrest for all to see. Nice. But it wasn't like I was going to pull her out mid class, she would throw a fit which would be loud AND embarrassing.

After dinner, which she did not eat a bite of, she really started breathing hard. Like, if she were an adult patient at work, I'd be calling for some serious help. Her little belly was puffing out with each breath and she was working harder than usual to breathe. I know the symptoms of pediatric respiratory distress thanks to my very good nursing school memory...and she didn't have any. But, it was getting later....and I wasn't about to hit the ER at 2am so I called my experienced mommy friend and made her listen to my peanut breathe through the phone....she calmed me down and said to do what I'd been doing and wait it out.

So, last night, I gave her the robitussin with codeine, put a humidifer in her room, vicks rubbed her chest and propped her up on two pillows. She did fine, and slept all night. I did not. I woke up every hour to check on her, make sure she was still breathing, etc, etc. Over reactive mother syndrome. I never knew I'd worry like this but .... shocking.... here we are.

This morning she is doing much better, and I have quietly given myself the "your a good mommy" award for my efforts.

Jeez, kids can really affect your sleep, even when they're snoring away!