The last four days have been a nightmare. I took my four-year old and 9 month girls to the doctors Saturday morning. The baby had a fever for 3 days so the doctor checked her over and found that she had an ear infection so she was prescribed a medication, my 4-year-old daughter has struggled with asthma for almost 3 years now she was wheezing. So the doctor’s office did what I already had done before the appointment was give her a nebulizer treatment but her oxygen level was 88 when normal range close be close to 100. After they gave her oxygen she went back up to 91. They gave her a 2nd nebulizer treatment and checked her oxygen again and still no increase so they told me to take her to the emergency room.
I had to go home and have my husband take her because with a sick breastfeeding baby my hands were tied. Then what I was hoping what wouldn’t happen happened they admitted her. They put her in the pediatrics ward of the hospital and put her on oxygen. My husband stayed at her side the whole time at the hospital while I came and visited with our other 4 children. Their plan was to give her steroids (I know I hate the thought of my child having this but her lungs were bad), nebulizer treatments and oxygen. My husband and I hoped she would be only in the hospital for a day two days max. Then her blood results came back and she test positive for walking pneumonia! So our hopes of bringing her home now vanished.
So the hospital slowly started to decrease her oxygen because she was showing signs of maintaining a stable oxygen level. Now if you are familiar with steroids they can do weird things to you, my daughter gets really nasty and screams and the nurses have to pin her down just to scan her medical information on her wristband. So she is on a roller coaster and yet you would think if one worked on a pediatric ward in a hospital they would be compassionate but not everyone was. Finally Monday morning they turned her oxygen off. Then there was nothing to do but sit and wait and monitor her to make sure her oxygen levels didn’t nose dive. Last night (Monday night) my husband asked the doctor if she could go home last night because she has been stable. The hospital’s response was no they needed to monitor her for 24 hours and then they would evaluate her then. So my husband asked what would happen if he signed her out himself and they said they would have to report us to DCF and that we needed to wait for them to dismiss her.
As a parent I was completely offended. All 5 of our children are very well taken care off. Never ever having any problems and yet threatened because we want to bring our daughter home who by the way at this point was crying to come home . Yes they are looking out for the well-being of my child and I appreciate that but to be so harsh when she simply has maintained a healthy oxygen all day?? So it was another night at the hospital and waiting. This morning the doctor came in and said she is able to come home! Finally the nightmare is ending! My little girl is coming home! My husband said in the hospital she didn’t want to sit still, she wanted to get up and walk around so I am sure that when she comes home today the last thing she will want to do is rest but that’s what on her schedule this week along with finishing her medications and nebulizer treatments. Praise God for hearing our prayers!
i miss my daughter and my husband and look forward to the normalcy or as normal as it can get as a family of 7! Being a parent is a tough job, there is no book or advise that could ever prepare you for difficult situations! Enjoy each day to it’s fullest and give your children lots of love. For the past 4 days there was a hole in my heart and I am so thankful that hole is getting filled back up!
Oh no! I can’t even imagine how stressful that would be. Prayers for you and your family!
Oh this would be so hard i imagine. Thank you so much for sharing your story!
How scary! My 3 year old has asthma too and we have had some rough bouts with it. We have that same chicken mask! I hope she gets to feeling better soon and gets to come home, no fun being in the hospital or away from your family.
I hope you daughter gets better fast. My little girl had really bad pneumonia earlier this year. I wish you daughter well and only good health ahead.
I know what it’s like to have one so young in the hospital. My niece had open heart surgery at 3… I stayed with my sister at the hospital and we took turns spending time with her. It was a terrifying time for all of us! I am so happy to hear that she’s better!!
I’m glad she is finally going home. I can’t believe they wouldn’t let you take your own child home…..I get that they were concerned, but you know her better and she would have been much more comfortable at home.
I am so happy that she is OK and back home! Will be keeping your family in my thoughts.
I’m sorry that your baby girl had to stay in the hospital and that you had a hard time getting her released. As a mom also to 5 kidlets, my heart goes out to you.
That is awful to have a sick child and then have hospital threaten that. I hope all is well now.
Aww I am so sorry for all your stress. I hope that things get better for your family and daughter! Wishing you the best!
Poor baby! I’m glad she is coming home and hopefully you can return to normal. I would have been very unhappy with not being able to bring her home sooner too. I think it is a little overboard for the hospital to call DCF when you obviously take care of your children! But at least it’s over. Sending healthy vibes your way!
That is terrible that she had to be admitted.. at least she is doing better now.. I know the feeling, those visits are not fun at all!
I am so glad she was well enough to come home! I bet she is so much happier to be out of the hospital!
What a stressful situation. I’m so glad your daughter is home. Sometimes I think hospitals try to milk the insurance company and patients for all they have. I’ve had that happen to me, but not with a child thankfully. Hope she is back to her spunky self soon.
What a difficult time! So sorry to hear all that happened, but I’m glad it’s over. Hopefully Nicole will continue to get stronger and not have anymore problems.
I am a mother of 5 too! And so I relate so well. We have had out bouts with the hospital but our son Madden was hospitalized and almost didn’t make it 3 years ago, still me biggest nightmare. And it has made me very sympathetic to parents with very sick children.
I can’t imagine how stressful it is for your family to be going through this. I’m so sorry and I hope you return to normalcy soon.
A sick baby in the hospital is so hard on the whole family. Hope she recovers quickly.
We have that exact mask! My son sometimes has breathing problems and needs a little help so we have the same mask. It’s difficult when you have children in the hospital. My son was in the NICU for a different issue for about a week and it was quite scary and I know you were anxious to have your daughter back but sometimes it’s always better to be safe than sorry 🙁 Hope she’s doing much better.
I feel for you all. My son broke his arm this Summer and needed surgery. It was awful. We spent 2 nights in the hospital with a rude staff and no one to answer our questions. It was terrible. I hope you have a support system for when they get home and to help you out. I can’t imagine how hard it can be with so many of you. God bless.
Oh my goodness. What an ordeal. So glad your daughter is back home. Hope you can out this bade experience behind you.
Oh no, I know how stressful that can be. I don’t have kids yet but I have nieces and a nephew. My sisters go through sleepless nights when their kiddos get sick.
OMG!! The Poor Thing I Would Of Been Freaking Out, I Hate To Our Children Sick Especially This Sick Sending Prayers Your Way THE DCF Situation I Won’t Even Go There Glad Your DaughterIs Home!!
Awh, that is so sad :/ I’m sorry you had to go through that but I’m glad it’s all over now and I’m glad that your little girl is feeling better! I agree the hospital has no right to tell you what you can or cannot do. You’re the parents.
I am so sorry your are having a rough time. I understand what you are going through. My middle baby had a few hospital stays with her asthma and pneumonia when she was little. I guess I was luck to have been a peds nurse in the hospital where she stayed and worked with her doctor. We were lucky to have decent experiences when she was hospitalized.
Poor baby! I’m glad she’s better. That must have been incredibly stressful for you.
Oh, I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that. I just can’t even imagine the worry. So glad to hear that she’s home!!
Hugs. The hospital was just covering their butts unfortunately. You are a good parent but not everybody is.
Sorry, how stressful. Is your daughter on a gluten free diet. I’ve read that a gluten and dairy free diets are helpful to kiddos with asthma. Glad everyone is home.
how scary! That is my biggest fear is having one of my kids hospitalized.
I am sorry to hear what a hard time your family is having with illness right now. I pray that you are all soon whole, healthy and together with smiles.
I was heart broken to find out my daughter had pneumonia last year, but thankfully didn’t need to go into the hospital. 🙁 I also have 5 kids so I completely understand the ‘as normal as it can get’ part.
I’m so glad she’s able to come home and hope she feels better soon!
That would be hard being at the mercy of the hospital for her release, but I’m sure they were just playing the cautious card. In the end, making sure she was absolutely ready was probably a good thing. However, I’m glad she’s home!
Poor baby. It is always tough when our little ones get sick and sometimes a hospital trip is the only way to resolve the problem. Keeping you little one in my prayers and sending her well wishes.
Oh no, I am so sorry you and your family had to endure that. The red tape within the medical system can be very lacking in common sense or compassion sometimes. I understand they have to do what they have to do, but in the meantime, it can wreak emotional havoc on families and friends. Blessings to you all ~*
Thinking of you and your family– sorry for the problems, but know you will make it through!!! Seriously, DCF?
Bless your heart. It is difficult to see them sick. I know that pain of wanting to take your child home and having them threaten to call DCF. Hang in there Mommy!
So glad it is over. I know it is trying on everyone – but even with her ups and downs she still looks like a trooper for making it through.
That sounds terrible. It’s probably just their policy to report to DCF though, so I don’t think anything was meant by it. They were simply telling your husband what they would do if he followed through with signing her out. I have hear that steroids can make children very beastly. I have a friend who’s daughter was diagnosed with leukemia several years ago and she had to have steroids. Glad your daughter is on her way to better health and on her way home to you!
So sorry to hear about everything you’ve had to go through! Sending prayers your way.
It’s so hard to see our children be so sick. I’ve watched my son have croup, rsv, bronchitis, pneumonia, and upper respiratory infections. I’ve been told he’s going to code and watched him be transported from one hospital to another. You never get used to it. I hope she’s feeling like herself soon.
That sounds horrible and I hope she gets better soon. I know the doctors are trying their best but saying they were going to report you was a little too much I think. 🙁
it is scary to have your kid in the hospital. and it’s hard when you can’t be with your little one when you have other who need help. glad she’s home!
sadly, they HAVE to report to DCF. that’s likely a mandated reporting thing. they have to evaluate for certain periods of time- because the unthinkable can happn 🙁
I’m so sorry that you had to go through that 🙁
I hope she feels better soon… that must have been scary for everyone.
So sad for her. I do remember those few days Brody was in the hospital with RSV – he had the same mask!! Glad she is better.
What a nightmare. I am so glad that she is doing better and gets to come home.
Aww, reading this post made me cry for you guys. I’m so sorry you all had to deal with that. Praise God she is healthy again though.
We had a little on in for the same thing a few years ago. It’s so hard on everyone. Glad she gets to come home!
Also- glad you didn’t take her out AMA. Your insurance would have made you flip the bill for the entire visit if you had. This happened to me when I tried to leave the day after my c-section because the nurses were abusive. I had to suffer because of it. It’s complete crap that you are forced to be somewhere you don’t want to be.
A man by the name of Angel Anderson is using g this poor child’s pictures as part of a scam on Facebook.