Poor baby!

The past few days have been rough for little Chloe. It started last week when she got a cold. Brennan and Levi had both been sick with a runny nose, cough and fever (Tyler and Dallin had very mild nasal congestion), and I tried to keep them all away from her. But on Friday she started getting a runny nose and cough. I felt so bad! She continued to eat and sleep great, and it really didn't seem to bother her. Then Monday evening her cough was sounding deeper and harsher. She started to get cranky (which wasn't normal for her - she's been a very content baby), and then she developed a fever around 9:30 p.m. I immediately called her doctor, and the nurse told us to take her to the E.R. My mom came over to stay with the boys while we quickly packed a bag for the hospital. The diagnosis of R.S.V. was made via a nasal swab, and she was admitted around 1:30 A.M. due to her low oxygen saturation, fever and difficulty breathing.

The next 2 hours were spent connecting her to oxygen and lots of wires, lavaging/sucking the mucous out of her nose and mouth and giving her breathing treatments. Dave got home around 4:00 A.M. for a quick nap before getting the boys up and ready for school.

Chloe and I got very little sleep that first night. She HATED all the wires, ESPECIALLY the oxygen tube in her nose, and the alarms kept going off from low oxygen and loose wires. The nurse came in every 30 minutes to clean out her nose and readjust wires.

Apparently her history was classic for R.S.V.: older siblings with colds, (worse for younger kids), mild upper respiratory symptoms for a few days, getting worse and peaking at day 5. There are 4 other baby girls in the pediatric unit right now, and they all have R.S.V.

We have had such an outpouring of love, prayers and support from family and friends. Kristen and my parents have watched our kids, and Dave's work cancelled all his appointments for 2 days and told him to take as much time off as he needed. He's been able to spend a lot of time with us here at the hospital. Friends have driven our kids to/from school, and we've gotten lots of calls, emails & texts from those concerned.

Chloe has been such a trooper. She continues to nurse & sleep well, and she has learned to accept all the wires. They took the oxygen off this afternoon to see how she'd do on room air, and it went well for a few hours. But her oxygen sats started dropping for the past hour or so, and they've had to put her back on it. They said she needs to be off the oxygen for 24 hours before we can go home, so I really hope she can get off it soon.

She does try to pull the oxygen out when her hands get free, though. What a smart cookie for being just 12 days old!