Boucher Bunch: RSV

After sending us home from the ER on Valentines Day with the diagnosis of RSV, the dr gave us a few warning signs that Ethan was getting sicker to look out for. The next 2 days he hardly ate and continued to have a fever and cough. On the 2nd day I had a feeling we should probably take him back to the dr or the ER but I was home with all 3 kids and didn't want to drag them all with me especially just to be sent home again so I waited til Charlie got home from work. Ethan's cough and breathing were getting worse and at one point his lips looked blue. So I hopped in the car and drove as fast as I safely good to the ER. Thankfully my mom was able to meet me there since Charlie stayed home with the boys (it was about 10 pm). I was so scared, I couldn't be there alone. Since he was already diagnosed with RSV on our prior visit, it was easy for the dr to make the decision to admit him. So we settled in to our new room in the pediatric wing of the hospital at about midnight on Feb 16. It was weird to be back in the hospital, so soon after bringing him home. But we were so confident that this stay would be a quick one and we'd be back home in no time. Sadly this wasn't the case.....

Ethan ended up being in the hospital for one week! We thought it might be a day or two. Thankfully Charlie was able to get most of the time off work and stayed home with the boys up until Ethan's last day or two. I had a harder time this time around than when he was in the NICU. It was just so hard after making such progress to take so many steps back. I worked SO hard on weaning him off the bottle and as soon as he was admitted I had to start pumping again and they wouldn't let me breastfeed because it was too much work for him to breathe and eat. Plus breast milk would put a lot more mucous in him and thats the last thing he needed. The first several days they had him on an IV to keep him hydrated. But you can only have an IV for so long without risking infection in the insertion site. So they took it out and I was allowed to BF or give him a bottle of pumped milk. He didn't have much energy so he didn't eat enough and the nurse was worried about him getting dehydrated again. So against my strong protests they inserted a feeding tube in his nose. I lost it then. Just broke down and I was so frustrated. Instead of getting better he seemed to be getting worse! Putting a feeding tube in just seemed like defeat to me and I was not happy about it at all. I complained to the dr. and he agreed that we would only use the feeding tube if Ethan refused to eat. I was determined...I offered him myself and a bottle whenever I was allowed. Some of the nurses were more accommodating then others and more encouraging for sure.

Toward the end of his stay, Charlie had to go back to work so I had to go home to be with Brendan and Carter. This was so hard! But thankfully I only had to do it for 2 days. I was so happy to go in on the night before his discharge and see him disconnected from all the wires and tubes.

God has really been with us through a lot in the last 2 short months! He has blessed us with wonderful friends, family, and hospital staff to take care of our little guy. As hard as it was, we are so thankful for it all. Now, no more hospitals for the rest of the year!