This was my THIRD trip to the E.R. but it was the First time I was admitted. I was at home with Mommy on October 6th, she was doing laundry while I napped in my little angled Moses Basket. I have Reflux so she keeps an eye on me because my chin needs to wiped quite often. (Plus, she's always been Super Paranoid of SIDS.) Well, she looked over at me and I was pale and the skin around my mouth was grayish-blue. She ran over to me screaming my name but I didn't hear her. She poked me hard (like she always does when she thinks I'm not breathing) but I didn't startle awake like I usually do. She shook me, nothing. She kept screaming my name while she picked me up took me to the sink and poured cold water on my face. That did it, I wailed!
Before this, mommy had pointed out to Daddy that I sometimes stopped breathing for a few seconds. She had had to poke me awake a few times, one time very hard infront of Daddy. So, they brought up to the pediatrician. She said it was normal for babies to stop breathing up to 15 seconds. So, mommy called Daddy and told him what happened. They decided they wouldn't "over react" again as they had at other times and just take me in the next day to my Ped's office. They would stay awake and watch me all night.
The next day, first thing in the morning we were Dr. Levy's office. No appointment needed when it's urgent, just walk in. She said that although it's normal for babies to stop breathing, we should call 911 or take you straight to the ER when there's a change in skin color. So, she sent us to Northridge Hospital to be admitted, poked, prodded, intubated, X-Rayed, and everthing else no baby should have to go through. Mommy had to leave the PICU for eery procedure because she couldn't handle letting people do things to me. Daddy stayed with me through it all but even he said he got upset at medical staff. He still won't tell mommy some of the things I had to go through because it got so bad.
Daddy stayed by my side through every painful procedure. In the end, they found out (through sticking a tube into my nose that down my throat and into some sort of valve) that it was my reflux that caused me to stop breathing. During the night they were monitoring different things on me I had a Sleep Apnea Episode which neither mommy nor daddy noticed despite being rigt next to me. And my oxygen drop below normal a few times. Fortunately, I didn't need surgery, only medication. Dr. Levy first prescribed Ranitidine but that caused hrrible side effects which included me babging my head against mommy when I was being held. I was miserable and scaring my parents when I was on that medication so Dr. Levy switched me to a compounded Formulation: OMEPRAZOLE. I was on that until I got the OK to go off, 30 days. That medication worked great for me, and mommy and daddy managed to get a few hours rest here and there.
During the night before getting admitted.
I was awake during mommy's 3 O'clock in the morning shift, so we played.
Daddy's shift, I slept, he didn't...at least not this time.
Mommy checked on him to make sure he was up, he was.
