The Scariest Three Days of Our Lives

After three quiet and relatively restful days in the hospital, C and I brought Lucy home and looked forward to spending Memorial Day weekend getting settled into a new routine. Saturday morning Lucy started to develop some gunk in one of her eyes, and my mom suggested that we call in to the pediatrician’s office and ask about it. The nurse who answered our call suggested we take her to the ER because of how young she was – infections can be so dangerous in babies that new – so less than 24 hours after being discharged from the hospital, we were back there again.

After sitting in the ER for a few hours, we saw a doctor. We happened to change a diaper while she was there and Lucy had developed a diaper rash (that we now think was a reaction to the wipes we used). The combination of the eye gunk and the rash made the doctor suspect the worst – a serious infection – and she immediately sent us to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Mobile. We were terrified and exhausted when we finally got admitted and in our room on Saturday night.

Lucy was poked and prodded with needles and finally hooked up to an IV – she was dehydrated because she had hardly eaten all day – and they started running fluids, antibiotics and antivirals around the clock. We sat in the hospital for three long days as we waited for the results of her cultures to return. Because she was so tiny, it was very difficult to stabilize the IV, and Lucy’[s squirming would bend the needle after about 24 hours. She had one in her hand, her foot and finally, in her head. That one turned out to be the best one because her squirming didn’t affect it. Tuesday morning we received the fantastic news that Lucy was perfectly healthy and had blocked tear ducts, something that 1 in 4 babies are born with.

I’m posting this because I want Lucy to be able to see this when she is older. My mom has noticed that I tend to be more protective of Lucy (as compared to Olivia at the same age) so if that continues, maybe these photos will help her understand why.