If your two month old baby was in hospital with a serious chest infection...

[emkana]

... would you, after you had spent the first night by his side, spend the second night in a separate room so that you could get a good night's sleep? And would you go out the next day, leaving the baby in the care of the nurses, while you go for a run, a coffee, and then out for a meal with your dh?

[WestCountryLass]

Errrr, that'd be a no

[hunkermunker]

Noooooooooooooooooooo!

[Gwenick]

WEll it depends how 'serious' it was - if the nurses/dr.s were confident he was going to make a full recovery then I may well go out for a while. The chances are if the baby is in hospital 'now' then he's been ill at home for a little while too - and like it or not - even mum's with sick children need to have some 'me' time. IKYWIM

[sparklymieow]

My daughter was in hospital at 4 months with Bonilitis (sp??) I spent one night with her, but couldn't stay with her because DH still had to work and someone had to look after DS, she was in for a week. I wasn't worried about her care as se had been in SCBU for 5 weeks when she was born.

[tiggerintum]

It would depend on how poorly baby was/is but if still in hosp I would probably say no to the meal with DH, but would leave in nurses care while I got sleep, your no good to baby run down

[emkana]

There's this German women's magazine where a woman is writing her baby diary, and this is what she wrote this week. I CANNOT believe that someone would do this! And then she writes how good it felt to "finally" (after two months!!!! While her baby has pneumonia ffs!) have some time to herself!!!

I am speechless, I really am...

[emkana]

Baby fell sick on a Sunday, woman out for the day on the Tuesday.

sparklymieow - totally different scenario in your case.

I can understand the sleeping thing, to some extent. But to use a hospital stay of your two month old for some me- and couple-time... I can't understand that.

[colditz]

No, because I would be prostrated with hysteria! When my ds was 8 weeks old I didn't even like the health visitor to touch him.

I was ridiculously paranoid though.

[hunkermunker]

Vile woman.

[Gwenick]

not trying to 'defend' her - but as this is from a magazine - do we know what else has happened in the babies 2 month since being born, how was her pregnancy etc etc........what happened to the woman 'before' she fell pg.

[hunkermunker]

Doesn't sound right though, Gwenick, does it?

[Gwenick]

I know it doesn't sound right - but I DO think it's difficult to judge in a situation like this when we only know a tiny fraction of the story.............

[emkana]

Gwenick, I would post the link here if anybody would like to read it
but until then let me tell you that the annoying thing is how the woman puts this experience across...
if she was traumatised or exhausted or really stressed or whatever...
but she just writes about it as if it was quite normal to make use of the free childcare, and as if her "well-deserved" break was overdue...

[hunkermunker]

Yes, post a link!

[emkana]

here - enjoy!

[sparklymieow]

its in german can't read it!!

[emkana]

Sorry sparklymieow - I did say earlier that it is a German magazine, but hunkermunker asked for a link, so there you are!

[Gwenick]

see what you mean - could remeber all my school german - but enough to get the gist........still perhaps that's just the way she 'comes over'. Even when I'm at my 'lowest' I still often come across to people as being happy and carefree.........and on here most people wouldn't have a clue how I'm feeling because of the way I write

[hunkermunker]

Well, this is what BabelUselessFIsh translates it as:

On Wednesday were not Boehnchen much better, breathing fell it audibly more easily and also its eyes looked ill any longer. The lady doctor promised the fact that we could on Thursday home and removed the next to last cable from its body. Boehnchen away-put, said the infection better than many different it.

I was glad and out-slept and outside radiated spring. I decided to make for me the affectionate support on the baby station and to leave Boehnchen occasionally the sisters. I went joggen into close convenient park, the first time for months. After I had endured two days long on the chair beside Boehnchens bed and was already completely rigid, I enjoyed it the more traben by the morning spring sun. I undertook a small walk in the afternoon, got me a Cappuccino and sat down on a bank in the park. I admit it: It was liberating to be able to deliver without being Boehnchen - on the one hand the physical load (consisting of zappelnden five Kilos) and on the other hand the responsibility for a while.

In the evening Juergen and I went eating in the proximity of the hospital beautifully - the first time without Boehnchen and completely in peace. Nearly in peace. Because a little one probably always feels guilty as a nut/mother, if one leaves its child alone... and if one pushes the Schnuller for it into the mouth, so that it is calm... and if one wishes oneself the fact that it sleeps and in peace leaves one... and if the nice baby sister hangs a mobile to his bed, because "it looked the whole time so sadly to the wall"...

I felt guilty also, because Boehnchen became ill: Did I drag it too much by the area? Too few paid attention to it? Did I attract it too thinly? Even if me in the hospital it were protested that it had not been my error - the verdict "Rabenmutter" sounds in my back of the head with everything also, which I do for me and not for him.

Despite illness Boehnchen continued to develop very. In the hospital it did not only pour its first tears, it has to smile also learned. If one bends oneself over it, or if he regards his mobile, one can now see that he is pleased. That does well! Its view fixes faces and articles, it keeps eye contact and reacts. Like that now a kind of communication with it is possible. At all Boehnchen me does not come absurd-proves any more before like a baby. So energetically, how he requires for his milk, so strongly, how he tries with his laugh ups to hold the bottle then it rabiat, how he pedal and point in such a way, how it can look - that is nevertheless no more baby! And a Boehnchen already not at all. Immediately it is called Frederik or Fred or Freddy, Erik, Richy or Rick... its name gives fortunately some.

[emkana]

Makes sense... if you know the original!

[hunkermunker]

I get the gist...which is all babelfish ever gives you!

[marthamoo]

I'm sorry, emkana, I know it's very serious and all...but HunkerMunker's mad translation is the best laugh I've had for ages

I went joggen into close convenient park

In the hospital it did not only pour its first tears, it has to smile also learned

And the most perfect one..

guilty as a nut/mother

Ain't that the truth?

[hunkermunker]

Another wonderful Babelfish translation is breastfeeding in Dutch...

Udderfeeding

[Blu]

LOL Hunker!

When I read your q, Emkana, my answer was 'no, of course not', but on reading that woman's account, I might well have said 'yes'. Children's wards are incredibly intense, emotional places, and I found the the experience of being in hospital with a little one incredibly claustrophobic, emotionally, psychologically and physically. Knowing for the first time in ages that her baby was Ok, I can imagine that woman wanting to run and run and run, for the sheer release of it.

On the other hand, one night when DS was in, a toddler arrived in the cot next to him, the parents settled him in - and left to go for a meal with friends and stay the night at thier house! DP spent the whole night comforting the frightened lonely child, and giving him DS's soft toys - and gave the parents a right mouthful when they arrived the next morning to see their Ds into theatre!

[emkana]

at your story, Blu!