Baby discharged from hospital today

[VioletBaudelaire1]

1 month old DS has been poorly with an infection and severe anaemia. It has been awful watching such a tiny baby undergo all sorts of scans and tests. He's doing much better now and we have medicine and supplements to take home with us.

I'm so scared about going home and him getting sick again and I'm struggling to keep my anxiety in check. We are lucky to have a good support network who have helped with other DC at home and there is a plan in place with various medical professionals. I'm not sure why I'm posting, just hoping for some reassurance I suppose.

How frightening for you. No real advice, but just to say that they absolutely wouldn't be letting him come home if they were worried about the infection recurring or your ability to manage his care.

Infections are really bad luck. Even very healthy young adults can be felled by nasty infections. Fortunately they can also resolve quite quickly, and your baby will soon be completely healthy (ie this is not a situation where you have say a very premature infant with lung problems or a genetic disorder to contend with).

What is the relationship between the infection and the anemia? I would try to get clarity on this from the doctors. If he has G6PD deficiency, for example (fairly common, mostly benign blood disorder, more common with Mediterranean / Middle Eastern ancestry than Northern European) then future infections could also cause his red blood cells to break down. It isn't necessarily a very significant thing for an older child or adult, but would be good to know why they think the infection caused anemia.