To be freaking out about A&E

[Andthentherewere2]

Our tiny 9 day old needed a follow on blood test yesterday and due to clinic closures etc we were advised to bring her to A&E to get it done.

Lots of sick kids in the waiting room. We were put in a little side room as baby is so young, but I am terrified that she will have caught something ... anything from the vomiting bug to whooping cough to pneumonia are all going through my mind (no sleep in not helping)

I am furious with myself for putting her at risk for something non-essential.

Please please help put my mind at rest and tell me the risks are very low ...

I had to take my DS to children's A&E at one week old - he was fine and didn't catch anything. I also had to take him with me to the walk-in clinic at adult A&E about a week later. We were there for SIX HOURS in the bloody waiting room with everyone shambling about coughing and spluttering. Again he was fine. I was anxious too because PFB but he didn't catch his first virus till he was about 4 months old.

Thanks all - am feeling a little more reassured so hopefully will get through the next couple of days symptom free.

Blamenargles - illness anxiety and emotophobia sounds difficult to deal with, is it constant worrying?

most people in A&E are there for cuts , bruises and broken bones , serious illnesses are seen quicker and not kept in the waiting room , if you were in another room then there is no chance of her catching anything.

Sometimes I can deal with it sometimes I don't want to leave the house, I'm trying to work through it for DS.
I worry when people I have been around are ill I'm fine with colds but anything else freaks me out.
When d&v going round I really struggle.

I wasn't being deliberately facetious earlier - I genuinely thought that secret's post was computer generated. Sorry for any offence.

I think the fear is justified because when you hear about these things (caught a bug etc) on the news it makes you think. There is a reason they make the news though and that is because it's rare. You'd be remiss not to get the blood test done so you've done the right thing.

Your baby will catch things over the years (obviously not 9 days!) but it's often better that they do get exposed to minor bugs early as their immune systems will respond better and their T cells (specifically memory ones) will develop and they'll be better equipped in the future to deal with illness.