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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Pessimistic or practical?

14 replies

Bouncingbelle · 22/12/2019 23:23

Posting for traffic really. Baby relative has taken very sick with bronchiolitis & been airlifted 300 miles from their home to a specialist hospital close to us. Ventilated. Surely the baby, even if they come off ventilation tomorrow, will not be well enough to be discharged and sent back by road before xmas? I'm just trying to anticipate if I'm going to have baby's immediate family here for xmas without stressing them out by asking. (Just thinking about organising bed space etc, not bothered about 'hosting' extra people at xmas). This will be more than a 2 day hospital stay, wont it?

OP posts:

mummymayhem18 · 22/12/2019 23:43

I would have thought so for such a young child. I would work on the assumption you will have extra people. Hope the child is soon well and home with the parents ❤️.

iamkahleesi · 22/12/2019 23:44

Are you not more worried about the baby than how many chairs you may or may not need to put out on Christmas day?

Popuppippa · 22/12/2019 23:50

If the baby is on a ventilator then it's serious. One of my DC had bronchiolitis at 6 weeks old and was on oxygen (not a ventilator) for 10 days. He took a very long time to start to recover and only turned a corner when he was eventually prescribed antibiotics as there was probably a secondary infection.

I hope the baby gets better soon. It will be an extremely stressful time for the family, especially if they have other children.

IncyWincyGrownUp · 22/12/2019 23:54

I would say the chances of you needing to shuffle bedspace is quite high. Like a previous poster, my child was on oxygen (via tube, then a headbox) for nearly a fortnight.

I do hope the child makes a strong recovery, bronchiolitis can be a bastard :(

BudgieHammockBananaSmuggler · 22/12/2019 23:57

That’s unfair kahleesi. Obviously she will be worried about the baby. But she has no control over what might happen in the hospital. But she can control what happens in her home and how she might best be able to provide support to immediate family.

LifeofClimb · 23/12/2019 00:02

I would have thought so and I think it’s kind of you to consider them before they ask - make sure they know they are welcome.

Original poster

Bouncingbelle · 23/12/2019 00:11

I had hoped this wouldnt come across as me being 'bothered about chairs on xmas day'. Obviously we are all worried sick about baby but, admittedly, as the mother of a child who was on oxygen for a year, I'm possibly not as 'freaked out' by ventilation/cpap etc as others and for that I apologise.
They have another child that santa still needs to come for. There are frantic grandparents. If it's easier for them all to come down here to be close to baby/the parents then 100% I want them here. I just wanted to know if I was just being pessimistic & there was every chance of baby being returned home for xmas or if I will need to make sure there are presents (as they wont be able to bring them all down) for the sibling who is still young enough to expect santa to come despite the current awful situ/ beds/ enough food for everyone, and spare clothes for the baby's dad who had to jump in the helicopter with nothing today.

OP posts:

Original poster

Bouncingbelle · 23/12/2019 00:17

Even my oxygen-dependent baby wasnt this ill with bronchiolitis so its came as a terrible shock. Glad to hear both your babies made a full - if slow - recovery. I'm presuming they'll eventually be moved to a hospital nearer home, but it's the 23rd now. I feel like all we can do is salvage my nieces christmas, to let everyone else concentrate on the baby :(

OP posts:

TheLittleBrownFox · 23/12/2019 00:18

You are a lovely and generous, thoughtful person

Icanflyhigh · 23/12/2019 00:20

OP you sound lovely and caring and considerate of all of the eventualities this situation might throw at you.
Sending positive thoughts for the baby, and a quick, strong recovery x

EdinaMonsoon · 23/12/2019 00:21

I don’t have any direct experience of this type of situation but in your shoes I would contact the grandparents & tell them what you have said here: ie they’re welcome to stay with you, along with parents & sibling. I would also ask if providing presents for sibling would be helpful or are they able to bring any already bought. They may well have greater insight into this. FWIW, OP, you don’t come across as being remotely bothered about chairs. You come across as someone caring who doesn’t want to bother 2 parents going through hell right now but wanting to do the right thing.

Popuppippa · 23/12/2019 00:29

I think you sound lovely and thoughtful, especially thinking of the older child who deserves Christmas to be as nice as possible. The parents are probably out of their minds with worry so to have you in the background providing a calm presence will help to take the strain off them.

One of my children had their birthday in the middle of our hospital stay and he still remembers it 12 years later!

breatheinskipthegym · 23/12/2019 00:32

@Bouncingbelle you came across in exactly the way you intended, and how lovely and thoughtful of you to figure out the eventualities you may need to cover, in as unobtrusive a way possible. Wishing your DN a speedy recovery, and best wishes to you & the rest of your family.

AlunWynsKnee · 23/12/2019 00:39

You sound kind and thoughtful.

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