To go to a&e with a newborn?

[Bluffysummers]

So not quite an aibu but posting for traffic.

2 kids toddler and ebf 3 month old and what can only be described as the worlds heaviest car seat

Baby slept awful last night, truly the stuff of nightmares and I woke up this morning with really bad stomach pain. I’ve had a grumbling appendix a LOT, I had it twice in pregnancy but they said they preferred to treat with anti biotics as the surgery is risky when pregnant but that it most definitely will flare up again and blow, so I’m in the waiting list for an elective.

But I’m worrying if this pain gets worse what on earth am I supposed to do. Got an ebf baby that won’t take a bottle and when it’s flared up before I literally had to crawl into a&e (literally, my taxi kicked me out at the door and I couldn’t walk). Hopefully it goes down with rest and paracetamol but seriously if it flares up what am I supposed to do?

Call an ambulance.

Phone 111 now and try to get the antibiotics prescribed that way before it gets worse

Presuming there is another parent at home you go to the hospital and leave the baby. They will take a bottle eventually. I had to do this w ds1 when I got a horrendous bout of food poisoning. But if you have a breast pump take it with you or you will get horribly uncomfortable.

@Sirzy

Phone 111 now and try to get the antibiotics prescribed that way before it gets worse

Would they prescribe them for me over the phone if they thought it was an appendicitis? They gave me loads in my pregnancy but my husband must have thrown them away because I can’t find them anywhere

@Porcupineintherough

Presuming there is another parent at home you go to the hospital and leave the baby. They will take a bottle eventually. I had to do this w ds1 when I got a horrendous bout of food poisoning. But if you have a breast pump take it with you or you will get horribly uncomfortable.

That’s what I thinking, I’ve only got an electric one but needs must… I’ll see if the pain gets worse, hopefully not

I second calling an ambulance, especially given your history.

You go to A&E and your husband stays at home with the baby and toddler.
What if it is your Appendix and you require surgery? You can't take a baby in with you.

In a perfect world (ha!) I'd see if there is anyone who could look after the toddler and ask someone else to come with you to help with the newborn. I know this might not be possible.

I was hospitalised when my EBF DC was 3 months old with Cholecystitis. It helped I had someone with me who could take the baby between feeds when I was being examined, sent down for CT scan etc.
We also lugged the car seat in and it was really helpful to have it as the baby could be strapped in safely if there were lots of people in and out or I was being moved.

As it happened, after some scans I had they told me not to breastfeed for 24 hours, and I had to be admitted so my baby had to go home and be bottle fed. It was OK, he learned quickly to take them, I got better with care and came out 5 days later and was able to continue to breastfeed afterwards for a couple of years. Breastfeeding was established enough by 12 weeks. Look after yourself first, even if it feels impossibly hard to do that, you need to be well for baby

@Unanananana

I second calling an ambulance, especially given your history.

Getting there isn’t too bad hubby can bundle up the kids or I can take a taxi, with ambulances as they are a taxi would be quicker.

There’s nothing quite so miserable as sitting in a&e for 6 hrs in agony- I know needs must but god it sucks.

Let’s all say a little prayer that it goes down

Your baby will take a bottle if they're hungry enough.
You need medical attention, you cannot realistically look after a little baby, what if they need to remove your appendix?
Your baby will be fine.

Go now, dont wait for it to get worse,take baby with you while you wait to be seen, keep feeding, DH stays with toddler. Catch it early and maybe you'll be back home with antibiotics in good time.
If you are being admitted DH can come and fetch baby home. You'll need to pump/express if you are away from baby as an in patient. Ask for support keeping your milk in do you have a pump, stirage bags/bottles, can you borrow one? If its a hospital with maternity there will be a feeding team that can be asked to support you. Dont wait and see if it becomes an emergency.

When I was admitted with appendicitis I was able to have a pump brought down from the maternity unit to pump, the nurses stored my milk for me until DH picked it up. Hospital grade pumps are amazing and quick to empty the breast. They were also careful with what meds were given so it wouldn't affect my milk.

Ds wouldn't take a bottle while I was away (2 nights) but DH was able to cup feed him successfully for that time.

Don't wait and see if it gets worse, act now.

I'd take the baby with me to A&E. But leave toddler at home with DH or with a friend. If they decide to admit you then someone can come and pick the baby up. But they might not, and sitting there with painful sore breasts and worrying about a hungry baby at home won't be any easier than sitting there with a baby.

I was hospitalised with ruptured gall bladder when baby was only about 5 weeks old. There was and presumably still is a protocol for admitting new mothers and that’s what was put in place for me - pumps supplied, etc. As it was, we lived nearby and my husband just took him home between feeds but they said that if he hadn’t been able to do that, they would have kept the baby on the paeds ward and then brought him to me as required. This was a bog standard District general.