Toddlers in hospital?

[Mummoomoocow]

Apologies if this has been asked already, but the endless amount of posts on this topic have made it difficult to search.

If a young child, toddler or baby has been admitted to hospital with coronavirus symptoms, what happens? I'm terrified that I will be separated from my 2 year old if he needs ventilation as he's in the shielding group. We've never spent a night away from each other and he breastfeeds to sleep still.

Are there any nhs staff on here that can shed light on this? If my son needs a hospital trip with these symptoms will they tell me I can't be with him? I understand I would likely get it too in this scenario but I'm absolutely terrified of having to leave him in the hospital on his own, scared and confused, not knowing how long he'll be separated!

(I get how looney this sounds by the way)

I can only tell you what the trust I work for are going to do.

one named visitor per parent is permitted In children's wards so your toddler will have one parent with them if admitted

Does he have symptoms or is this hypothetical ?

It’s not looney, these are terrifying times for everyone

Obviously if he needs ventilating then you won't be breast feeding him, but they might ask you express so you might be able to stay in hospital accommodation, we don't allow any parent to stay on children's icu, because we try and encourage parents to go home or to the hotel at night as the days are long enough. only going on the hospital and icu I work for

Our trust allows one parents too. No ICU for children so can't comment there.

@hollybollyy can I ask if you know how the visiting parent gets supplies? Is the ward isolating as such; would I be able to go collect clean clothes for example?

@1ForAllnAllFor1 he has a fever of 37.8 but he also has his 6 year molars pushing through his jawline! The dentist said to expect a fever as it's so close to his ears and I need to watch out for infection. So he's drooling again and chewing his hands, eating less, but otherwise no symptoms of anything

@dragonicicle thank you for that, it's really good to know it's not just one hospitals rules! This has really helped settle my fears

@Mummoomoocow no the icu wouldn't be isolating. You would be allowed to go home to get supplies, your child would be in a side room as infectious but we'd treat coronavirus as anything else, as e have children with TB sometimes and their parents are allowed home to get supplies. If you are ebf you will be fed but it depends on the age of the child tbh. X dm me if you want x

I’ve been terrified of this too.

My kids are fine and I am so thankful that they have no underlying health conditions but I’ve been worried anyway. I would take my chances with Coronavirus a million times over than have my girls terrified in hospital alone without me (or DH)

Hope your DC is ok xx

@hollybollyy thank you so so much, to be helping people when you're resting (on Mumsnet) is such a kind thing to do we've been in hospital before in an infectious side room when he was neutropenic so I'm aware of the setup.

I understand your concern, I'm as sure as can be that my household has the virus. My toddler had diarrhea on Wednesday night, and then it returned today, but this time was accompanied by blood in her nappy. I panicked at the thought of her needing hospital admission, she still nurses to sleep and we've never been apart. I thought that if she needed the hospital, I would not be allowed with her since I'm symptomatic. Fortunately, she's really perked up since midday and had had no more diarrhea and her temp has settled.

@iMoan7 it's awful isn't it? Fearing for the life of any other family member just pales in comparison to that of your own kids. It makes me wonder if the fear is any better or worse for younger children compared to semi-independent teens or adult kids

@HugoAvril I'm glad she's fairing a bit better! I can't imagine being ill and caring for a symptomatic little one, the stress of worrying about just them is enough, worrying about getting better for them too is too much to think about! Has she been well in her character meanwhile?

Actually I was wrong, sorry. If the child tested positive for coronavirus we'd have 2 staff allocated to that child, one in the side room with the child and one outside running between 2 rooms, so if the patient needed anything at all then the nurse in the room would ask for help from the runner and the runner would get the drugs and put them outside the room so the nurse inside the room can administer etc. The runner wouldn't go in and the nurse inside doesn't leave for the entirety of the shift. But the parents can come and go as they want but you would be asked to wear full ppe as required. I hope that helps x x

@hollybollyy that's amazing to know, I'm so grateful, I think the biggest cause of anxiety is not knowing and you've just eliminated that for loads of parents I'm certain! Can I ask if there is anything parents can do to help you day to day or if there's anything you wish parents would know?

Keep themselves safe so they don't need to come in? I can tell you that fruit and coffee is very much appreciated. I really hope you don't have to see the inside of another icu room! Thank you for your kind wordsx I wish parents would be able to relax and sleep whilst their child is with us, I know that seems impossible but a week or so after being discharged from icu they're home and being looked after 100% by parents with no medical staff at all. I wish parents could trust us enough to go to sleep and rest whilst their precious baby is asleep with us looking after them, and that rest assured despite the coronavirus situation we're still caring for sick children with other issues and complex needs.

Genuine superheroes. Thank you for all you've said, definitely want to avoid another trip but we'll see how long for, feels inevitable at times.

There's a big combination of emotions and all sorts of fears that swirl round your head when thinking about separating from your child when they're in a particularly vulnerable situation that even the strongest of rationality can't suppress. It's all the bloody what-ifs and a lot of projecting of fears.

I get so upset thinking that he would be confused and upset that I'm not there and not knowing where I've gone or how long until I come back, being non-verbal he wouldn't be able to communicate it either. That's one of the many examples of why I'd hate to separate from him, especially overnight! Sleeptime is that wonderful stress-free, safe and cosy time where mummy is always nearby and it's never not been the case.

I'm probably saying everything you already know however, babbling now! Stay healthy and don't let no rotten bastards upset you