Dec 08 - The One where they take on the world (school)

[DeidreBarlow]

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Oh Arti how are your boobs are you able to feed? If you need to express the hospital will have a pump for you and will store the milk. It seems silly to ask and that your boobs should be the last of your worries but I usedto find my BFing mums were able to cope with things a bit better if they were at least able to express and not get engorged.

Thanks Veg. They now say he has croup and bronchiolytis. He has had steroids and a nebuliser. He is currently at 94 which is better. He is being such a star, the nurses can't believe how good he is being. I have nobody to call to help with girls. All friends away, in laws in Mexico. The au pair sounded calm on the phone but DD2 will freak when she wakes to find me gone.

That's great that he has responded to the stetoids & nebs getting up to 94% may only seem a little but that is a major improvement. Dd2 will be fine, yeah she will be upset but she will cope plus DD1 will be there with her. They will probably be more worried about their brother. I wish I knew someone in West London who could drop over some supplies for you. I know hospital food isn't much but as you are breastfeeding you are entitled to be fed. Also don't hesitate to ask if it is possible to make yourself a cup of tea. They usually have somewhere parents can go to have a quick cuppa though you can't bring it out to the patient areas.

I have to get to bed now as the boys are up early for school tomorrow but will check in the morning. Have you been able to get in touch with DH?

Maybe the au pair can bring them to the hospital, worst case scenario? I wish I could help in some way. What a shame. Please keep us posted. Is DH away the whol week?

Thanks all. DH away 'til Friday. On second nebuliser now and hissing sound has sent him to sleep. Really wish I'd applied deodorant top up before coming here...

One of my neighbours is some sort of high up administrator at the C&W. Her DD is the same age as my DD1 and your DD2. If you need anything I may be able to get her to help though I don't know if she works Mondays.

Seriously Arti, if there's anything you need I can certainly ask her. Hope things improve overnight and you can come home tomorrow.

Thanks Lady. I actually had the foresight to chuck a pair of knickers, my toothbrush and the phone charger in my bag before leaving the house. If this turns into more than one night I will just have to ask the au pair to bring some things up here while the kids are at their dance class tomorrow. I'm so hungry, tired and thirsty; why didn't I also have the foresight to bring a cereal bar?

Arti dh is at work in the morn. If there's anything you think he might be able to do to help, let me know. Even if it means a little less waiting for stuff and a little more info - he can try. Hope ur ok. You sound in better spirits at least. Will check back in the morn before I check out.

Thanks Rubes, I will let you know.

DS is on oxygen nasal prongs now. It looks sad and scary but medical staff are upbeat so I'm focusing on that.

Sorry arti I didn't see your post when I posted last night. Hope ds improves more today. Some hospitals provide food for bf mums so you could always ask for some toast and tea.

How is DS this am Arti? Hope he is brighter today and thatyou got a bit if sleep and found some food.

It's very windy here. No trains so Dh walked into work. Was supposed to be seeing my mum today but dont think that will be possible now. We are going to get dressed and then venture to high road to post parcel and do some jobs. As its first day of half term we are going to have pancakes for breakfast.

Sorry not to make the meet up. Have a fab time.

Arthur much the same. He hates the oxygen prongs and keeps ripping them out. The nurses are lovely but so busy and I can't leave him so haven't even had a wee since getting here.

Arti, that is really crap and shocking. I just wish I could watch DS for a bit and bring you a cup of tea and some breakfast. Any news from home? Hopefully DD2 is coping ok?

Was having long chat on Fri night with dear friend who is a haematology consultantant in London, who was saying that some sort of paid-for at source NHS is practically guaranteed in the none too distant future. My obs always used to say the same thing.

Keep telling us how things are going. Listen, if I tell our friend DR that you are stuck like this, I bet he would try to help.

We slept with torches by the beds anfd phones charged up as advised in anticipation of power cuts. They didn't come but the storm was pretty manic. DD1 has got a horrid cough so I think bringing her to London might not have been the best idea.

Sorry Arti usual manic first day back at school madness here. So only just got on too reply now but saw you are settled in. I hope the trolley has been around by now and you've gotten something to eat. They are busy but there is even less for them to do if you are well fed and ok. I assume hand over will finish soon and a fresh stock of nurses will be around. Grab your new nurse just as she is settling in and getting herself acquainted with DS' chart and pop out and do a wee.

Crikey St Jude is stomping about over here already. It is super windy, DH dropped the boys to school with the trailer as I was sure poor DS1 would get blown off his bike. He has now set off for work but I'm worried he'll get blown onto the rode while he is cycling. I am supposed to be meeting him for a crossfit session but I think it will be too windy to ride, might be a woose and catch the tram. If it keeps up I think we might skip the boys gymnastics class this after.

Arti don't forget to take care of yourself. He needs you to be ok too. How are the girls this am?

We have no power. The electricity cables are currently flapping about in the stream. Telephone wires down. A tree is very nearly through the roof of a friends house. It's being kept at bay by a cable which has also come down.

DH is meant to start his new job today but no trains means he can't get there. Bit of a disaster really.

In other news child that always wakes at the crack of dawn is still fast asleep! Clearly he needs to live somewhere very windy and he would sleep better.

Crikey cables in the stream that's a bit scary. I have reluctantly left the house to go to cross fit class. A bit worried where our trampoline will be when I get back. The wind managed to blow an empty compost bin from behind the trampoline over to our back door!

Gosh Jam! Scary scary.

A while back when we had the major rain and flooding the cable attached to our house decided to flash and spark and generally explode like a pile of fireworks. I do not like electric cables! Especially since it was doing its party tricks right where it comes into our house and into the fuse box so to turn the electric off I had to go right where it was!

Art I hope your Arthur is feeling better this morning. Croup etc is scary but ultimately pretty easy to deal with. A bit of help with his oxygen levels and some tlc. how are the boobs? Feeding can be tricky with it, I hope you are getting lots of support. Hope the girls are doing ok with the Au Pair.

My Arthur is still going cough, snot, spike a temp. He has given me his germs too. Generous child. Big ones all packed and waiting for their granny to come pick them up for a couple of days.

It's obviously the week for Arthur's to get ill.

Lovely nurse just bought me towels, soap and toothpaste from a magical stores cupboard. She is coming back soon to watch DS while I take a shower. Quite excited.

That's good Arti :-)

I've got used to mine getting admitted whenever I take him to OOH now so I automatically shove Kindle, wash stuff, pj bottoms etc into a bag before I go. I used to think dd was my A&E child. She just bumps herself around, gets fixed up and shoved out the door again. Arthur at 18 months has had 3 or 4 admissions for various illnesses. Always the same nurse on duty, she flipping well recognises us now. Always the same bloody menu too. I must say bf definitely has advantages when in hospital with a child, I don't know how you are supposed to get food when you don't have anyone else to watch your child otherwise!

Hope you feel rather more human after your shower and that you have a good day today.

They seem to offer all parents food here. There is a parents room with bread and a toaster and tea bags. At breakfast there was a trolley with cereals too.

DS can't BFeed, he did however take a bottle, so I'm about to try expressing for the first time in 7 years (tried a couple of times with DD1 and hated it so never tried again).

I have a horrible feeling my Arthur will need further admissions too Indith. He is v young to have croup and friends with croupy kids all seem to have suffered more than once.

Great news about the shower Arti. We used to try to give all the mums food off the trolley if we could, though the BF mums usually got a special meal not just chicken nuggets or whatever was on offer for the kids.

Awwww, Mr Rubes has just come totally our of his way all the way up to Children's Ward to see me and A. He is so lovely. He chatted away about the Rubena house, your DS, his job, your car, his bike, clock changes, the legal system, everything really. It was v nice to be distracted for a while. And while we were taking DS fell asleep and managed without oxygen for the first time so your DH reckons we might get discharged. I so hope so.