Cough McCougher

i really need a break* like a roll over my foot with a car to make sure i really get a break--break*we keep passing some nasty cold around in my house* why us* k*a*s is on breathing treatments during rsv season this year* keep this note in mind* i love having people come visit and i love having my kids friends come play* but i have asked this year (very nicely) that because of k*a*s situation that people not come if they have any respiratory stuff going on* im not being a 'you know what' i just really dont want another hospital stay and i really dont want the baby sick (i spend enough time in the hospital for work-- and sick babies are  sad)* anyways* one of r*a*s friends came for a sleep over* the mom told me that she had some allergy stuff going on and that she had been to the dr and everything was fine* she got to my house and after getting over here with the girls already excited--- told me that the doctor had given the kiddo an antibiotic (which she hadn't start for these "allergies")* im in nursing school guys and i know that allergies are not treated with antibiotics* but my friend came up with this 'well just in case reason' and well--- i made a call to trust my friend* mistake* i got home from work that night and the little girl was coughing so badly that she was throwing up all over my house* some moms i will never understand* i have actually had this situation happen before with this same little girl* her mother seems to not be bothered that this little girl coughs so hard that she vomits* people* seriously* so this got me to thinking* why would a mom do this* well for starters she is a totally different kind of parent than i am* im not trying judge her---im really not* i mean heck---at this point if someone offered to have r*a*s spend the night i would probably cry with happiness because i am that exhausted* oh no---wait a minute---no i wouldn't* the whole time r*a*s was gone i would feel so guilty about her potentially getting the other kids sick that i wouldnt even rest* it would totally not be worth it* so what does this say about me* am i just a crazy mom that is too uptight* or am i a mom who has been lucky enough to have a lot of really great 'mom' models in my life to show me how to actually be one* because i did make the choice to have these kids-- right* and i did know that raising children goes past age 18--right* and i did know that life wasnt going to be about me and the amount of sleep i received at night--right* right* i am annoyed that we all got sick* but thats not why i was irritated* i am mad because my friend was putting her comfort before the well-being of my family and her own child* if a kid is coughing to the point of puking---should they really be spending the night out* absolutely not* but guess who was at home---in bed---counting sheep* not this mom right here* i was knee deep in laundry filled with some other kids vomit at 3am*

so how did i handle it with my friend* well about the time she walked in my door and i told her that her kid had coughed so hard she threw up endlessly all night and she said 'aw thats too bad' and offered no other words of her wisdom* i decided it probably wasn't worth anymore energy than what i had already exhausted* i talked to that same friend this morning and told her that r*a*s was finally able to go back to school today* she goes--'oh why wasn't she at school'* seriously* come on people*

so whats my suggestion for solution* no more sleep overs with cough mc*cougher until rsv and flu season is over*

from the mom who is sick of someone putting their needs before my kiddos and her own :)

Chlodzic, 
TFS

The Hectic of Hectic's

K*A*S came really early* i went to my obgyn (dr mayo) 4-24-12 and she decided to send me to a high risk ob (dr bk) to have him take a look at my blood pressure*  i didnt really know what to expect* dr mayo sent me right over to dr bk from her office so i really didn't have time to process* when i got to dr bks office they did an ultrasound to see how K*A*S was growing* they put her around 4lbs (31 weeks)* after looking at my blood pressure he decided to have me admitted to baptist womens so that he could really watch me and get a better idea if we were dealing with  pre-eclampsia* my doctors appointments had started at 9:00a on that tuesday* i left dr bks office, went home picked up a bag, and had M*D*S and R*A*S get me settled into the hospital*  i was some-what prepared for something like this on the home front but emotionally i was a wreck* M*D*S and R*A*S went home around 6p and i flipped the tv to calm myself down* i had been sitting there for a couple of hours when i started to feel really weird* it was sometime after shift change and i hadn't seen a nurse for awhile* i really started trying to focus on tlc (the t*v) but started to notice that for some reason i was really distracted* i got up and started walking around the room when the "braxton hicks" contractions really started* i couldnt catch my breath* i got back in bed and started watching the clock* 40 minutes went by and these suckers were coming right at every 5 minutes* not wanting to be a pain to the nurses i let this continue for another 20 minutes before i decided to let them know-----mistake number one----- (but i was there for my blood pressure---right)* i told the nurse over the intercom "i am having some sort of braxton hicks*" she came in, put me on the monitor, and after another half hour she came back with something to "stop the contractions*" i sat in bed for another half hour and didn't feel any more "braxton hicks*" the nurse came back in the room and took me off the monitors and told me that i should try to get some sleep---mistake number two--- (it was around 1:30a at this point)* i got out of bed, went to the bathroom, got back in bed, and all of a sudden it felt like the whole earth had cracked wide open* i could not even hit the intercom button* after a few minutes of hanging onto the side of the bed for dear life i was able to call a nurse* she hooked me back up to the monitor but after about 10 minutes a team of 5 nurses (no exaggeration here)---including the charge nurse--- came flying into my room* i was freaking out* i couldn't even talk to them* they flipped me over and said they were going to check me just to make sure, "i wasn't doing anything crazy*" the look on the charge nurses face after she checked me made me want to throw up* all i could get out was, "its not good is it--- am i past 8cm" she said "no your not passed 8 but your at 6"* next thing i know these nurses are (honest to god) picking me up out of bed, taking off my clothes, and putting me in a wheelchair* my blood pressure at this point was 168/115* i was in a total panic* in the middle of all of this i was trying to get in touch with M*D*S* his phone was off* i called a friend who is a police officer and he sent a car over to get M*D*S  they got me over to l&d and started me on mag (god bless you if you have ever had the stuff---i had it with R*A*S too---would not wish that experience on anyone) the next 48 hours where a total blur* everything was circling around the steroid shots they were trying to give to help K*A*S* everything was back and forth* i kept contracting and then they would stop it and then it would start again* they finally decided to move me back over to the "hold baby in floor :)* i went back and forth between l&d and antipardum my entire stay* during my stay at baptist womens i was constantly contracting with maybe 30 minutes here and there of relief when the meds had me in what they called "a holding pattern*"  i opted not to use any medication (sleep aids, pain meds, etc) that were not 100% necessary for my health or babies * on sunday may 6th my aunt came to see me* i had been having a particularly rough day and had not slept in a good 24 hours* a doctor that worked in my regular ob's practice came in (she would be the one to deliver K*A*S) and told me that she was insisting they give me something for pain* i allowed it and and finally got a couple hours of sleep* on monday i woke up and knew that the contractions had changed in nature* my first doctor for the day came in and i told her they were differnt (she ignored me)* i took a "nap" around 4p and my high risk ob woke me up at 6p* i told him my contractions were different (he ignored me)* i called M*D*S around 7 and told him he should probably get up to the hospital (we had a lot of calls like this)* a nurse who i had almost every night while at BWH came in to see me at 730 right after shift change* by this point i was crying (hard) i hadnt cried a single time during my stay there but by now i was scared---i knew K*A*S was going to come and it was going to be way too early* the nurse became frantic (my doctor would even comment on this later)* the nurse called the dr and got the order to check me (they had to get orders because i had been sitting at 6cm so long they were worried about infection)* when they checked me around 830 i was still at 6cm---- the problem this time was all the blood (change in cervix)* they moved me back over to l&d* my dr came to see me at about 1145 to  break my water* after my water broke K*A*S was here in 15 minutes* this is how that went: the doctor broke my water----i said oh ________--- she turned around and called for a delivery cart* my doctor never even left my room* may 8th 2012 when the meds finally stopped working we welcomed K*A*S into this world* he cry was tied for first with R*A*S cry as the best sound on this earth* this child--- was breathing on her own* she required oxygen for the first 30 minutes and then never again* she was transported to the NICU where she was to become known as "rock-star baby" we were told to expect a 4-6 week stay but 6 days later (the day after mothers day) K*A*S came home at 4lbs 11oz to be with her family*  i learned a lot about myself during this time and confirmed some really important things about the direction my life is currently headed* my kids are my biggest blessing (i really will do all things for them) and my career path (nursing) is exactly what it should be*

Chlodzic, 
TFS