Bacteria infection

Thinking back, it could have been anytime this week that Kate got sicker. It started with a fever last weekend, that subsided within a day and moved on to the usual flu symptoms of leaky nose and cough. I didn't think much of it cos it seemed as if she was going through the course of a regular flu. I'm guessing that it didn't help that her immune system was already lower.

I remember telling the husband that Kate did a mini vomit of phlegm on Tuesday (as he was away that night) & he pondered aloud, "why will she vomit?" - perhaps it had started then. The husband then had a very long day at work which started at 1.30am on Thursday morning & when I dropped Kate off at the aunt's on Thursday morning, she was rather quiet. She pouted as I said goodbye and as I relayed this to the husband, I felt it rather uncharacteristic of her - again, another sign that she was unwell.

The husband picked Kate up in the afternoon on Thursday and yet another odd sign of Kate being unwell was her whining "Mommy, I want to go home" when I rang the aunt's. This has never happened before as she enjoys the company of the kids at the aunt's. Kate was also uncharacteristically quiet the whole of yesterday. Very odd.

By the time we reached home in the evening (after dropping by the hospital to visit the MIL who did a minor procedure), Kate was typically whiney (as is, when unwell) and at 6pm, the husband fed her a piece of bread with spread. I was eating my dinner and she refused that, preferring (demanding) for bread instead. I then kept feeding her mouthfuls of water to hydrate her.

The first time it happened was probably about, after 8pm? I had just taken my shower and stepped to the room. I remember that clearly because I still had my towel around my shoulders (fortunate thing). One moment Kate was walking towards me, the next she was coughing, then BLEAAGHHH - her first vomit. I quickly took the towel I had on me to clean her face & hands. She was crying from fear & confusion and I kept comforting her while carrying her to the toilet and enroute, she did another one, this time in the kitchen. I reached the bathroom by then and washed her up, all the time speaking to her and assuring her that she was very clever to be vomiting out the bad things, & that she will feel better soon.

After changing her into a new set of pyjamas, I settled Kate in the room to read and she understood that she was unwell. She kept repeating things like "I'm not feeling well... I want to sleep..." And she also told me "I want to vomit some more" - each time she said that, I led her to the bathroom where the husband held her and encouraged her to vomit. She didn't do anymore big vomits, though she kept saying that she had to vomit more and each time she said that we'd lead her to the bathroom. It broke my heart when she said "I'm scared, protect me" and the husband and I will stand by her and whoever was nearer to her will hold her tightly and say "yes, we love you and will protect you". Amidst the chaos, I remember thinking how smart she was to be able to identify her feeling of unwell and tell us when she wanted to vomit.

She did another 2 rounds of vomit & through the entire night, we did a total of 3 changes where the vomit had stained her clothes. The final one was after lights out, when she vomited on the bed the entire content of her milk feed (only little!) - the husband and I then made a decision (it was 10pm) to bring her to the hospital. Within half an hour, the husband had left with her and I was left behind to change the bedsheets.

I tried to rest & nap, expecting more to be done when they returned, only to have the husband ring me at 11pm to say 'she has bacteria infection, they are admitting her to monitor the situation." The husband stayed by her side all night long, while I slept poorly - while making arrangements with the office to be excused from work/ making mental lists on what to pack for the husband and Kate the next day...

The girl is now asleep in the ward and I'm whiling time away on this entry. It's so sad to see her hands being bundled up - one on the drip, the other to prevent her from picking at the drip - and her lying in this foreign bed. I know the husband is uber tired and I guess this is just a small part of being a parent.

I'm relieved that she was diagnosed quickly enough (great decision to bring her to the doc's last night) and she's at least undergoing treatment already. We don't know when she'll be discharged, but she's a strong girl and will be fine, I know!