Sanitiser success

Bath in a bucket, why not!

We had a weekend in Lincolnshire this weekend, we set off on Saturday morning after a great, cough free night at home.  Good journey down without any baby related drama and Ma was very pleased to see us.  Leo was really quite shy and had his best disapproving face on!

Come night time, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough.. pretty much every 1 to 1.5hrs throughout the night.  This was exactly the same on the Sunday night too and then we came home Monday morning and last night back in his own room, not a peep.

It has got to be some sort of airborne irritant causing swelling in his throat and then the cough.  Its more than just a coincidence that it has happened twice now, at least we know it was money well spent and I have some great information to go to the paediatrician with. I am definitely going to push for allergy testing now.

Enjoying the Sun in Ma's yard

Adventure time

Mardy baby cuddles

There was a Sausage a Cider festival in Bourne over the weekend, they also had love music so we thought we better pay a visit! Leo loved the sausages and the music, so much so he even decided to do a bit of walking practice.

Absorbed by a bit of folk!

That's what little boys are made of!

Mud right? Leo absolutely loves nothing more than being outside, getting wet and filthy and investigating the world around him. Not surprising really, as that is what time and I have always been like.

Mum's garden is absolutely perfect for it really and when we eventually move, our garden will be as much of an adventure land as we can make it with what will undoubtedly be limited space.

He's been on pretty good form this week, a little bit grizzly but I'm putting that down to his teeth #gottabehisteeth

He's got it tough right now

We had injections on Thursday which are always unpleasant, but we have been lucky with all his others and had no reactions. This set were totally different and his little leg blew up like a balloon and was really red and hot.

All last night he didn't know what to do with himself and had to sleep on Tom or myself to not cough or be unhappy. Plenty of painkillers and cold flannels got him through and he is absolutely fine when he's awake.

We had a fantastic day at Just So festival today though. It's was chucking it down and Tom had to work unfortunately, but for once, we managed to get to do something and it was great.

Bedtime, not so great. Lots of being upset, uncomfortable and generally an unhappy little man. I finally decided it was his teeth as he kept putting his finger in his mouth, so I used some teething gel and he went straight to sleep... Until he started coughing again, really quite fiercely and I had to give him some milk in the end to relieve it.

It's been a physical day, I've never carried him for that long before and I'm feeling it, especially with him not wanting to be put down at all, but it's been lovely. Leo lovea light, music and colour (who doesn't?) so it was perfect. We will definitely go next year and make a weekend of it.

Onwards to another tough night, but as always, a chance to steal baby cuddles

He's got it tough right now

We had injections on Thursday which are always unpleasant, but we have been lucky with all his others and had no reactions. This set were totally different and his little leg blew up like a balloon and was really red and hot.

All last night he didn't know what to do with himself and had to sleep on Tom or myself to not cough or be unhappy. Plenty of painkillers and cold flannels got him through and he is absolutely fine when he's awake.

We had a fantastic day at Just So festival today though. It's was chucking it down and Tom had to work unfortunately, but for once, we managed to get to do something and it was great.

Bedtime, not so great. Lots of being upset, uncomfortable and generally an unhappy little man. I finally decided it was his teeth as he kept putting his finger in his mouth, so I used some teething gel and he went straight to sleep... Until he started coughing again, really quite fiercely and I had to give him some milk in the end to relieve it.

It's been a physical day, I've never carried him for that long before and I'm feeling it, especially with him not wanting to be put down at all, but it's been lovely. Leo lovea light, music and colour (who doesn't?) so it was perfect. We will definitely go next year and make a weekend of it.

Onwards to another tough night, but as always, a chance to steal baby cuddles

I'm running out of titles

Due to the fact that every single post I write is to do with Leo couching, I've run out of title ideas!

We had to take it in turns to sit up with him last night otherwise he coughed. It makes no sense, he is no more upright on us than he is in his cot (massively propped up) yet he coughs almost instantly when he is in it. New sheets, washed in exactly what we wash our clothes in too. It just makes no sense and it worries me more and more every time.

I am thinking now that it's something like asthma, there is a type called cough variant asthma and he fits all the symptoms. The problem is, it's basically impossible to diagnose in tiny children and they don't like to treat it as it consists of steroids daily. Brilliant

My other concern is that his digestion just isn't right. Massive explosive poops since Sunday, even though nothing gas changed in his diet. I am worried it's a formula issue that has built up but if course it could just be whatever virus has him currently. I just want my little man to be well and I want Tom and I to be able to get some consistent sleep. This has been going on for far too long

We joke

But it happens every time. Leo has has two weekends where he has been well, a total of about 8 days so he must be due something.

We also aren't at home and being able to fulfil plans is unheard of, so.double trouble really. True to form, Leo started Sunday evening throwing up his milk and coughing all night, yesterday with diarrhea and coughing again all night. We're cancelling the rest of our plans and heading home today

Still manages to play

Happy pickle and parties!

Having a well, happy baby has just been magical. He's so excitable, cheeky and playful when he's well (as every child should be) that it breaks my heart even more to remember how poorly he was.

We have been at a wedding in Scotland this weekend and Leo wasn't invited, so I have had my first experience of separation. This is not something I will be repeating for some time. Tom and I were both so excited to be able to spend quality alone time together, but we had no concept of how hard it would be. I have had a constant ache in the pit of my stomach. There were kids Leo's age there and it made me want to cry. And as for sleeping through and having a lie in, not a chance!

Only 7 hours until we are reunited, until then I will just keep looking at his pictures!

Standing ovation

Amidst all of this, Leo has been making great progress with his standing. He can happily stand freely for quite some time, he even looked like he was going to take a step but then got scared, bless him.

As always, hes been amazing through all of this and he never stops amazing me

That's an experience I don't wish to repeat

We had to take Leo back into hospital on the Tuesday afternoon as we were just weren't happy about his progress, they kept him there overnight again for observation. We came home again on Wednesday night and had to go back in Thursday morning to be checked over an discharged.

He still fighting through it all, his throat is still clearly sore and his little voice is quite hoarse still. He struggled a bit last night and Tom got up with him a few times.  He was obviously in pain but getting painkillers into him now is such a fight, I absolutely hate forcing him to take them.  We have mixed it in with his fruit puree from time to time and that worked and we also have a dispenser dummy that worked a couple of times but we are running out of options now and forcing him just feels so wrong, its so sad.

I took him out in the car this morning and he was so unhappy with being put in the car, you could tell that it was fear of not wanting to go back to hospital.  I just cuddled him for a bit a eventually he went in, we just nipped up the road to town and had a little wheel around the shops.  This seemed to perk him up and he had a good play before his nap.  He is still struggling with his milk and choking, but he managed some pasta yesterday which is huge progress as he has only been eating fruit puree for the past week.

He's on the mend, but has a long way to go.  I feel that he has been left with emotional scars from the experience, how could he not be?  But the important thing is that he knew we were there with him throughout it all.

Well, that escalated quickly!

Some much needed sleep

After posting my previous post, Tom took over at around 3am and then at 4.30 I was woken by Leo's horrific cough and he was really straining to breathe. I decided there and then we were going to go straight in to A&E, however, he proceeded to get worse and I just dialed 999. It was horrific, the helplessness that hits you makes you sick to your stomach.

The first responder and the ambulance were at our gate in 8 mins and he had settled somewhat by then so I felt a bit bad. They were brilliant and assured me we had done the right thing in calling them. Leo got to have his first, and hopefully last, trip in an ambulance.

They confirmed in A&E that he had croup and they gave him an oral steroid liquid (Dex) to help settle his tight airway. The consultant really wasn't happy with the noise he was still making though so sent us to the pediatric ward for monitoring.

When they moved us, Leo had fallen asleep and Tom was carrying him. He woke up once we got there and hell ascended.

He started to cough and couldn't stop, he couldn't catch his breath at all and he went blue. We had to try and get the oxygen mask to his face but it continued to distress him and he was pouring with sweat and shaking in fear. I don't think words can even do the situation justice.

This happened once again whilst administering steroids via a nebuliser. They followed this with adrenaline in the nebuliser and, after the initial fight with lots of screaming, shaking and sweating, he settled into sleep in my arms.

He had another vile of adrenaline half an hour later and the consultant notified the anaesthesia department just in case he required intubation. These guys are the experts and would be the only people likely to be able to intubate a terrified, suffocating baby.

An hour after the second adrenaline, he deteriorated again, not quite as bad but still the struggle with breathing in and out. This was really concerning the consultant as showed that the airway was hugely inflamed.

He has gradually improved from this point, he has had a couple of really good sleeps and was playing with Tom just before this sleep. We are in for the night to be observed, there was a chance he would have to be transferred to Alder Hey but fingers crossed he is beyond that now.

All I can say is, thank everything in the world fir modern medicine and the NHS and please don't ever let us have to witness that sort of thing, ever again.