... Pyper came home from Hospital on Friday, we started her on Lactose Free Formula, we were led into a false sense of security in relation to thinking everything was ok. We persevered and when the doctor called to say that Pyper was booked in with a paediatrician, we thought we might as well take her as even though we were told she was "fixed" we thought might as well check it out. There were still a few bowel movements but they were becoming a lot firmer.

So I took Pyper in to see the paediatrician and she was happy with Pyper's progress. I explained to her what we had been through a lot and she agreed that Pyper still had the ends of a bug and that basically she looked well, and that she should go back on to any other type of formula as "they were all the same".

The next day – she was back to diarrhoea and then Saturday morning she had vomited again, we thought "ok what's going on here" but never thought it could be another bug. Sunday – every feed would go straight through her, or she would vomit. We called the number on the form that we had when we were previously in hospital. The nurse told us to take her to the Accident & Emergency, and at which we were promptly sent in after explaining it was our second time in 2 weeks and we had a young baby that was very sick again!!!

We were in A & E for 4 hours they put in an "I V", and then they decided that she would be staying the night – OMG you guys are bloody geniuses!! She was going back to Ward 19 Isolation Ward for bugs and viruses etc. It was like going back to school with everyone that you know, I knew a couple of the nurses from last time and their names! We knew how it all worked.

Once back in the ward we "set up shop" in another room (there are 5 rooms and we had been in 3 of them). We got settled in and the nurses gave her some saline and then she had diarrhoea and she filled her nappy straight away, the nurses speculated as to what they thought may happen, but really they had NO idea.

Monday to Wednesday we went from Saline to Lactose free formula in a matter of days, provided c/o the hospital. Unfortunately we were no closer to knowing who to rejuvenate her then we did 4 days ago. The rotavirus will take 3 months to get out of her system. We waited for the doctor each morning, to see what the verdict would be, whether or not to keep her in or discharge her? Is she getting better or worse?? Our lives were on hold and it was a complete blur for the whole time. We both stayed a couple of the nights each on a small wafer type mattress. It makes no sense how in a public hospital in a children's ward there wouldn't be a bed for the parent to sleep on, no one leaves a child in hospital then goes home.

On the last day we didn't even get a visit from the paediatrician we waited and I followed up with the nurse and she told me "let's just weigh her and see if she has increased or decreased in weight"?

Pyper had increased in weight so that was great we were officially allowed to go home but from our point of view we couldn't tell the difference from when we first arrived. We packed our little girl up, slightly sad and in a state of dispair and then left. We hope she only has to go back to hospital if she has her own children in the future.

We looked back on this time and wondered what she would have thought of the stay, she was there for just over 1 week in total, in 2 separate visits and they still never did anything differently. She caught the bug on top of the old virus that didn't clear up. We are now happy to say she is on the mend. There is a certain amount of intuition with babies so if you feel that no one is listening keep trying different people until someone listens.

-Scott

Technorati Tags: formula feeding Health and Emergency hospital Stories