RSV

This winter we're in has brought me one of my greatest blessings, Hudson. But with that said this winter has also not been easy. The poor kid cannot catch a break. What he can catch is every cold out there. Addie has also not been able to escape the sicknesses but she's definitely handling it a lot better than her little brother. Both kids have caught colds after colds but the worst was when Hudson got both RSV and Bronchiolitis. Last week was rough to say the least. It was the night of Superbowl Sunday when we noticed that Hudson was having a particularly hard time breathing. He sounded very congested and we thought that a shower would help clear his airways. Danny was with him in the shower when we saw that his chest was sinking deeply inward with each breath he was taking. I told Danny this looked serious and called the pediatrics office to speak with a nurse. They told me to take him straight to the ER because Hudson's breathing wasn't normal. Hudson still had soap in his hair from his shower but we didn't care and took him quickly out so that I could get him dressed and in the car seat. It was late so Danny stayed at home to put Addie to bed while I went with Hudson to the hospital. He's been in the hospital before because of breathing issues so I was hoping that this trip was going to be the same as last time where we would be going home after Hudson was suctioned out. Nope. Hudson was suctioned out but still was having issues with his oxygen levels so the doctor ordered that he receive breathing treatments. After that was done he still wasn't doing well so the doctor told me that we would be staying the night there for monitoring. I was not planning on that. The thought of him staying there hadn't even crossed my mind or I would have grabbed an extra set of clothes to change into. Hudson was taken into a circus themed room which was cute but I was too distracted with Hudson to really pay much attention to all the drawings on the walls. Hudson was hooked up to a lot of wires which was sad to witness but I understood the reasoning behind it all. He was suctioned out two more times and after that was done he started to do well again. The nurses told me that he would have to stay additional nights if his oxygen levels dropped below 90 at any time throughout the night. I rocked him for a couple hours while watching the numbers on the screen go up and down. I did try to put him in their crib but I couldn't get him to sleep in it for more than ten minutes at a time so finally at 3am I just brought him into the bed with me and we slept until the morning. Hudson did well during the night and didn't need additional help. The doctor told me that he felt good about sending Hudson home because we only live five to ten minutes away from the hospital and that I could have the final say. I decided to take him home so that we could also be with Addie since Danny had to go to school. For the next few days I had to take Hudson back to the hospital so that he could be suctioned out but we were able to come back home each time. By Wednesday his oxygen levels were almost perfect and we haven't had to take him back since. He still has a horrible sounding cough and is still a little congested but he's definitely doing a whole lot better than that Sunday. These situations make me extra grateful for priesthood blessings and for the location of our home. I felt at peace being at home with him knowing that if I needed hospital help we were close by. The worst is over but I still can't wait for Spring to hurry and get here.

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