Ailing Infant

Screaming and writhing, he thrashed in my arms. When I heard his screams, I had hurried to the room, he was standing by the table throwing up. The older children had Risk on the table, soldiers scattered across the floor. Did he swallow one?

I examined the contents of the mess on the floor: cheese, rice, carrots, no soldiers. Miss C had been ill last week, and Miss B has complained on and off of feeling sick. Is this just the flu?

I called the doctor's office, but they had just closed. I tried the on-call number, they said they would page the doctor.

He kept screaming and throwing up on and off for most of an hour. Suddenly, he calmed and fell asleep on me, exhausted.

He woke around 7:30PM, nursed and got down to play. After a short while, he screamed and it started again. Now there were red streaks in his diaper. He would have a sip of water, thankfully, but nothing else while he was feeling so poorly.

He went to sleep about 9PM, Ben and I talked it over and I called the on-call number again. They took the info again, and I let her know about the blood, and that the doctor hadn't called me yet. "If he doesn't call in 15 minutes, call me right back." in 20 minutes (I had to take care of the Little Guy), I called again. There must be a couple of operators because the Voice took the info again.. Ben called and spoke to the operator and let me know they didn't know why the doctor wasn't answering pages, and they would call the triage nurse that comes on at 10PM. Finally, my phone rang. I repeated the info again, saying that he could have swallowed a seriously pointy game piece, or it could be the flu or a food allergy (or combination!?), and that he has red mucousy stool. She didn't seem concerned and told me that the current flu has vomiting for no more than 24 hours and to keep an eye on him and give him sips of Pedialyte (he still nurses, so I ignored that because my milk is much better for baby.. Unless it's the milk allergy? We both had cheese and ice cream yesterday, and it takes 2-6 weeks to get the bovine protein out of the system).

He slept, threw up, and nursed in fits the rest of the night/morning. Ben took T.J. with him to keep the house calmer for the day. The nurse called and we set up an appointment for this afternoon. I washed the sheets and gave him a bath, and he was doing okay. I made pancakes for the girls' breakfast finally around 11AM!

As we were finishing, I heard the scream again. T.J.'s room was open and there was his scrap collection All Over The Floor, and the Little Guy lying down in/next to it vomiting. I checked him as best as I could for swallowed objects, again, and started tossing the junk. He had another messy diaper, worse than the previous ones, which I've wrapped up for the appointment.

Right now, I really want to get the laundry going again, but Little Guy is asleep on my lap, he's so flush (red faced). We'll be leaving in half an hour or so.