Ever have one of those mornings where things just aren’t going the way you want? I’m having one of those.
It started last night, actually. At 3:00AM I woke up to Riley “barking”. Great. Croup. That seems to make it’s way into our home EVERY winter. And it’s usually Riley that gets it, too. But this time something was different. I could hear her breathing from our bedroom- very heavy, raspy, almost labored. Sure enough, she comes walking into our room and says she’s having a hard time breathing.
I know from previous experience that the first step is to take the child outside into the cold air and have them take calm deep breaths. The moisture in the air is supposed to help re-open the airway. So we put on our robes and go stand on the patio….it’s quite chilly!! She stays out there for a couple minutes while I check the internet for step 2.
Well, step 2 says if the cold outside air doesn’t work, to try steam from a shower or pot of water. It’s 3:15AM by then and I’m not going to run the shower and wake everyone up, so I take her into the kitchen and start a pot of water on the stove. She says nothing hurts, just hurts when she coughs. We put a towel over her head and the pot and she breathes in the steamy air and within minutes was breathing normal.
But during that whole time I’m mildly panicking. Maybe I should take her to the ER? She needed a breathing treatment for this when she was a baby, what if her O2 stats are low? But Jim has to leave for work in less than 2 hours. Do I take all the kids with me so he can get to work on time? Do I see if he can go in late? What about the daycare kids, what if I’m not home in time?
This is one of those moments where my job can really complicate things. Jim could likely make one phone call and say he’s coming in late. Whereas if I need to delay opening or close for the day, I need to call four different families (at 6AM) and they’ll need to call their bosses or other family members to arrange going in late or finding a sub and that thought just makes me cringe. That “I” am the cause of all that trouble. I HATE that part of my job.
So I decide that if the hot steam doesn’t work, we’ll try the ol’ “drive around the neighborhood for 10 minutes with the windows rolled down”. And if that doesn’t work, maybe I’ll call my friend (yes at 4am) I think she has a nebulizer and stuff for a breathing treatment. I just want to stay out of the ER.
Anyway, her regular breathing returns. She’s amazed that it worked. I send her back to bed, propped up near sitting which should also help.
Back to bed at 3:45AM. Can’t fall asleep….finally fall asleep around 4:15. Decide I’m not going to get up at 5AM.
5AM my alarm goes off. Jim had not gotten up yet, either, so that puts him 10 minutes behind schedule. I decide I’m going to keep sleeping until 6AM. But then I hear Jim talking to Trevor. HUH??
Apparently Trevor made his way out to the living room in the middle of the night and slept on the floor out there. Still in his basketball clothes. He didn’t shower after the game like he was supposed to. And he didn’t have his headgear on (braces) like he is supposed to. So Jim is disappointed. I’m awake due to the conversation so I get up. It’s 5:15.
Then Riley gets up. So that’s four of us up at 5:15. Jim leaves for work and I decide that since I’m up, I might as well walk on the treadmill for 20 minutes then do some more work on the tax prep.
My plan goes out the window. If I stay up and make a bunch of noise, they are not going to go back to sleep. So instead I take my shower. I got ready for work, came out and they were asleep (whew!). At least THAT plan worked!
So now I’m typing up my story.
If I remember correctly, croup is one of those things that resolves itself….but I suppose I will call the doctor’s office to find out what they recommend.
Riley does not appear to have a fever…if she does it is low grade. (I don’t check my kids’ temperature unless they are burning hot, since our doctor recommends not treating fevers unless they reach 102-degrees.) She is complaining of a head-ache though so I gave her some Tylenol. She’s eaten a lot- very hungry, and other than the head-ache feels well. She’s hanging out in her room all day to keep away from the daycare children. I did get ahold of the doctor’s office. I told them what happened last night and said, “So in preparation for this evening…” and she cut me off and said, “So in preparation for this evening, you are coming in today!” So we have an appointment for this afternoon. I’m sure we’ll have another rough night as croup always hits at night and it’s never a single-night occurrence. Ick.