Dear Evy:

I’m usually a pretty laid back mom. I never rush to the doctor or panic about my kids being sick, but my gut instinct was telling me something just wasn’t right. She couldn’t really sit up and was very lethargic. She had been having diarrhea and throwing up about every other feeding. Her fever had been very high for three days now.

I was contemplating taking her to Cincinnati Children’s hospital. Adam was home with her and I was at work, although I wasn’t doing any work. I was calling the doctors and my cousin, who is a NICU nurse. Adam wasn’t convinced at first. We were talking on the phone and he said she was eating a banana just fine. But when I asked if she was feeding herself or if he was feeding her, he became concerned because she didn’t act like she knew how to use her hands.

At the ER, they took her temp, 104.6, and gave her a dose of Motrin based on her weight. She threw up in the ER and they gave her pedialyte, applesauce and I nursed. So they also thought just a viral infection and was happy to see that she was nursing. They gave us two prescriptions, one for upset stomach and another to help with her bowels. They said to return only if her fever persisted for 5 days or if she showed signs of dehydration.

That night I slept in the recliner and let her sleep on my chest. She just wanted to cuddle. I was hoping that she would be better by morning.