First Trip...

to the Emergency Room.

On Sunday, March 29 we made our first trip to the ER. When we started the day I could not have imagined that it would end in the ER. For the past week Sophie had a stuffy nose. She now despises the nasal aspirator and saline spray/drops. She never developed a fever, so I just tried to keep her nose clear and she slept in her carrier to keep her elevated. That evening she sounded a tad more congested so I called her pediatricians office to see if they thought I needed to make an appointment for her to be seen on Monday. I found out two things that I didn't know. The first is that when babies stick their tongues out it usually means they need to burp (and she usually does). The second is that grunting in babies may be a sign of respiratory distress. Sunday was a day of non-stop grunting, which the nurse heard over the phone and made note of. She even had another nurse listen to Sophie breathe and grunt over the phone. They were both concerned enough to call the on-call doctor and get their opinion. The nurse called in back in less than 10 minutes and told me the doctor said it could be her lungs or heart and we needed to take her to the ER immediately for evaluation. Oh, and not the ER that is one exit away. We had to take her to the Levine Children's Hospital. It wouldn't be the first time we have been there. That's where she spent the first several days of her life. So anyway, I hung up the phone and burst into tears. I had just been told that my baby may have something wrong with her heart and/or lungs. I thought it was just a stuffy nose. After texting several friends to pray, we left for the ER. Thankfully we were able to stay away from the obviously sick children. They were very efficient! Pretty quickly we went to triage where they checked her oxygen level, listened to her lungs, took her temperature, and weighed her with clothes on. She weighed 10 lbs and 5 oz! I couldn't believe it. I seriously thought the scale was wrong. She's definitely eating well. 

It took a little longer to actually get a room, and to see a doctor took even longer. But after having her third set of x-rays in her short little life, we were released. Her lungs looked clear and her cardiac shadow looked good. By the time we were released I felt like this had been a huge waste of time (and money). I had simply called to see if we needed to see the doctor the next day. We received the peace of mind that there should not be any residual issues from her having fluid in her lungs after she was born, and that she is healthy. The nurse and doctor had just scared me when they said something could be wrong. That's where I failed to put my hope and trust in God and relied on the information that they gave me. I was scared. She wasn't blue or purple, she didn't seem to be gasping for air, I was simply scared because of the information they gave me. 

God has big plans for you, little girl. I am so blessed to be your Mommy. I will continue to trust that He is writing your story. I can't wait to see how it unfolds!