Another Deep Breath

Last week I mentioned my need for a bit more calm throughout my day with my 3 boys. 

Kind of funny, little did I know that it WAS calm last week compared to this week.

My Little Prince (baby S) joined the ranks of his big brother P this week with a mask and inhaler.  After 2 days of wheezing and difficulty breathing, I took him in to an after hours peditrician and he was diagnosed on Sunday with bronciolitis (sp?).  With a fever, congestion and asthma symptoms, it was clear that he's aquired this lovely virus from big brother P.

While there, the doctor confirmed a fear that I have had about my Little Prince's head.  It's getting really flat on the left side and the skull is not forming correctly due to the constant pressure he's putting on it 18-plus hours each day as he sleeps.  This little guy came out with his head turned to the side and has been that way for the last 11 weeks of life.

It was also confirmed that his left ear has moved down on his head as well.  If it is to continue to progress the way it's going, his forehead then face will also shift causing him to have a deformed face.  No parent wants to hear news like this. 

Needless to say, the doctor voiced her concern that we need to do something to take the pressure off the left side of his head in hopes that we can avoid a helmet for him or worse yet, reconstructive surgery.  I'm trying to prepare myself for the helmet but can't even begin to imagine the surgery.

That afternoon, (literally in the midst of cleaning house and making dinner for a group of people we've never met coming at 5pm for a 13-week Dave Ramsey finance course we are facilitating at our house), I was unsuccessful as I tried several times to prop him on the side like she suggested.  He just kept moving his head back again.

My Little Prince is an awesome napper during the day with 3 separate 1 1/2-2 hour blocks at a time and usually sleeps 8-9 hours straight through the night (11-12 hours if you don't count the dream feed at 11 pm), but that much pressure and gravity on just one side is not what his little head needs.

By Monday morning, I had a newborn baby with a fever, not nursing well, and sick with bronciolitis (also causing A LOT more spit up, projectile vomiting and blow out diapers with the flem upsetting his tummy), and a head that was getting more and more flat by the day -- and no game plan to help him.  Throw in the mix a 3 year old getting over bronciolitis and a husband gone, traveling across the country for the week.

In a 30 minute block of time on Monday morning I had given our newborn his mask inhaler for breathing, saline solution up his nose to clear congestion (so he could attempt to nurse), acid reflux meds, tylenol for fever, changed a blow-out diaper, gotten spit-up everywhere, given P his inhaler and applied prescription cream for his bad ecxema on his legs -- while trying to get ahold of the nurse and leave a message at the pediatrician's office to ask about my Little Prince's head -- all the while as T and P were fighting.

Not sure what tomorrow holds, but I am thankful that there's a chance it may just be easier than today and yesterday...