Flu

We are back home from the emergency room in Des Moines. We all got the flu, starting with Dearest, then Lil'Bug, then Blueberry, and now I have it. Blueberry fell to it hard and the bit she got was coupled with viral croup.

I have to admit that I was never in the position to see anyone hospitalized because of flu before, thankfully I have been healthy most of my life so I weather bouts of flu just fine. I've had the vaccine before but always got sick just the same so I stopped. My kids don't get the flu vax either. They still won't, but here's the thing: there is a lot of chatter in our local holistic parenting community about the evils of the vaccine and not a lot of serious talk about the evils of the virus. Perhaps it takes watching your baby lay limp, unable to breath well, feverish and dehydrated but for the suckling of breast milk intake (which was a saving grace, yay for extended breastfeeding). I hope no one else has to suffer like she did, but the sad fact is that the flu virus, not just H1N1, but plain old flu, can be deadly even to healthy people. Most of the data I found online was about the vaccine and not the virus, especially on parenting websites. This came on pretty fast, what was a managable "cold" overnight became scary. We still had time to drive to Des Moines for care, but that was a terrible drive in. I am still not pro vaccine for the flu, but I think more people need to be better educated about the flu itself.

Blueberry managed to intake enough fluids that she didn't need IV fluids, but her breathing was awful and labored. The doctor spent a lot of time sitting with us, listening to her breath before and after treatments. He was undecided about admitting her- our distance from home was a factor, but the stress an overnight stay would have on her was another. She was agitated by the nurses. We agreed to stay in town, but be discharged. Pawpaw and Nana were awesome, Pawpaw stayed with Lil'Bug during the day and they both helped with the girls and getting medicine administered, which was no small feat.

Blueberry perked up as soon as we got to their house. She even walked to the bathtub and got in. She ate something for the first time in three days and drank some water on her own. Then she slept through the night. We traveled home in the morning and she's doing even better here at home. For croup we have to treat with a cool mist humidifier and for the flu part she's on an anti viral. I'm drinking lots of things with garlic and bone broth in them for myself and to supercharge the breastmilk.

And we're deep cleaning the house, all the linens washed on sanitize and surfaces will get a squirt of vinegar. Even the diapers got an extra cycle. We'll be contagious still for 7 more days, so no play dates for a while, though Lily should be able to do art class on Thursday if everyone fares well.

So that's the latest. I'll try to catch up on the last month in photos in a bit.