An Unfortunate "First"

We've been very lucky so far. However, I suppose our luck had to run out at some point. My little girl, my angel, got sick yesterday... Sunday night was a bit of a rough night for Abigail. She didn't sleep very well, and she was up at 6:30 am for a bottle. When Carey took her temperature at noon, she had a 100.4 degree fever. The doctor was able to get her in at 4:15, and I was able to leave work early to be home for the appointment. Well, when I got home, it was obvious that something was wrong. Abby was very lethargic, and she wasn't very responsive when Carey and I spoke with her. (Normally, she smiles, coos, and giggles when we talk to her.)

When we arrived at the doctor's office, Abby's fever was up to 101.6 degrees, so I was extremely worried. Dr. Cohen examined her and, after looking in her ears, said that she had a middle ear infection in each ear! We were told to give her infant Tylenol for her fever, and Abby was given a 10-day supply of antibiotics to clear up the ear infections. Dr. Cohen told us it would be about 24 hours before the antibiotics produced any noticeable effects, so we were prepared for (and got) another difficult night last night.

Midway through the night last night, Abby started having these bark-like coughing fits, after which she would wheeze for a few seconds, like she couldn't draw breath. First thing this morning, we were back at the doctor's office, where we were told that Abby had croup. Most cases of croup are viral, so there's no medications that can be taken to fight it off. There are treatments, such as humidifiers and sitting upright, that help alleviate the symptoms. However, because of the severity of Abby's croup and because she was already so uncomfortable due to the ear infections, the doctor decided to inject her with a steroid to reduce the swelling in her vocal cords. We remained in the office for 30 minutes, so the doctor could judge Abby's reaction to the shot. Well, there was noticeable improvement after about twenty minutes. So, while Abby is still having occasional coughing fits, the wheezing noises have decreased and she doesn't seem to be having so much difficulty breathing.

So, how is my little munchkin? Well, she is doing much better today that she was doing yesterday. Her fever has gone down (she was at 99.4 degrees at the doctor's office this morning, and she still feels cool to the touch), and she seems to be a little bit more herself today. She's more alert, she is grabbing and holding onto her toys, and she's smiling and cooing. (Given, due to the croup, her coos are now more of an alto than her normal soprano, but I'll take it.) So, I'm hoping that her symptoms continue to improve over the next few days, as the antibiotics have the opportunity to clear out her ear infections and the croup runs its course.