Working in the Pediatric ICU, I have seen many things…some
really, really good and some nightmarish. Because of the things I have
witnessed, I have a very warped view of what’s safe for kids. My poor boy has
to wear a helmet to ride his tricycle…in our driveway…in the cul-de-sac we live
in…where no more than 10 cars drive in in a day. He’s not even allowed in our
street unless I’m two feet away. I’m constantly in fear that, when he goes into
our backyard, he will run straight to the lake and drown…with me standing
there. I’ve considered making him wear his life jacket just to play in the
backyard. Yes, don’t ask, we’re saving for a fence. I’m still checking my
one-month olds belly button to make sure she hasn’t suddenly developed
omphalitis, an infection of the umbilical cord. Yeah, the same umbilical cord
she lost three weeks ago. Seriously. I’ve seen it and it ain’t pretty. The
infection, that is, not her belly button. I’m guilty of googling “flesh eating
rash” in regards to her baby acne. Don’t even get me started on their safety if
they walk within a 100 foot radius of a golf cart or 4-wheeler.
Another scary, hot button for me is co-sleeping. In my ten year career, I
would estimate that about every 6-8 months an infant comes in, a victim of
co-sleeping. I’ve only seen a few survive and they have all been in vegetative
states when they left the hospital. It is horribly tragic and unfair. The
parents are usually awesome parents that just didn’t realize how dangerous it could
be. I am not writing this to judge
anyone whose kid sleeps with them, but it’s not for us. I understand the
bonding involved and I love to snuggle my babies as much as the next guy.
However, I am deathly afraid of falling asleep with my baby in the bed. We have
a co-sleeper, which I used with E if I didn’t want him out of my sight (after
his shots, if he was sick, etc.) I loved that thing. 
We haven’t used it with C
yet. Anyway, the result of a sleep-deprived Momma, breastfeeding at 0300, with
a deathly fear of falling asleep with a baby beside me results in a crazy sleep
deprived, breastfeeding Momma. With both kiddos, I have routinely woken Hom up,
grabbing his arm, and panickingly asking, “Why is he/she in bed with us?!?!”
He, then, grabs his arm back and states, “Sara, that’s my arm not the baby.
He/she’s over in his/her pack-n-play.” At this point, I notice the little
snuggled up bundle safely beside me in his/her pack-n-play snoozing away. It’s
beyond frustrating for both of us. As if waking up throughout the night to feed
her isn’t enough, I also have to wake up to “save her.” Any other Mom’s out
there have any fun neuroses they’d like to divulge?
I can't imagine seeing some of the things you see day in and day out.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I can't imagine what you live thru seeing all that at work. I also agree. Mine have never slept with me mostly for the same reasons. One of my biggest crazy fears? My child will drown in her sleep after drinking too much pool water. Didn't even know that could happen until I saw it on daytime TV show a few years ago.
ReplyDeletei wont even let amber tell me the stories. too hard to hear!
ReplyDeleteI would be a nervous wreck if I saw or knew the things you did too. But the truth of the matter is, the hardest part of parenting is letting go and remembering our children our God's first, ours second. We should actually are comfort in the fact that someone much bigger than ourselves is in control. But of course, we should still do what we know to be safe:). I still have to put my hands on my children's backs at night to feel them breathing. And I would probably do the life jacket in the backyard too if my backyard had an unfenced lake- that is another one of my biggest fears.
ReplyDeleteSo making every member of mine and Jonathan's family sit at the health dept to get dTap shots & randomly yelling at people who ask "have u given her water yet" is completely NORMAL?? Whew, I feel better now!! I think those same people were looking into vacancy's at Whitfield for me!! Don't they understand, u can't ever be to careful???
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