Sunday, June 29, 2014

Why baby or young child best put in single bed room

Hi folks!

When ZS admitted hospital at 5 months old for croup,  I was being advised to place young babies or child in single ward. Thus, as we are using my co. Medical card then and we might just need to top up a bit ourselves, we went ahead with their suggestion.

This time round, as they do not have single room left, we were being placed at waiting list and temporarily warded into double-bed sharing room.

We only managed to get a single bed room on second night.

Hereby, I would like to share my experience of why single room is much prefered if cost is not a major concern. Purely my own personal opinion after personally experiencing with my child.

1. Young baby has weaker immune system, thus having a single room prevent the child from exposing to other viruses of the room-sharing patient. Vice versa, we also avoid spreading virus to the others.
For e.g., our room sharing patient actually having some virus infection(forgotten the name of the virus..micro-plasma something..) and said she had to separate her child from her baby...gosh it then brings a knock to me...how about us who had to share the same room..and my son is coughing too...wouldn't we be "sharing" viruses to each other then...
2. Having a single room enable both parents to stay and take care the child. This is less stressful and exhausting for the care-taker.
3. The child can sleep better without disruption/noises thus aids in recovery.

These are the 3 major plus points I felt..

All right since ZS is sound sleep now...i better start taking rest too...ciao..

Cheers!

Staying grateful and hopeful

Hi folks!

Second night spent at hospital with ZS. Seeing him bring traumatized by the needle poking and 4hrly nebuliser+medicine as well as temperature taking is so agonizing.

He would now cry the moment he saw the nurse entering his room or when he felt the thermometer being placed at his armpit and would cry the entire ordeal-temperature+BP-taking, medicine time, antibiotic syringes,nebulizer and yesterday started physiotherapy.

For a young baby like him is truly a traumatizing experience. I hope he would get over with it and grow stronger from it too. So do I who very much at the verge of exhaustion, depression and uncertainty.

As the hospital doesn't have single bed room at the point we were admitted, we were sharing room with another Frozen-inspired 2+year toddler who would either scream her lung out singing her favorite "Let it go...let it go..." or would scream, cry and throw her temper when the staff is trying to clean her or feed her medication...the whole episode lasted quite awhile. So did ZS, the only difference is she could speak and "scold,retaliate or curse" and even kick very well but ZS would only scream, cry and kick his leg away with me not knowing what to do or what he wants....

It's the saddest thing for a mommy when your sweetheart is crying madly and you do not know what he wants or what you could do to calm him down...or even no matter what you tried to do is futile..thw crying episodes continues...

It doesn't help that you are managing on your own as your hubby is away at work and also taking care of the older children at home...

The simple task of taking meals, going toilet or even changing diapers became a challenge...if your baby becomes clingy...

At 3am I just finished bringing ZS
"touring" the ward and hospital as he refused to stay in the single ward room we've just granted around 11pm,...

Now finally he's tired of touring and crying and zz-Ing.

When he's at his better mood he started his mischievous self pressing nurse help button, walking around and amusing himself...i misses this part of him would just treasure this as much before the next medicine time when his mood would switch 365 degree..

Thankful though there're nurses to help and doctor to monitor him at ward. It's still much better than being awoken late at night wondering if we should rush him to emergency room where most likely no Pediatrician will be on duty during the wee hours.

So am staying grateful for everything that happens...and hopeful that things will only gets better after this!

Thanks Kak Nura and Sherry...for your wishes and message....knowing I am not alone feels comforting!

Cheers!