Breathing Trouble

My 1 year old son L had a minor procedure done earlier in the week and everything seemed fine. He was recovering well and running around like nothing happened. We ate dinner normally in the middle of the week and then after dinner, he started to have trouble breathing.

The breathing sounded labored and after lifting his shirt, his chest and stomach was retracting when he was taking breaths. He mood was fine, but we decided to take him to urgent care since it was very concerning. They ended up giving him oxygen because his levels dipped to the mid 80s and we then got transported to the emergency room.

Apparently, parents cannot ride with the child in the ambulance, so my wife had to drive separately while L was freaking out when she left him. I was driving to the hospital to meet them after putting our 6 year old daughter E and 4 year old son C to bed and thankfully my sister in law could come over and stay with the kids for a bit.

On the ambulance ride there, L was apparently screaming so hard while also having his nose suctioned out that by the time we saw him at the hospital in the room he was assigned, he seemed a lot better. He was breathing normally again and his oxygen levels were normal even without an oxygen tube. He was also so happy to see us. After getting settled into the room, I was getting ready to head home and L reached out to touch my cheek while nursing. It was so sweet and it was his way of showing his love.

Things were scary for more than a few moments there, but I’m so relieved everything ended well. He ended up getting discharged the next day and we all headed home together. I’m glad my wife was there to be with him all night too because even though they didn’t get much sleep, she really is the rock for L. He felt so much better when she showed up at the hospital and we just got some extra large coffees and matcha drinks to get us through the next day.