Discussion
Ok, I am just back from hospital after 3 days of the worst.
My 3 and a half week old baby has meningitis. She is in hospital with Mrs ourchris, and I am home now for some sleep. She has had a lumbar puncture and blood tests and is on antibiotics, and has been now for 2 days. Its all sinking in, and to be honest I know I shouldn't be on here, but its good to talk (type?). Family is fine, but in a non-personal way, this seems to help (if that makes sense)
I just would like someone who has been through this to tell me its going to be ok.
My 3 and a half week old baby has meningitis. She is in hospital with Mrs ourchris, and I am home now for some sleep. She has had a lumbar puncture and blood tests and is on antibiotics, and has been now for 2 days. Its all sinking in, and to be honest I know I shouldn't be on here, but its good to talk (type?). Family is fine, but in a non-personal way, this seems to help (if that makes sense)
I just would like someone who has been through this to tell me its going to be ok.
Mate I really feel for you. Your daughter is the same age as my son and I know how i'd feel if anything ever happened to him.
A slightly positive story for you....my mates 5 week old contracted meningitis and was very poorley with it. Three weeks of panic later he came home after making a full recovery.
I hope everything goes well and your daughter makes a full recovery, my thoughts are with you mate.
A slightly positive story for you....my mates 5 week old contracted meningitis and was very poorley with it. Three weeks of panic later he came home after making a full recovery.
I hope everything goes well and your daughter makes a full recovery, my thoughts are with you mate.
Sorry to hear about your tough times. I had it when I was about 14 and the worst bit was the 24 hours when I was coming down when my mum and dad thought I was just being a grumpy, hormonal teen! It took me four hours to walk the 5 miles on my paper round the next morning and when I eventually staggered into the house at half ten my mum asked if I was bunking off because she knew I'd think that she'd have gone to work by then!!!
Luckily, and this is the bit I want to add for you, the professionals (unlike my parents) do really know what they're doing so she is in the best place possible. Get some sleep and support your wife, make sure that you know what the medics are doing and why and try to read up to understand the likely course of treatment and the timeframes as then you'll be able to vocalise any queries or concerns as decisions are being made.
Good luck.
Luckily, and this is the bit I want to add for you, the professionals (unlike my parents) do really know what they're doing so she is in the best place possible. Get some sleep and support your wife, make sure that you know what the medics are doing and why and try to read up to understand the likely course of treatment and the timeframes as then you'll be able to vocalise any queries or concerns as decisions are being made.
Good luck.
Thanks for the kind words... baby is doing well in hospital, and is on a 2 week course of antibiotics. We think that we got her to hospital in time, and she appears to be bright and happy. Thank God for cheap thermometers from Tesco, and the book on how to be a parent we got for Christmas !
ourchris said:
Thanks for the kind words... baby is doing well in hospital, and is on a 2 week course of antibiotics. We think that we got her to hospital in time, and she appears to be bright and happy. Thank God for cheap thermometers from Tesco, and the book on how to be a parent we got for Christmas !
Wonderful news 
ourchris said:
Thanks for the kind words... baby is doing well in hospital, and is on a 2 week course of antibiotics. We think that we got her to hospital in time, and she appears to be bright and happy. Thank God for cheap thermometers from Tesco, and the book on how to be a parent we got for Christmas !
Fantastic news! 
Tell us about the book please - my daughter is about to splash down with her first offspring in a few weeks and any info would be welcome. 
ourchris said:
she appears to be bright and happy
One of the best positive indicators - and I've heard that from experienced doctors.We've not had to deal with meningitis with our lot - Scarlet Fever wasn't fun though either so I know how worrying it is and how helpless you feel. It sounds like you've done an A1 job of recognising the need for and getting timely help though which is tricky at the best of times.
Thanks all for the kind words !
Well, she had a hearing test yesterday, which she passed, so thats all fantastic !!
She came off the drip today, and is being fed antibiotics now, so she should be finished soon and home. Someone somewhere is looking after her...
The book we used is called "Your baby's first year" by practical parenting - really, it provided a pointer on calling for help as her temperature rose, and she became clingy and whiny and generally off her food. From my experience a cheap digital thermometer is a lifesaver....
The thing that really helped is that the midwife left us with a 24 hour contact number to the midwife led unit at the hospital where she was born - we called them at 1 in the morning, and they arranged for an out of hours doctor to phone us back within an hour, and on describing temperature and condition, he arranged for a consultant to be in A&E within the hour - and she was waiting for us when we got there.
Sometimes the NHS and all these helplines really work, y'know. Its odd really, but all the midwives had said to call any time day or night if there was a problem when she was born - and we were agonising over that first call. So glad we did !!
Cant wait to get Mrs ourchris and baby home now !
Well, she had a hearing test yesterday, which she passed, so thats all fantastic !!
She came off the drip today, and is being fed antibiotics now, so she should be finished soon and home. Someone somewhere is looking after her...
The book we used is called "Your baby's first year" by practical parenting - really, it provided a pointer on calling for help as her temperature rose, and she became clingy and whiny and generally off her food. From my experience a cheap digital thermometer is a lifesaver....
The thing that really helped is that the midwife left us with a 24 hour contact number to the midwife led unit at the hospital where she was born - we called them at 1 in the morning, and they arranged for an out of hours doctor to phone us back within an hour, and on describing temperature and condition, he arranged for a consultant to be in A&E within the hour - and she was waiting for us when we got there.
Sometimes the NHS and all these helplines really work, y'know. Its odd really, but all the midwives had said to call any time day or night if there was a problem when she was born - and we were agonising over that first call. So glad we did !!
Cant wait to get Mrs ourchris and baby home now !
ourchris said:
Thanks all for the kind words !
Well, she had a hearing test yesterday, which she passed, so thats all fantastic !!
She came off the drip today, and is being fed antibiotics now, so she should be finished soon and home. Someone somewhere is looking after her...
The book we used is called "Your baby's first year" by practical parenting - really, it provided a pointer on calling for help as her temperature rose, and she became clingy and whiny and generally off her food. From my experience a cheap digital thermometer is a lifesaver....
The thing that really helped is that the midwife left us with a 24 hour contact number to the midwife led unit at the hospital where she was born - we called them at 1 in the morning, and they arranged for an out of hours doctor to phone us back within an hour, and on describing temperature and condition, he arranged for a consultant to be in A&E within the hour - and she was waiting for us when we got there.
Sometimes the NHS and all these helplines really work, y'know. Its odd really, but all the midwives had said to call any time day or night if there was a problem when she was born - and we were agonising over that first call. So glad we did !!
Cant wait to get Mrs ourchris and baby home now !
Bravo NHS!Well, she had a hearing test yesterday, which she passed, so thats all fantastic !!
She came off the drip today, and is being fed antibiotics now, so she should be finished soon and home. Someone somewhere is looking after her...
The book we used is called "Your baby's first year" by practical parenting - really, it provided a pointer on calling for help as her temperature rose, and she became clingy and whiny and generally off her food. From my experience a cheap digital thermometer is a lifesaver....
The thing that really helped is that the midwife left us with a 24 hour contact number to the midwife led unit at the hospital where she was born - we called them at 1 in the morning, and they arranged for an out of hours doctor to phone us back within an hour, and on describing temperature and condition, he arranged for a consultant to be in A&E within the hour - and she was waiting for us when we got there.
Sometimes the NHS and all these helplines really work, y'know. Its odd really, but all the midwives had said to call any time day or night if there was a problem when she was born - and we were agonising over that first call. So glad we did !!
Cant wait to get Mrs ourchris and baby home now !
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