Croup, Sleep and other Adventures

Our son has had a rough couple of days.  He had a cold for about a week, with a runny nose.  A few nights ago he was coughing a couple of times throughout the night, something that he never does.  The next morning he woke up and was extremely hoarse, and had a little cough.  We took him to our Pediatrician and found out he had croup. 

Croup is a virus that attacks the larynx.  It results in laryngitis in adults, and croup in babies.  His throat swelled up, making him sound terrible and making breathing difficult.  They gave us some liquid prednosone and sent us home.  That night he got worse, and his relaxed breathing became very labored.  I wasn’t comfortable, so we took him to the hospital.  He received a steam inhalant and another dose of a “steroid” for his throat.  That helped, but the process of being at the hospital at midnight didn’t go over well for him.  He was extremely angry, just making his throat worse.

He is much better today, but still not 100%.  He is much more fussy than normal and still a little hoarse, but at least his breathing is normal.  My wife and I didn’t sleep well that first night, as we were constantly monitoring him to make sure he was breathing.  It’s extemely stressfull being a parent sometimes!

We have been extremely lucky with his health, as he has only had a couple of colds and been sick really only twice.  But when it happens, it always happens in the middle of the night and causes all of us to lose sleep. 

Sleep is a very valuable thing.  With another child on the way, we are finding ways to get more rest, and we are extremely protective of our sleep time.  It’s weird because in college I stayed up all night many times, without really much of a consequence.  Not anymore!  It’s a lot different in your mid-late 30’s than when you are 20 years old.  Your recovery from sleep deprivation takes much longer, and it has more of an effect on you in the first place.  I have a good friend who was a Navy Seal and he said sleep deprivation is the worst form of torture.  I believe it.  I guess that makes our children involuntary administrators of torture! 

A word to the wise, if you are having a baby anytime soon, catch up on your sleep NOW!  That was really the hardest part of having a child in the early months for both my wife and myself.  The lack of regular, deep sleep really knocks you down.  You end up catching a couple of hours here and there, always interrupted right when you are about to really get into a deep sleep.

The good news is that this doesn’t last forever.  As someone once told me, you have the rest of your life to sleep.  Right now it’s about raising these kids!  And honestly, I wouldn’t trade a minute of it, it’s all part of the incredible experience they call parenthood.  All good things must be earned and worked for.  Nobody ever said it would be easy, and it’s not.  But it is definitely worth it.  To bring a life into the world and be the primary influence on that human being is indescribable.  I wish that feeling for you, and if you already know what I’m talking about, congratulations Parent! 

Tags: baby, breathing, cold, croup, dad, doctor, emergency, family, father, hospital, laryngitis, larynx, mom, mother, parents, pediatrician, sleep, swelling, throat