Our home was a bit chaotic in lieu of yesterday's events. It started as a fairly normal day. Galilee woke me up with her chattering a bit earlier than usual. Her crib is right next to my bed. I love being able to wake at all hours and see that she is okay.
We ate breakfast, I sewed a dress while she played and napped. We'd been having a winter weather advisory so I decided to run to the post office and store before the snow began to fall. As always, she was a great sport. She sat in her car seat while I deliberated over jars of baby food at Walmart. I bought some chocolate chips to make cookies when we got home and some yogurt I thought she might like.
It was still mild out when I push the cart to my car. I opened the door to the back seat and decided to put Galilee in before the grocery bags. When I turned around to reach for her her lips where cast with purple and she was convulsing. I panicked. I began unbuckling her car seat and yelling her name. A woman rushed over to me and immediately called 911. Another woman yelled, "Is everything okay?" No. No, nothing was okay. I didn't know what was going on. My baby was having a seizure and I had no clue why. Was she breathing? The worst thoughts were crowding my mind and this woman took my baby and held her on her side. Spit flowed from Galilee's mouth onto the woman's red coat. "She's breathing," she said, "your baby is going to be okay." I wanted to believe her. She confirmed that 911 had been called and explained that she use to be a medic. By then a man, covered in mud, wearing work clothes rushed over. 911 told us to wait inside the main entrance. He took care of my cart and car seat. One of those pop-up tax stations was set up in the front of the store and he walked right in on an appointment and took the empty chair. I sat down. Galilee had stopped convulsing and the woman in the red coat handed her back to me. She still wasn't responsive. The woman explained that she had left her own daughter in the car and had to go. I was sobbing. She gave me a hug and whispered that God had all of this under control. The man said he was going to stay with me until the EMTs arrived. So the woman who called 911 left. Funny how in other circumstances you'd feel awkward sitting with a stranger but in that moment I was so relieved he was going to stay.
It wasn't long before I was climbing into the back of an ambulance. The paramedics where calm and reassuring but that was their job. My baby was laying on a gurney motionless and stiff. Her reflexes weren't working. She had a temp of 103 and when they hooked up the EKG her heart rate was 210. They decided to put an IV in right then and there. However, the attempt failed when the ambulance came to stop.
After about an hour, a dose of Tylenol, and some IV liquids she was starting to look around. After 5 more attempts to get blood for the lab, a chest x-ray, and urine test she was diagnosed with a respiratory virus going around: RSV. They were surprised she hadn't shown any symptoms. She never coughed, had a runny nose, acted sick or tired. Still, the sudden spike in temperature sent her into a febrile seizure. They tell me that it could happen again in her life if she has a high temp and that she is just one of those children more prone to it. Typically, it is not something to worry about as long as you hold your child on their side so they don't choke and that is doesn't last longer than 5 minutes. If you have a child under 6 years old I'd recommend reading up on it. I wished I'd known about them.
I stayed up most of the night watching her sleep. Grateful she was okay but afraid it would happen again even though I was giving her regular does of Tylenol and Motron.
I wish I could properly thank those beautiful people who rushed to help me in the Walmart parking lot. They will forever have homes in my heart and prayers of blessing from my lips.
Today was a day to rest. The snow didn't really amount to anything. After her doctors appointment we snuggled at home. I made those cookies. She ate that yogurt.
