It’s been about a couple of months now since Breanna’s surgery. Life has been pretty routine and lugging around Windy (her oxygen tank) has become second nature and doesn’t seem like as much of a burden. Going all this time without any doctor visits has simplified our lives quite a bit and things have seemed pretty easy.
Through it all, I’ve felt the need for a video baby monitor so I can see Breanna when she’s sleeping without disturbing her by going in the room to check on her. I asked for suggestions on Facebook and researched online, trying to find the best one for the smallest investment. I felt like I needed a larger screen so I could be able to see if her chest was rising and falling to show she was still breathing – but those came with a larger price tag. And with the medical bills already making a dent in our savings just hadn’t been able to bring myself to make that large of a purchase. I was thrilled when a large screen (5 inch) video baby monitor was on Black Friday sale at Target. It has brought a lot of peace of mind since I can check in on her so easily and listen to her while I sleep, too.
When we met with the cardiologist, she stressed the importance of keeping Breanna as healthy as possible – especially during her first year. Getting even just a cold could put extra stress on her body that her heart can’t handle and end up causing severe issues. With lots of little kids, we are usually passing around one thing or another every couple of weeks, so we were very blessed to all be healthy for a couple of months. Then, out of nowhere, Breanna came down with a stomach bug last week. Jeff was out of town for work all week and I spent two very worried days with a baby who couldn’t keep anything down and I couldn’t even get her to eat at her afternoon feeding. I had decided I’d be calling the doctor on day 3, but gratefully, she started to improve that day and we made it through the rest of the week okay.
Two days ago, Breanna went in for another sleep study. Jeff stayed with her while I stayed home with the other kids for the night. He thinks she handled the test better and was at least able to be consoled into a restless sleep through the night this time but now we just wait on results to see if there have been any improvements since the surgery.
Last night was was the scariest of all for me and I’m so thankful for that baby monitor and promptings that come from a loving Heavenly Father. I was laying in bed, having a hard time falling asleep and I could hear, through the monitor, that Breanna was making some funny noises as she slept. I had the feeling that I needed to go stay with her in her room for a bit. I wasn’t in there for more than a minute when she started thrashing around in her crib, choking. It was seriously one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen. I was able to get her up and stop the choking quickly but she just wouldn’t calm down. She kept gagging for quite a while before I was finally able to get her calmed down and back to bed. Even then, she was making noise in her sleep for a good hour or more. I’m thankful that she seems good this morning and happy as can be, but you can bet I’ll have that monitor right next to me all day long. What a blessing modern technology is!
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