The sun was taking its late afternoon bow as I settled down to feed my freshly washed baby. She hooked on beautifully, and so began the tried and tested bedtime routine. Or so I thought...
After a few minutes of feeding, Frankie got restless. I picked her up for a quick cuddle and my reward was a projectile vomit so powerful it literally soaked through my trousers, soiling my underwear! Andy (my partner) and I had quite a giggle. How very unlike Frankie to be so sick. Anyhoo, one costume change later and I reaffixed Frankie to my breast and feeding began again in earnest. Shortly afterwards, Frankie lifted her head and I found myself sodden once more, shaking my head in disbelief that another knicker change was required. I didn't laugh quite so hard this time round, but similarly, I wasn't at all worried that something might be wrong. What's a bit of baby sick in the grand scheme of things, hey?
It wasn't until the third vomit that Andy and I got truly concerned. As Frankie's little body began to heave, all sound was sucked from the room. It went whisper-quiet in my mind. As my child's cheeks reddened with the strain of yet another vomit - this time bile - I felt the fear rise inside me, scalding me raw.
I sprang into action, calling the national healthcare line. I was greeted by Jacinta on the telephone, who grabbed my hand and launched me into a bureaucratic red-tape waltz, first asking me details that seemed so meaningless to me at that moment in time, just to set up my 'file'. Impatiently I performed the steps required of me, answering about Frankie's name, birthdate, address.... finally, I was asked to answer some questions about her current state of health:
Does she have a temperature? no, it's normal; 36.8C
Does she have a rash? No
Is she breastfed? Yes
I rushed through my responses, getting quite frustrated by this stage as I hadn't yet told of Frankie's symptoms. My baby was turning grey before my eyes and I was being asked about breastfeeding!
'Stay calm' seemed to be the directive of all in the room. My parents were there, my partner, and of course, there was bloody Jacinta telling me - forcefully - to shut up and listen on the other end of the telephone. With a will that defied my fear, I was able to keep the panicked tone out of my voice, sure that Frankie would pick up on it. Whilst the tone wasn't there, the words certainly were: "I'm very worried" I repeated over and over again. "She's not normally like this."
Jacinta tried to reassure me that Frankie's condition didn't require hospitalisation, but I wasn't pacified. My gorgeous daughter, already crawling at 4 months, constantly restless and alert, was now struck immobile and listless. Something didn't feel right...
I hung up the phone and defied Jacinta's orders. "Get her a change of clothes" I asked my fella, both of us thinking of the old saying 'Better safe than sorry'. What harm would a second opinion do?
As we raced to the car and strapped her into her seat, something curious happened. Frankie's eyes snapped open and she lifted her head, absorbing all of the commotion about her. By the time we arrived at the A&E and met with the Triage nurse, Frankie's face was awash with smiles and she was bearing weight on her legs with such eagerness I thought she was trying to leap into the arms of the nurse to tell her what a silly bunch we all were, getting so worked up by a little baby vomit.
What a cheeky monkey. I must have seemed like a neurotic mother, displaying classic Munchausen syndrome symptoms. Thank God they didn't rip her from me and throw me in a set of cuffs.
The colour returned to Frankie's face and body. Her eyes were strong and vibrant. No traces of lethargy lingered about her. Frankie's one little dimple was flexed and deeply entrenched in her cheek, proof indeed that all was well.
I've never known fear like it, and I've also never experienced a gratitude so deep for her health. Whatever bug it is that has caught my precious child (for it is a bug, she is still displaying some rather unsavoury bowel issues) she will recover and for that, I want to reach out to the world and give everyone a great big kiss. Mwwwwwwwwah!
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