911

December 3rd was a very big day for us. Because Karsten was born prematurely he required oxygen during the first few months of his life. Because of this he has to get his eyes checked frequently to make sure they are progressing correctly. That morning we woke up very early and went in to the hospital to get his eyes checked. First they dilated his eyes and we waited for about an hour until he had his exam. He absolutely hates getting his eyes checked and for me it is very hard to watch and listen to him scream. Luckily, his doctor is very fast so it never lasts long. Karsten has always rocked his exams and they never seemed to phase him, but this day was different. 

The rest of the day he was exhausted. He would wake up for only about five minutes to eat and then he would fall asleep again. I would even change his diaper and he wouldn't wake up. For those of you who have seen Karsten get his diaper changed, you know how much he hates it and he lets the whole world know with those lungs!  

Ryan ended up calling our pediatrician later that day because we were so worried about how sleepy he was and the lack of an appetite that he had. She reassured us that it was normal for some babies to act that way after getting their eyes dilated. She told us just to watch him closely and let him rest.

That night, Ryan headed off to work around 7:00pm and Karsten had just woken up to eat. We said bye to Daddy and then I started to feed Karsten. As he was eating I noticed that he kept taking a lot of breaks and would breath really hard. I would lift him up occasionally to get him to take a deep breath and then let him continue eating. He is still learning how to suck, swallow and breath all at the same time, but I could tell he was a little more sleepy this time around. 

Karsten took a large gulp and then paused, but I noticed he was pausing for too long. I lifted him up and his body went completely limp, his face was pale, and his mouth was blue. I dialed 911 and started to stimulate his back the way they taught us to in the NICU, but he still wasn't responding. The operator was amazing and so helpful. She had me lay him down to begin CPR, but as I went down to listen I noticed his chest started to rise up and down. He was breathing again, but only very shallow. She had me lift his chin up and his forehead back to open his airway more. She warned me that when he came back he would begin to throw up and sure enough he did. His big brown eyes opened and looked right at me and he began to throw up. I quickly turned him on his side and cleared his mouth. Right as I did that the paramedics arrived and began giving him oxygen. I remember one paramedic saying "I don't think we have a mask his size". They were all amazed at how small he was. 

They noticed his skin was still grey and his oxygen levels weren't where they should be so they called in the ambulance to take him to the hospital. I could hear the sirens and knew that our whole neighborhood would be concerned and worried. They loaded him into his carseat and buckled him onto the stretcher. I quickly followed behind him and rode in the ambulance with my boy. As soon as I got in I called Ryan to let him know we were headed to the emergency room. Luckily, that's where he works so he was already there. 

Once we arrived to the emergency room they began testing him for different viruses, did x-rays on his chest and gave him more oxygen. Luckily, the virus test came back negative and his x-rays looked great. They called the NICU and his pediatrician and together they all brainstormed what they thought they needed to do next. They all agreed that because he had been so exhausted that day that when it came time to eat his little body just couldn't handle it. He must have received too much milk and couldn't get himself to work through it the way he usually does. We later realized that all of the other times Karsten had his eyes checked he had been in the NICU and had a feeding tube. That's why we never noticed the lack of appetite or exhaustion. 

Within a few hours we were able to come home. You can bet that I stayed up that whole night just watching him to make sure he was breathing. That image of him, limp and blue, is one that I don't think I will ever forget.

I can't even begin to explain how grateful I am that Karsten is okay. I am thankful for the 911 operator that helped to keep me calm, the paramedics that arrived within minutes, the doctors who all worked together to figure out what was going on, for my Husband for being there to comfort us during that time and for all of the love and concern that was shown to us by our wonderful family, friends and neighbors. We are so blessed!!