It has been a while since writing a blog. Life happened. In the world of motherhood, sometimes you just need to ride the wave of life and see where it takes you. A while ago, my little one took heed to one of those viruses and we ended up in hospital. Talk about trust mother’s intuition, because I would be writing a completely different blog, or not one at all if I hadn’t listened to that inner calling of action even though you have no idea sometimes what it means.
The vomiting started, we knew something was coming because nursery prewarned us of the cases of children who had experienced the ‘sickness bug’. Their utter professionalism and dedication to the children in their care made me on high alert and definitely shaped the actions I took. Then came the temperature and we just could not settle it. My daughter is vibrant, full of life and loves dancing. But she just did not have any of this in her. Then I just could not keep fluids down her and she became lethargic. Time for some help.
The Accident & Emergency part of the hospital processed us very quickly. Within an hour my daughter was on a drip. I remember the nurse coming to see me after the drip was completed and say ‘well done mummy, you were brave. A lot of mothers break at that part’. I completely empathise. It took all my might to hold back my own tears as my daughter screamed, one from the pain and two from the unknown. As much as you want to be that reassuring parent, sometimes you just don’t know! I did a hypnobirthing course to prepare me for birth, and I did not realise just how powerful these techniques would be not just in birth, but the transferable methods that grounded me in a sense of calmness, which my daughter so needed. Her blood sugars had lowered to a dangerous level and the nurse said we would have had a completely different outcome if I had not come in when I did (one I cannot bear to comprehend).
We were then transferred to ward for the night. I gave those awful phone calls to grandparents, who passed the message onto our loved ones and we all just had to wait this one out. My daughter was monitored every two hours and administered the medication she needed to stabilise her blood sugars. It was exhausting, but as mummy you find the strength to keep going. I remember sending my husband home with a very detailed list of what to put in our overnight bag. I am the type of person, that packs for everything. At this point we had no idea when we would be sent home and this was something in my control.
Thankfully the medication worked, and my daughter started to heal. We were lucky to be sent home the next day. My daughter was diagnosed with Ketotic Hypoglycaemia. A condition which is the result of low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) and the presence of high levels of ketones in the blood. It is common that children grow out of this by the time they are five years old. We have a repeated prescription of glucose which I must have ready if she gets into this condition again. My daughter has now gained a more relaxed mummy around eating chocolate as this is my daughter’s go to sugar. Don’t get me wrong it is still within a balanced diet, but my daughter seems to know when she needs something to boost her. We have been under the supervision of the hospital, and we finally got that all clear we don’t need to go anymore, and the GP will be our guide. Unless another extreme case occurs, but so far, we have managed to live with it well.
On reflection of this journey, it has reconnected me to the literature on Mental Toughness. Zahariades (2020), defines Mental Toughness as ‘our durability in the face of adversity’. He gives recognition to the fact that ‘raising children involves uncertainty and fear’ (Zahariades, 2020, p. 15), which navigating through this terrain of the unknown, sometimes uncomfortable and a profound sense of protection, being a parent absolutely encompasses the attributes of Mental Toughness.
As Zahariades (2020), states: Raising healthy, confident, capable, self-sufficient children requires weathering times of stress, fear and guilt. But it also embraces wholehearted love, laughter, joy and connection.
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