ER SURVIVAL KIT

Hollis woke up late Monday night and sounded awful. He was hoarse and really struggling to breathe. My gut was telling me to take him to the ER and not wait until normal clinic hours. That’s always a hard decision to make. I took him into our bedroom to get a second opinion and Drew and I exchanged “I don’t know what to do!” parent looks! We decided it was best to go! Drew gathered Hollis’s things while I gathered mine. Here are a few things that were ESSENTIAL to my survival as well as what I wish I would have grabbed.

Quick & Healthy Food The last thing I wanted was to be hangry in the midst of trying to take the best care of my babe. I wanted to be sure that I could hear the nurses and doctors instead of my growling stomach. Knowing my options would be limited, I grabbed a banana & a Pumpkin Spice Shakeology packet. I figured that would hold me over until at least the morning.

Energize This shit is life. Seriously. I’ll say it again. LIFE. Morning rounds came after just three short hours of sleep. Hollis was up and ready to play - so we decided to take a morning stroll and say hello to all of the nurses and housekeepers. I asked for coffee because it just sounded good - but after a couple of sips, I decided it wasn’t going to do the trick and mixed up my energize instead.

Phone Charger Because - duh. But I also knew that I’d be looking to pass some time and what better way to do that then taking care of myself? Hollis went down for a morning nap and I chose to turn on my workout instead of laying back down on the extremely comfortable pull out sofa. sarcasm intended.

Change of Clothes Of course, I packed a change of clothes for Hollis. That’s a given. I’m talking about a change of clothes for mama. Or even just a spare shirt. As we packed up our belongings to move from the ER into the hospital, Hollis barfed on and IN my sweatshirt. Yup. IN IT. Right down the left sleeve. How does that even happen? I took it off and apologized to my new nurses for being naked - knowing that they totally didn’care!

Ibuprofen I had a raging headache when I went to bed and it certainly didn’t improve as the night went on. As the nurse gave Hollis his Tylenol, I asked, “What’s the chance I can get some of that?”. Turns out you have to be an admitted patient to get any drugs up in that place. Rules shmules. By the grace of a good friend and her mom bag, I got some Motrin that helped tremendously. *Note to self - restock my own mom bag.* Pillow & Blankie As I laid down to try and get a little sleep once we were admitted, I wish I would’ve had my own pillow and blankie! The nurses were awesome and accommodating, bringing me two blankets and three pillows almost equivalent to the one I normally use, but nothing compares to my own. This is definitely not a necessity - more like a luxury - and I guess it was less stuff I had to haul in and out of the hospital.

My last tip:

When the nurses ask “Is there anything I can get you?”, be truthful about YOUR needs. Always be sure your water cup is full and stay hydrated! Ask for toast and peanut butter!!