Is it too awful to describe my first experience with baby throw up?
*waving goodbye to those of you who just checked out… but don’t miss my note at the bottom*
Okay, by “experience” I mean EXPERIENCE.
My poor, little Benny Lee. (That’s what I call him in that pathetic, I-feel-sorry-for-you voice.) He received his first vaccination on Friday. Being extra cautious about Bennett’s little (11.2lb) body having to process too much all at once, I decided to have the pediatrician split his scheduled vaccinations up so that we’re pacing ourselves a little more slowly and giving him time to manage one vaccination before moving on to the next. (They would have been willing to give him eight, with three of them combined in one shot.)
I can’t imagine what state he’d be in if I hadn’t been so overprotective; because having received just the one shot (the DTap/Hib/Polio combo), this little guy has been MISERABLE.
*huff*
While I know Bennett’s still in there somewhere (he shows me glimpses here and there), I hate seeing him more lethargic, nose running, coughing, sneezing, fussing and having less of an appetite. But fever? Nope. Nada. Each symptom in and of itself is mild, but still…
Now, in order to appropriately describe this throw up experience, I’m going to have to insist that you close your eyes and imagine yourself in my shoes. (But open them every now and then to keep reading, of course).
You’re wearing your new, purple, Christmas gift, fluffy bathrobe. You’re laying on your back on the couch with your head rested on the arm of said couch. You have a stuffy, uncomfortable, adorable baby laying belly down on your chest, head to the side, mouth by your clavicle.
Ahhh, the preciousness of this moment.
A movie starring Mark Wahlberg is on the TV.
Ahh, even better.
You hear an unfamiliar noise and immediately feel wet and warm.
Now imagine. In that position and according to the law of gravity, where is milky throw up going to go?
That’s right. The vomit actually wrapped around me. First a vomit puddle developed at my clavicle and throat. But as the flood intensified, the vomit proceeded to run beyond my neck and behind my shoulders. The milk that had formerly been in Bennett’s belly was now caught by my robe and collected into a pool behind my neck. I was literally laying in vomit. A three hundred and sixty degree vomit experience.
Awesome.
Brian instantly jumped up as he had been on the other end of the couch.
Me: He just threw up. Help! This is real throw up!
Brian: Ew. It’s all over you. Where’d you put the towel?
Me: I don’t know. Doesn’t matter. Just grab anything!
Brian: *looking for a burp cloth* (I think we needed a beach towel.)
Me: *still stunned* This is real throw up!
Brian: *taking Bennett, sopping me up before I could stand – moving from horizontal to vertical was tricky in this moment – and realizing that I’m literally laying in a puddle of vomit* Ew. It’s on your back. I’ll take him. Go take a shower.
Me: Thank you. This is real throw up.
This is real throw up.
I don’t know how many times I said that, but I was struck by some distinguishable differences between what I had just experienced versus the little bits of spit up that I had become used to. The biggest difference was that *cringe* it smelled S.O.U.R. *shuttering*
And I was laying in it. It wasn’t just on me; it was all around me.
But mostly I was just heart broken for my poor baby. I’ll admit though, after this episode, he spent the rest of the evening being his normal, happy, sweet self.
So there you have it. I’ve been initiated.
To whom it may concern:
Beginning tomorrow, the salon is booking my schedule for my return in March! Call ASAP to get the hours that work best for you. I’m planning on a part-time return, working Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Be nice to the receptionists! They’re going to be getting some attitude on the phone when people realize I’ve cut 16 hours out of my work week and am also scheduling some inflexible breast pump breaks.
Had the same thing happen except is was really early in The morning and I was in bed! It was a mess.
Poor baby. 🙁 I’m so glad you have a good Pediatrician to space out the shots. Glad he got the toxins out of him, too, although it was an unpleasant experience to be swimming in the middle of it. Prayers for continued grace and favor over these things.
It could have been worse! My husband was lying down holding our first baby over his head when Andrew threw up straight in to his mouth! I thought it was hilarious and grabbed my camera!
You win.
So….gross….. Can i tell you about my personal baby throw up incident? I was at work and I’m the only one walking around this bend of tables only to see a baby in a highchair project the nastiest upchuck everywhere. A whole new meaning to the word “spew”. Like a geyser! Projection galore. I grabbed a bunch of cloth towels and headed over with a bucket. So. gross. That poor baby! She looked like she felt much better afterwards. What did mom say she was doing different. “We were trying to give her water for the first time” she says. Ewwww stick to milk! That was after another table had politely left a dirty diaper under my table for me before they had left. Wrapped up in their linen napkin. Um, excuse me? What? Gross. Thanks but no thanks. ANywho, I DID have to change a dirty blowout of a diaper yesterday for the first time in FOREVER. I think I’m good for awhile. 😛 Oyyyy. Good call on the vaccinations though. I hate that babies have to get all that crap pumped into them but I understand the reasoning behind the medicine. Poor guy. Rach and I will definitely come visit when it’s a beautiful sun-shiny day and everyone is feeling better. 😀
Poor Bennett! Well Cousin, you have been initiated into the mommy club! My husband and I skipped most of the newborn puke stuff because our boys are adopted. We got David when he was 3 1/2 and I think he was absolutely the worst puker in the world… He would panic when he felt sick. He would come in my room and as I got to know him better I began to recognize the look… me: “David what’s wrong”? and before he could say anything he would just whine and PHEW vomit all over the place. One night my police officer/swat team/, Ive seen brains blown up all over houses ,husband says “honey, you are going to have to clean the bathroom (3am), David just got sick and it looks like he slaughtered a cow” ha! Tough guy I think not… However on the bright side my youngest son, Tommy could hit a bucket without a problem and one night when he had been throwing up all night (we were sleeping on connecting couches) I woke up and saw him looking at me.. he was about 3 and said “mommy you don’t have to throw my throw up in the toilet, I did it myself and cleaned the bucket in the bathtub like you do”.. he did and actually did a good job.. My consolation prize child!!!!
WOW! Way to go, Tommy!
you know you’re a mom though, when you would rather them throw up on you than the couch, carpet, bed, etc…!
Poor baby and poor you. Brian is such a good dad and husband. It’s amazing Bennett has not vomitted until now! Hope all is well and Bennett is feeling perfect.
Had to throw in the asap…it was a mad rush of phone calls pouring in to an unexpecting receptionist with bronchitis on the first day back since tuesday. Thank you for everyones patience who got me completely off guard and not my usual controlled self but OMG that was insane and exhausting!!!
Saturday not Tuesday. See how thrown off i am