When Do I Take My Son to Hospital?

I say take him now!!! But I am an overly cautious first time mommy. My philosophy is better safe than sorry!

At that age, they can get dehydrated quickly. The diapers are a good indication that he is getting that way. I would take him in especially if he gets lethagic, or refuses to drink anything.
I have had to take my child in when they were 10 and 11, and they were dehydrated and needed an IV to get back to normal.

if you have any doubts, take him in to the dr. I know they are swamped, but they are used to that this time of year.

dehydration happens fast and can be fatal.

Hi J.,
If you called me for advise (I do pediatric phone ytriage and am an RN) here is what I would say_

As long as he has had at least 1 wet diaper in a 12 hour period you are ok. The inside of his mouth should be moist and he should make tears when he cries.
Vomiting can last up to 36 hours. Keep offering him small sips of clear liquids. Popsicles and ice chips count. You can also try some 7 up, Sprite or ginger ale. Jello made w/ Gatorade is an option. (Just add the hot water and then 1 cup of Gatorade instead of cold water). The heavy Syrup from fruit cocktail served on a spoon can calm little tummies. I wouldn't even try the rice cereal until he has gone at least 4 hours w/o vomiting. NO DAIRY products until he has gone 24 hours w/o vomiting.

This sounds like a stomach virus and NOT the flu. The flu that you would have received a vaccine for has no stomach symptoms at all.

If he goes longer than 36 hours w/ the vomiting he needs to be seen again and request that the pedi give him a shot for the ear infection. Some kiddos throw up w/ the ear infections :-(

Good Luck!

D.

Please don't hesitate to call your doctor again. That's their job! And it could be that you can talk to a nurse right away and get some advice. I agree with the other poster - you should have more wet diapers by now & I would think that is cause for concern, but also check for saliva, tears, moist inside mouth, etc.

To help with Diarrhea, there is a product you can get from any pharmacy - it's not prescription, but you do have to ask for it - it's called Lactinate and they are little granules - you sprinkle them in something to drink and they help with diarrhea. My pediatrician told me about them a long time ago and I buy them anytime my son goes on antibiotics (which cause him to have diarrhea), or when he has stomach issues. The stuff really does work, so I do recommend it. And also, don't underestimate getting advice from your local pharmacist. They are extremely knowledgeable, have seen everything, and can almost always help you come up with some solutions.

Dehydration can be very, very serious and has a lot of dire complications, so it is one area that you should absolutely be pushy about as a mom. Call your doctor's office and tell them you're bringing him in for a follow-up. Ask to talk to a nurse. Don't let the receptionist stall you. Keep pushing. If it's a good doctor, you're going to get help.

I use www.askdrsears.com when I'm in doubt about illness. It's a very simple, straightforward website - I went and looked up dehydration and it is a great article telling you about mild, moderate, and severe dehydration, when to worry, what to do, etc. So defintely visit it. Good luck!

I was talking with my doctor's office yesterday and they said they start to be concerned at 5 hours with no wet diapers. I really think you should go ahead and call your doc again. It is very considerate of you to not want to bother them again, but you need to do what is best for your little one. No one should criticize you for that. It's just a call.

Signs of dehydration, However, if fluids still comes out from other end. It should be fine. Call doctor if you are not sure.

Goes more than eight hours without urinating

• Has dark yellow, strong-smelling urine

• Is lethargic

• Has a dry, parched mouth and lips

• Isn't shedding any tears while crying

Signs that a child may be seriously dehydrated:

• Sunken eyes

• Hands and feet that feel cold and look splotchy

• Lightheadedness, dizziness, or delirium

• Excessive sleepiness or fussiness

Do not EVER feel bad about calling your doc if your kid is this sick. The same thing happened to my son last February and we simply could not keep him hydrated because of it coming out both ends. He was hospitalized with IV fluids for 3 days. With just one wet diaper in 12 hours, you're pretty close to an ER visit if you haven't gone by the time you get this message. The thing that sent us to the ER is when he became listless and literally couldn't hold himself up. Even if he's trying to sleep, don't let him sleep for more than a couple hours without attempting to get fluids in him. Use a dropper to drop water or gatorade into his mouth if you have to. Try to get 2 ounces in him at a time. Our son wouldn't drink pedialyte, so Gatorade worked better for us.

I would call the doctor quick. That seems like a long time for only one wet diaper, especially if you still cant get him to hold anything down. Better safe than sorry. Good luck with everything.

My advice - Take him to the hospital if your gut tells you to. I can't tell you how many times doctors tried to blow me off and my gut screamed something was wrong and I turned out right. No one knows your baby like you do. If you think something is seriously wrong, you need to be proactive. Good Luck!

BOTHER YOUR DOCTOR!!!!!!! This is your baby you are talking about. Besides your doctor signed on for this when he became a doctor. My daughter had the rotavirus when she was 9 months and we spent the whole day in the doctors office and he came in to check her every hour. Dehydration is serious!!! It can shut their kidneys and other organs down and it happens fast.

You need to go to the ER for IV fluids if he has not had a wet diaper in 12 hours. Praying for your sweet little boy.
Hugs,
A.

Please trust your instinct and not the doctors. Take the baby to the ER - preferably a place that REALLY knows small children such as Children's Medical Center on Motor Street. My pediatrician sent us home 3 times in a one week period. By the time we listened to our own instincts instead of him, our baby was seriously ill and needed surgery.

Hi J.! I would definitely take him to the ER (especially if you have health insurance for him). I am alergic to eggs as well so I can relate to not getting vacinated. Do to his age, definetely take him. Poor baby.

I would go ahead and take him to the ER. Better safe than sorry later. Good luck, I will keep him in my prayers.

Be very careful of dehydration. If you think somthing is wrong, take your baby in. Also, never be afraid to bug your doctor or nurse. That's what they are there for. Babies can dehydrate very quickly when they vomit.

Watch his fever. My son at 15 months had something similar. It was simply a stomach virus--they tested for rotovirus and it was negative--but he had the vomiting and diarrhea and could not keep any liquids in his system. The biggest fear was dehydration and the Dr. told me little ones dehydrate fast. As soon as my son's fever started to climb, we went to the emergency room. My little underarm thermometer was a poor monitor!! The triage nurse took a rectal temperature and while she watched it climb past 105, nurses swept in and took him straight back to start pumping him with fluids. It was terrible to see my 15 month old with tubes, IV's, etc.. strapped to a board, taking x-rays, etc... I think they pumped him with fluids for something like 6 to 8 hours.

I say watch the fever and if he can't keep any fluids down for I think the nurse told me like 3 hours, I would take him back to the Dr. If the fever really starts to rise, I would take him to emergency.

But that's just me!!!! I almost didn't take my son in because I thought I was being the scared new mother and would look silly. I am sooooo glad I did.

I sugest to take him now dont waste time he may be dehydrated my daughter had the same problem..n im glad i didnt take the dr advice n wait...i hope things get better

Honestly, I'd call the doctor's office... just ask to talk to the nurse. It's good you're keeping up with the number of wet diapers but babies / little ones can get dehydrated VERY fast with vomiting and the poops... so if he's not taking in fluids to replenish what he's otherwise depleated, I'd be concerned.

My nephew was really sick with it coming out both ends. My sister in law was worried about calling the Dr. too much, but her gut was just telling her something is not right even though the Dr. said just keep trying to get him to drink.

Well, she didn't follow her gut and he was in the hospital for 2 days because he was dehydrated (he actually had the Roto Virus)...not that your son has it...but the dehydration part could be similar. He was 1 1/2 and MISERABLE!! They had to keep an IV in him the whole time.

Follow your gut...don't worry about bothering the Dr. too much. Yes it is a busy time with the Flu season, but that is why he gets paid the big bucks!!!

Hope your son gets to feeling better soon.

I would definitely call the doctor cause that's why they are there for especially when it comes to the health and well of your son.

Good Luck and I hope your baby gets better soon..

If he hasn't had any wet diapers Take him to the doc! DOn't be afraid about disturbing the doctor. Like my son's doctor says... If she didn't want to be disturbed, she would never have become a pediatrician. ;-)

They'd rather you disturb them and have it be nothing than not disturb them and have your baby be really sick!

I agree with everyone else - I would take him in. Better safe than sorry. Also if your son wont drink pedilite try the pedilite popcicles. My daughter wouldnt drink it but loved the pops. I am sure it felt good to her being sick. Good luck!

if he only has 1 wet diaper in 24 hours i would go ahead and take him . i would this is what i would do and give him a wet rag to chew on for sure!

I work for an doctor, he tells our patients to push fluids and as long as they urinate atleast once a day, then they are not dehydrated. So, it sounds like he is ok as far as that goes. Now, for keeping the food or drink down, have they offered Phenergran for nausea? They do have that now that can be placed on the wrist like a cream and absorbed. It works great for kids. I know the flu is rough for little ones, but you are doing what you can. Don't ever feel that you are bugging your doctor, that is why they are there. Even the nurse can help you.

When my daughter gets sick, she won't eat or drink anything. There was one time that she had 1 wet diaper in almost 18 hours and no BM's. I called her dr and he said she was fine. I didn't believe him so I took her to the ER. Finally they were able to get her to drink some gatoraid thru an oral surenge. Try that. She is always used to taking medicine that way, so I just told her that she needed to take medicine and she drank that way very well. Hope this helps.