Day out at hospital

Had to take Poppy for a scan on her kidneys today in the hospital. It involved her having a venflon put into her hand (causing pain despite a cold spray) and a few tears, but luckily there was a nice nurse there blowing bubbles to distract her. Then down to radiology for the dye to be injected. Next was a two hour wait for the dye to reach her kidneys, and the end of which she had to lie still for 20mins in the massive scanner machine. Yes that's right - a 10 month old wriggle, active baby must stay still for 20 minutes. Now bearing in mind we'd not let her nap in the car & she was asleep in the pram when we went back after the two hours, after a bottle, did we really think she's stay asleep when we moved her to the machine? Naievely I did believe she might. I was wrong. It was a close call after lots of shhhh-ing and belly stroking but something caught her attention and that was it. Wide awake.

So back to the ward for a sedative by mouth. Asked the nurse how long it'd take before she felt sleepy, normally takes about 20 mins. Thirty minutes later she was still rolling around the bed waving at the little girl and her mum in the next bed. Finally managed to nurse her to sleep, a feat in itself and impossible without a sedative, and even managed to make it all the way back down to radiology with her in my arms. Until entering the scanner room of course. Then PING! Eyes open, wide awake again. The nurse even said she'd never seen the sedative wear off that quickly. Great - we have a child that wont even sleep with the help of a prescribed sedative...

In the end we had to wrap her into a sheet and two of us hold her pinned down, while poor Daddy had a dead arm from holding her musical mobile above her head when she was in the machine. I have no idea if she was still enough as there were a few definite wriggles, but after 5 hours in the hospital I had gone past the point of caring. We'll see in a few weeks when we see her consultant for the results.

What made it such a difficult day was a particularly unhelpful Radiographer. I dont believe she could have children of her own by the stupid comments and suggestions she was coming out with for us to try and get her to sleep. She's not a toy with an off switch! If only it was that easy. And I felt a completely inadequate mother as i couldnt nurse her to sleep and get her in that bloody machine. I wonder how many people can still rock their child to sleep at her age? Is it because I didnt hold her enough when she was little or is it just that she would never have been a cuddler?

Anyway i managed to resist a chinese takeaway to make me feel better like Daddy did and had some pasta and veg. How much longer I'll stay away from that box of Cadbury's fingers is another story entirely.