Our first trip to the ER

Lincoln had been fighting a cold for about a week.  He was super stuffy, coughing, and just generally did not feel well.  We put him to bed on Monday night pretty early after sucking his nose out and some general TLC.  Brian went to get him when he cried around 11pm, and Brian came into the bedroom with a pretty worried voice.  We turned on the light, and Lincoln just did not look right.  His face was kind of swollen and he was really struggling to breathe.  I picked him up, and he was going through periods where he was not breathing and then would gasp for air.  We made the decision to go to the ER and have him checked out because there was no way I was putting that baby back into his crib.

Brian drove, and I sat in the back with Linc.  As we were driving, I felt like he was getting better but I still wanted him checked out.  Evanston Hospital was very efficient, and I was happy with the doctors and nurses.  They pretty much said that babies are completely nasal breathers so when they are super stuffed up, they can't breathe.  We used saline and a sucker to clear his nose and were told to hold in a steamy bathroom.  We got home from the ER, followed the doctor's orders and elevated his crib.  He didn't sleep well (nor did he sleep well for most of the week), but he seemed better and more importantly could breathe.

The silver lining to the experience - we got the first visit out of the way and it was nothing serious.  Also, Lincoln charmed the scrubs off every doctor and nurse that he met with his smile.  He was soooo sick and tired, but he still managed to smile at every person who walked through the curtain.  :)