We flew to England last week and flew back home this past Sunday. I was worried traveling with a 2 year old but since he had his own seat, it was actually a bit easier then when we traveled last year when he sat in our laps. On the way there, he slept, lying across the seats, no problem. It was a red eye after all. The visit was great. It was nice to see him playing with his cousins, getting into toddler trouble. They were all so cute. I was a little stressed making sure he wasn't touching objects, opening doors and drawers that he shouldn't be in since the in-laws' house isn't child proof so it's easy access to all. But I don't think he broke anything. Thank goodness.
We packed a back pack for our little one's entertainment for the long travel which included little toys like a slinky, key rings, coloring book, crayons, silly putty, and a little fire truck. And you can't forget snacks like raisins, granola bars, cheddar bunnies, crackers and fruit chews which are good for take off and landing in place of gum. We didn't even use half the stuff. Like I mentioned earlier, he fell asleep on the way there. On the way back, he had Monster's University on demand, and he did doze off for a bit, and he's really into coloring, so that was most of his entertainment.
We had quite the scare on the way home. 2 hours before we were set to arrive at JFK, our son began having a seizure...eyes rolling back, stiff body, arms shaking. I was freaked out (although my husband mentioned I seemed really calm - a weird trait that I have - someone mentioned this to me at work once too). We called a stewardess for help. We brought our son to the back of the plane where the stewardess laid down a blanket and some pillows for him. She got some oxygen to give him and ice water and face towels so we could sponge him off to lower his temperature. After the crazy convulsions stopped, he proceeded to throw up, so we turned him on his side. She took his pulse which felt to me like it was racing - not sure what it ended up being, and took his temperature which was normal. The stewardess was very calming and assured us that this was a common occurrence in children. I saw no panic in her face which helped make me feel slightly better although I felt like the world had stopped. She thought it was a febrile seizure which occurs when there is a spike in someone's temperature, although he didn't have a fever before or have a cold. I think he must have just overheated somehow. They lowered the cabin temperature from 24 to 20 Celsius, and looked for a place to set up a bed. My hubby put the oxygen mask near our son's mouth and that seemed to jolt him awake. Then he kind of fell asleep. We sat him up and he threw up again. He was really groggy. The staff was nice to give us a night shirt because stupidly enough this time around, I did not pack any spare clothes for him. And now there was puke everywhere. The bed they set up was in first class. Nice, never had the luxury of being in first class before but would rather not have the circumstance that brought us there. They were able to find 3 free seats close together and so we all moved our stuff to first class. Our little one was crying at first but then I calmed him down and he fell asleep. I didn't notice at first since I was so concerned with the baby, but Samuel L. Jackson was sitting right next to where the baby was sleeping. Whoa. Crazy. BTW, First Class got a formal tea/selection of sandwiches for "breakfast", french pressed coffee, even a bar to sit at. I think economy got a coffee cake our something like that. And their seats lay totally flat if you wanted with a nice foot stool with fluffy pillows and comforters. When we were about to land, our son had to sit on one of our laps. My husband took the honors. They let us keep the blanket over our son's legs so he wouldn't be cold. Poor little one. He ended up throwing up again all over the comforter, hubby's jeans and the seat. Oops.
We weren't sure if we should take him to the ER or wait until the next day to bring him to our pediatrician. We called our pediatrician's office and the answering service suggested we come into the office for a check up on Monday morning since he seemed normal at the time we called. I couldn't even sleep that night. I kept checking to make sure he was ok and not feverish and not having any seizures. In the morning, I made an appointment for 9AM. The doctor checked him out and all vitals seemed fine. She said she also suspected that it was a febrile seizure but she couldn't say for sure what caused it. So now we just have to keep watch and notify them if it happens again. She did mention that any seizure that lasts 5 minutes or longer, you should call 911 or get him to the ER asap. She mentioned if he has a seizure and both arms aren't moving in the same direction, it is also a cause for concern and would need to be evaluated. Also if this is a febrile seizure, it is likely it will occur again if he has a spike in temperature. Ah the joys of parenthood.
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