From crybaby to emergency admission: the story of Maud

Part 2: Maud's Story

Written by Iris Prins, founder of Flomea Care and Maud’s mother.

The feeling that there was more to it than 'just a colicky baby' grew stronger. So we went back to the GP.

We were given a laxative for her stool. According to the doctor, that would probably solve the problem. But deep down, doubt gnawed at me. Because all I could think was:

"But she barely drinks... it's logical then that there's barely any stool, isn't it?"

Still, we tried to follow the advice. Maybe they were right. Maybe I was worrying too much.

But a week later, nothing had changed.

Maud kept crying inconsolably, drank worse and worse, and became paler and paler. Her lips became dry, and as a mother, I felt it in everything: this isn't right.

After contacting the GP again, the main question was whether she still shed tears when she cried. Because I had seen a tear that day, dehydration was not immediately suspected. It would still be a colicky baby.

I still remember how powerless I felt. Exhausted, frustrated, and most of all, scared. Scared because I saw that things weren't going well, but felt like no one truly saw how bad Maud was doing.

That evening, I reached my limit.

Someone close to me said:

"Go to the emergency doctor's office. This can't go on any longer."

Normally, I would have told myself that tomorrow was a new day. But this time, I really didn't know what to do anymore.

So we went.

There I sat, completely distraught, with a baby who wouldn't stop crying and couldn't be comforted.

From that moment on, everything suddenly went fast. Within an hour, we were referred to the emergency room. We were allowed to go home that night, but the next morning we had to return immediately for an appointment with the gastroenterologist.

And thankfully so.

Less than five hours later, Maud was admitted with severe dehydration.

I will never forget that moment. There I sat with my lifeless baby in my arms, while everything around us started moving. Doctors, examinations, scans, conversations... it just kept going.

A bowel biopsy was also taken from her. For me as a mother, that was a nightmare to experience. You see your little baby lying there, while something is happening that you would most wish you could take over. But you can't do anything. Only watch. Standing beside her powerless and hoping it will be over soon.

Until finally, the feeding tube was placed.

As intense as that moment was, it gave me a little bit of peace for the first time in a long time. Because finally, food was entering her stomach again. Finally, her little body was getting the help it so desperately needed.

Part 3 coming soon; a period of uncertainty, investigations, and ultimately a diagnosis.

Do you want to discover more about Flomea Care and Iris’s story?
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