Today is my little brother's 18th birthday. Happy Birthday, John! :o) He'll be going off to college at Mississippi State soon... hard to believe. To celebrate, we went to dinner tonight with my family. Aubrey was not really into her baby food, as is often the case these days. We're getting this reaction. We think she might like some "grown up" food. So we decide to order her a vegetable. I think that the baby carrots will be a good choice for her. Being the protective mother that I am, I ask our waitress what the carrots are cooked in. I tell her I am ordering them for my baby, and I want to make sure they're ok for her. She says they are just steamed carrots. I say, "Wonderful, bring them on."
So the carrots arrive and look fine. I start giving Aubrey little bites, and she is loving them. I decide to taste a bite myself. I notice that they taste sweet. I think, "Great, they're probably loaded with sugar." We're not letting her have sweets until her first birthday. But I am just happy she is eating a vegetable, so I don't think too much of it. Well, after a minute more it dawns on me: I hope these don't have honey on them!! For those of you who may not know, babies under a year old are not supposed to have honey. Our pediatrician gives us a sheet of no-no's every time we go see her, and honey is always stressed. NO HONEY! I think surely these carrots wouldn't have honey on them. Who puts honey on steamed carrots??
Well, I'm kind of worried at this point, so I ask our waitress if there is any chance the carrots might have honey on them. She doesn't think so, but I ask her to check in the kitchen just to be sure. She returns and guess what?? The carrots do, in fact, have honey on them. UGH!!! My parents try to calm me down and tell me they're sure Aubrey didn't eat enough to hurt her, and even if she did she would probably show immediate signs.
As soon as we get home I google "babies eating honey." I find this scary article. Apparently the amount of honey with bacteria a baby would have to consume to be harmful is so small it's invisible to the naked eye. And you'll know if your child is infected anywhere from 8 hours to 30 days (!!!) after consumption. So now I have to worry about her for 30 days!!!
The good news is that this is really rare and is most dangerous for babies under 6 months old. Also, if caught and treated, your baby will most likely be fine after a month in the ICU, being on a ventilator, being tube fed, and $100, 000 worth of hospital bills. Comforting.
I'm sure she's going to be fine. I just can't believe that I'm always so careful about what she eats, and then this happens. It just reminds me that no matter how careful or protective I am as a mother, I will not be able to protect my child from everything. This is a scary realization, but it's so comforting to be reminded that Aubrey belongs to God -- a good God who loves her more than I ever could.
3 comments:
Oh, Carrie! I am sure she will be fine.....I mean it sounded like the guy that wrote in had been feeding his daughter honey for quite some time and she's probably even fine. BUT, I know you and I know you are going to be a nervous wreck for 30 days regardless. My mom always tells me to try to remember that I survived my childhood and I rode home from the hospital without a carseat and slept on my stomach every night. And she survived childhood and she rode in cars without seat belts and slept on her stomach in a crib full of pillows and puffy bedding. THERE IS JUST SO MUCH TO WORRY ABOUT NOW. But you are right, the Lord will take care of her. I will be praying for her and for your peace of my. Way to go on being so vigilant; if something is wrong, you'll know right away and can nip it in the bud!
The good news is that you can sue the restaurant for the medical bills since you did ask what the carrots were cooked with and they told you they were only steamed.That's really awful!! I hope that waitress knows better for next time!
That sounds like something that would happen to me! Try not to worry. . . your intentions were so good! Love you!
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