Trusting Your Gut Instinct: Knowing When to Go to the Emergency Department

I have partnered with Dartmouth-Hitchcock to bring you a series of stories that highlight the care and services they bring to New Hampshire. Our personal experience with the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock have formed my opinions of DHMC, and I am incredibly grateful to the amazing doctors, nurses and staff there who have helped our son, Jack.

There’s nothing that really prepares you for becoming a parent. You’re thrust into a world of unknowns and suddenly feel the heavy weight of caring for a tiny, little, vulnerable person that you created.

For the most part you figure it out along the way, but when something happens to your little one and you know they need the care of a professional your gut will often tell you: head to the emergency department.

That’s what happened the night our then, 8 month old son Jack, spiked a fever. It was 11pm on a Saturday night, he was inconsolable, refused to nurse and his temperature hovered around 102. We did everything in our power to figure out what was wrong. He had had surgery five weeks before and despite the fact that his incision had healed well, we knew something was wrong. We tried to comfort him, but that gut instinct that tells you something is really wrong made me say to my husband, “We have to go to the emergency department."

We rushed across town to our local hospital, where it was quickly determined that we needed the care of the experts at the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD). Once we were transferred, I felt relieved, knowing that our son would receive the best care available in our state. We immediately met with our surgeon who came in on Father's Day to make sure our son was OK. The care and skill of the staff made Jack comfortable and the infection that caused the fever was resolved. Now, Jack is a healthy and rambunctious three year-old boy.

The Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock is New Hampshire’s only children’s hospital and serves a majority of New Hampshire and Vermont. The world-class doctors and staff there have given our son, Jack the most amazing care, both during his surgeries and during our emergency visit post-op.

Since becoming parents we have had our fair share of emergency department visits, some have been legitimate emergencies like when we were rushed to CHaD with our son. Others have been more precautionary, like the time we thought Jack had eaten Nightshade berries and it turned out it was no big deal. And every time we go, I’m always grateful for the expert care of the doctors and staff.

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Dartmouth-Hitchcock has 30 locations across New Hampshire and Vermont, making access to expert care convenient. For any parent who’s has a child that’s fallen ill or has been injured in some way, proximity to expert care is paramount. I’m so grateful that the care has been there for us and is available to so many other families just like ours.

Want to help make sure that the same care Jack received is there for others?

Please consider helping me reach my fundraising goal by making a donation to the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Click HERE to donate.

--Sarah

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