I lost my baby to dehydration two months ago and I blamed myself up till this moment.

Hi doctor, there are some medical issues that look so non problematic but their adverse effect could shatter a home. The loss of a child isn’t what I pray for anyone. I lost my baby to dehydration two months ago and I blamed myself up till this moment. It was a case of inadequate knowledge. I was inexperienced. He was my first child and was just 1 year old. He didn’t have temperature all through the night and the only brief sign he gave me in the morning was a brief vomit. I thought it happened because I over fed him. It never occur to me it was a symptom. I dressed him up and took him to the crèche. It was around 4pm that I got a call that my baby was not feeling fine.

He had been stooling and it was when it got out of their hand that they called me. I could not recognize my son by the time I got there. He used to be big and I couldn’t just fathom how he could loss so much within a twinkle of an eye. His eyes had enter and I had to drive very fast to the nearest hospital to save him. I watched as the doctor battled to get a vein but couldn’t. I watched as they scraped his hair still looking for a vein. I watched as he passed a nonstop water through his anus. I cried as they finally set a drip and I watched two women wept for the death of their babies to the same dehydration. I looked at mine looking lifeless .I touched his hand and felt coldness. I screamed .I went mad briefly. It wasn’t a dream .I wasn’t watching a movie. He was really gone; just like that!

 Doctors Response:

Dehydration in children is a very serious issue and one of the major leading cause of death in children in under developing countries. It is always perceived to be seasonal because of the contagious nature of diarrhea (a process of which the body flushes out germs in form of loose or watery stools from the system.)

Dehydration is often as a result of viral, bacterial and parasitic infection with symptoms like fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and inability to drink or eat. Other symptoms of a dehydrated child are: sunken eye, dry diapers, no tears when the child cries, reduced rate of urination etc. Viral infection such as rotavirus, Norwalk virus and adnnovirus are responsible for vomiting or diarrhea in children. Due to the heavy loss of water from the body, it is highly important to replace the lost water with either breast milk or oral rehydration solution in children to avoid great consequences and to prevent the above narrated experience from repeating itself. Water alone is not sufficient as it lacks certain nutrients to safely rehydrate the younger ones. Dehydration caused by bacteria infection like Salmonella, Escherichia coil, Campylobacter and Clostridium difficlle  can make a child not to eat or drink. Dehydration can also happen in adults, most especially people suffering from diabetes mellitus. Urgent visitation to a pediatrician in needed on this when you notice any of this.

A severe dehydration is very dangerous as it can cause brain damage, seizures and even death in both children and adult.

Consult here