Is he dead or is he alive?
Will he make it through the night?
Listening, straining
Soft puffs of air breathing
Pause
Instant count – one, two, three, four, five
Soft inhalation
Breathe. Breathe.
He breathed.
Calm, heart.
He is breathing.
Listen harder
Is he still?
Breathe shallowly, to not disguise the sound
Small pockets of air
He is breathing.
Roll over.
Mucous choked breath
Coughs, then a small wail
Jump out of bed on speed
Grab the saline
Puff puff, into his nose
Incline the bed further
Check the nest is tight
Stand and watch
Count
One, two, three
He is breathing
© Karen Loo, 17 April 2021
Breathing represents many nights, but particularly when he often had bronchiolitis and pneumonia and struggled to breathe through his congestion and small nasal passageways. He was between 6 to 10 weeks old.