As a child I was quite accident prone, breaking my collar bone twice and having a green stick fracture in my arm. But I always thought trips to the hospital were cool and if you were lucky enough to come home with a sling or plaster cast that was even better.
Now I’m a mother I definitely don’t think this is cool, and a trip to the Doctors or A&E with my children fills me with fear.
Our first trip to hospital was with Elliott when he was diagnosed with infant reflux at 4 weeks old, but I won’t go into that again. The next was definitely less life threatening but I’m sure I could have won an award for my melodramatic parenting.
We’d just been out shopping to buy Elliott presents for his forthcoming 1st birthday, and as we entered the house I carried him into the lounge and sat him on the floor before turning around to close the front door behind us (which was literally a metre away). Then as I turned back I couldn’t see him. I called him half expecting him to peek behind the sofa with a cheesy grin. The next thing I heard was his cry and I knew he was by the stairs. I dashed to his side only to see his head cut and pouring with blood. If your child has ever had a head injury before you’ll know that the volume of blood is immense, even for a minor cut. And if you haven’t, be prepared. We usually have a stair gate on, but for whatever reason it wasn’t on that day, and typically I presume he’d tried to climb the stairs. Total mum fail 🙁 I’m certain in that split second he hadn’t got far, but he must’ve tried to turn around on the stairs when he heard me call him, catching his noggin on the edge of the skirting board. Ouch.
At the sight of all the blood I dramatically rushed out into the streets with him in my arms knocking on my neighbours doors screaming “help”. I can laugh (and cringe) about it now but I genuinely thought he’d done some serious damage. I also blame my hormones for my Oscar winning performance as I was 7 months pregnant with Joseph at the time. My lovely neighbour came to my rescue, calmed me down and told me to take him to the Doctors which I did. A tearful explanation, a few wipes and a couple of steri strips later and he was all bandaged up. Not quite good as new, but most definitely not anywhere near as bad as I had thought.
Joseph was next to fall victim to a cut head. scraping the back of it on the wall in our garden and then a couple of months later a bit more seriously on the radiator behind the couch. This time (poor little lad) the Oscar winning performance came from him running up to me saying I’m going to die. My heart pangs for him even now as I know how terrified he was at the sight of all that blood. Totally keeping my cool this time, I told him he wasn’t going to die and consoled both him and Elliott, who was also in tears thinking his brother was at deaths door. A swift trip to A&E as the Doctors was closed. He was seen, and glued back together almost instantly.
Quite possibly the worst accident to date is when Elliott dislocated his elbow. He and Joseph were in the garden playing on the trampoline when Joseph came running in saying Elliott had hurt himself. When I looked out Elliott was walking towards me with his arm dangling. My stomach churned as I knew he’d done something awful. Poor little chap was white as a sheet and in total shock. I don’t think he cried until he had to have it popped back in bless him. Mainly because of shock, but the gas and air he was given by the hospital to cope with the pain during the x-ray and examination most definitely helped too.
Something that I have massive mum guilt for is not being able to take Elliott to the hospital myself. Anabelle was due to wake up from her nap at any moment and needed (breast)feeding which Rob as much as he wanted to, couldn’t do. So he went with Elliott. In a way I am glad he was there with his Daddy as I know I would have been an emotional wreck watching him get pulled and prodded like that, and would have quite possibly made things worse. Even now, everything seems that bit more emotional and traumatic when you tell your mum. Or it does for me!
We are SO proud of Elliott for how he coped on the day, but even more so during his recovery. When his cast was removed after 6 weeks, he had to do daily exercises so he could straighten his arm again and build up muscle. Without prompting he did this without fail. The nurse at the rehabilitation clinic was overwhelmed by his progress and dedication. As were we.
I’m really hoping Anabelle doesn’t adopt my clumsiness and touch wood we don’t have any imminent hospital visit with her, or any more with the boys for that matter.
I literally lay awake thinking of THE MOST horrendous scenarios and ‘what ifs’ sometimes. I know I am just torturing myself but I can’t help it. Does anybody else do this or am I just an absolute loon?
Who else has had to take the little ones to the doctors or A&E for scrapes, broken bones or worse?
Image by Anna at We Are The Clarkes.
I can feel it coming in our house. We’ve had two head bangs in a week this week.
Leo was playing run and jump on the bean bag with his cousin on Sunday and in typical mom style I said ‘stop doing that because you’re going to hit your head on the wall’. Less than a minute later… Bang. Right off the corner of the wall. How AWFUL is that cry?! I felt sick. There was an instant lump and a cut but not deep enough to warrant stitching. But I felt awful. If I could foresee what was coming why didn’t I put a stop to it there and then instead of nonchalantly telling him it was going to happen?! Ergh.
So I went and bought a cold compress that you can keep in the fridge for fear of it happening again and me only having a bag of petite pous to put on his beautiful bonce.
Then low and behold, yesterday he scootered into a lamp post?! I’ve never known a kid to look anywhere other than where he’s going so much! But Mr Bump cold compress came to the rescue!
X
Ah poor Leo. Thankfully Mr Bump cold compress was on hand.
I forever feel like the bad mum spoiling their fun saying don’t do this you’re going to hurt yourself. Most of the time they listen but when they don’t and inevitably hurt themselves. Inside I’m screaming I told you so, and also arguing with myself that I wasn’t more forceful. I’m trying not to be the nagging over protective mum, but children are just some kind of thrill seekers aren;t they? And seem to be determined to play games where they could potentially hurt themselves… xxx
That cry is the worst sound in the world, it’s instantly recognisable.
When S was about 3 months old, I lifted her out of her bouncy chair thing and caught her head on the edge of a table- I was convinced she was going to die or be brain damaged and rushed to the doctors in a total panic. Surprise surprise she was fine, and the doctor was lovely: he said he was sorry to say but this was probably the first of many scares, that’s just what children do.
Move on to now when at 18 months she is determined to run everywhere and his words come back to haunt me daily! Nothing serious thank heaven but she hit her face on a chair leg playing chase with Daddy and has had the most awful bruise for the last week!
But she is a tough little cookie for the most part- she was playing at the playground and walloped herself while going under a bridge, I was ready for tears but she just looked at me and said “Mama bump!”
It’s a chilling noise isn’t it, one you only hear when something is seriously wrong.
Children are much more resilient than we give them credit for, but when you love somebody SO much you don’t want to see even the slightest scrape on them.
The first time I broke my collar bone was when I was a baby. My mum tells me my Aunty lifted me up and caught it on the chest freezer handle. Ouch.
Anabelle is very robust and just dusts herself off after a fall. I think it’s playing with older brothers that’s made her so tough. xxx
We’ve had all sorts with our oldest – when he was about 3 months he rolled off the bed (not my fault AT ALL. Ahem.) and I ran to my doctor in a total, grade A panic but he was very reassuring about the sturdiness of babies!
A while ago he took a tumble at the park and fractured his ankle. Thankfully he didn’t need a cast but was immobile for a month (actually made my life easier not having to chase him around, ha ha!). A&E were brilliant and again very reassuring that children bounce back.
The worst thing we have had was when he had a virus and we ended up having to call an ambulance (I won’t go into detail!), we had a worrying few hours in hospital but thankfully he was fine. Once again the doctors and nurses were brilliant and it was actually quite reassuring that he could be so very ill but actually have nothing seriously wrong with him (does that make sense?). It has made me calmer when my children are ill now.
My oldest is completely mad and reckless so I see many more incidents in our future!
Was it tough keeping him still Fionnula? I’m sure mine would still get up to mischief somehow…
Oh no that sounds like a scary time, glad it was nothing sinister.
I definitely think once you’ve dealt with one ordeal you are more equipt with dealing with the next xx
He was too afraid to walk on it which helped! He just sat on the sofa looking at books/watching Disney. Was quite relaxing! But such a relief when he was up and about again.
We’ve been relatively lucky so far, mainly just minor bumps and grazes but I know what you mean about the blood. Freddie was probably just over a year old, so walking but not that steady and fell over in his bedroom landing on the tommee tippee bin that I had just taken the lid off to change the liner (typical).
The amount of blood was terrifying. I completely fell apart and became totally hysterical when I’m usually the calm, rational parent! My husband had to prise him from me and go and clean him up. It was actually only a small graze on the tip of his nose and I felt so ridiculous afterwards.
To be honest I think having an incident like that has helped as I’m much better now at being calm but I’m sure we’ve got lots more to come!
xx
Ah bless you. I completely empathise with you Agnes. In your mind all that blood must equal a horrendous injury. So pleased it was a little scape. But definitely agree once you’ve experienced one accident you handle the next one much better. xxx
Every school holiday, birthday, Christmas etc my brother was guaranteed a trip to A&E. Bitten by a squirrel, moth in his ear (seriously!!), broken bones, torn ligaments, joints dislocating because of the torn ligaments… This list was endless. I however as a child was the complete opposite. May be it’s because girls are more careful and less boisterous then boys.
Gosh Claire, sounds like there was never a dull moment in your house. I bet your parents were SO grateful you weren’t like your brother. I feel exhausted just thinking about all those injuries xxx
So scary. I was the kid that was in A&E almost every week. Broken ankles, arm, wrist, toes, cut chins. You name it. And mostly just whilst walking around normally!! I hate to say it but Alice seems to have inherited my clumsiness. She trips over her own feet all the time. She has had more black eyes than I can count.
I did once have to go to A&E when I thought Alice had drunk a whole bottle of her teething Anbesol. I’d left the lid off in her bedroom in my sleep deprived state. I didn’t really want to but my GP sent me as it’s really dangerous apparently. Turns out she obviously hadn’t but where on earth it went I have no idea.
They are both pretty tough cookies though and luckily I’m quite calm most of the time. It also helps that my next door neighbour is an Intensive care nurse. She gets quite a few calls to check them out.
I think my worst was when we were on holiday this year. I heard Alice scream and turned around to see she had fallen off a low wall she was standing on during the mini disco. Blood everywhere and at first I had no idea what had happened. She had actually bitten through the bottom of her lip which was pretty scary and was the only time I didn’t stay calm as I hate the site of gore and blood. In the end we just iced it and I can’t believe how well it has healed.
I’m sure there will be many more visits to come if they take after their mother!
xxx
I hate it when they get a black eye don’t you Lottie? I feel like people are starring at me and accusing me of beating them up. Elliott has had quite a few recently too from, Iron runs, football etc.
It’s definitely the sight of the blood that makes you assume it’s worse. Although biting through your lip does sound horrendous. Poor little poppet. xxx
Parents worst nightmare isn’t it when your baby is poorly or had a accident.
Grace was 18 months old when she was playing in the back garden on a 12ft trampoline. It had the mesh protective net all the way around, but this instance for some reason the zip wouldn’t do all the way down (so slight cap in the net).
I thought I’ll watch her anyway so i put her in and she bounced and bounced like a little lunatic bless her!!
Turned my back for a split second and guess what…. yes correct she fell through the cap that I couldn’t zip up. Typical! She fell on the stone path we had not the grass that the trampoline was on. Next thing I see was this lump grow under her long sleeve t- shirt she had on on her elbow. Panicked oh ye I panicked. Didn’t know what to do, take the t-shirt off or hold her elbow? So many thoughts going through my head. Grace was claim, I think she was more shocked than anything didnt know what had happened.
Went to a&e and she had a hairline fracture. Had to go down to theatre and have a pin put through..worst experience of my life. Watching her go under general anaesthetic. My poor baby in a cast. ?
Through all this Grace was amazing just plodding along as toddlers do.
Now have a 11 week old and it doesn’t get any easier still have the fears and what if’s. They are your babies and all you want to do is wrap them up in cotton wall for ever!
Ah Emma you poor love. It is always the way when your back is turned for that split second. Sounds like Grace was an absolute trooper and so brave. Bet that image of her falling asleep from the anaesthetic will haunt you forever. Fingers crossed your new little ones doesn’t take after their sister xxx
We’ve also been pretty lucky with Elle so far, although she’s fallen and bitten her mouth/lips a few times which also results in a lot of blood. And she’s currently going through a phase where she wants to hold the dogs lead, which is always going to end in tears, as he’s so much stronger than her. I need to start doing Becky’s trick of using two leads – one for her to hold and one for me to hold.
We weren’t particularly accident prone kids, so I’m hoping Elle takes after me and not Matt, who is covered in scars from various accidents x
I wonder how much these little ones understand when you explained to them something is dangerous and they can’t do it?
A second leash sounds like a fab idea, especially if she’s so persistent in helping.
Fingers crossed Elle is like her mummy xxx
Could you use a Cani-X lead? Then she can feel like she is leading but your dog is secured to you by the waist? We loved ours. Glamorous it isn’t though…
We’ve always let our son have a sort of free reign and decided that a few bumps when he started to get mobile would be more helpful to him to be aware of minor dangers in the house than stopping him from doing things. He is very funny in that if he does fall, unless he has really hurt himself, he will just stand up ‘dust himself down’ and wipe his hands together and he is off again which is very cute to watch!
When he was about 1 I caught him with the toilet rim block in his hands – still not sure whether he actually put it in his mouth or not, but his face didn’t smell very lemony at the time….this week he slipped in the bath and banged his mouth on the handle in the bath and it started bleeding inside. He obviously wouldn’t let us look, but he was fine as soon I caved and gave him a dummy!
We’ve been lucky so far and haven’t had any trips to A&E. I say so far – Zoe is a climber! I’ve just finished a 3-day first aid at work course. My office needed a first aider but I volunteered primarily so I’d have some training in what to do if she ever hurts herself more seriously. 🙂
Such a timely post for me. My husband thinks E’s first word will be ‘careful’ as it is all I seem to say at the moment. I get so uptight about bruises and bumps, we have been lucky that she has only ever had minor falls so far but it still upsets me so much.
I know I need to toughen up to it, she has recently started walking (and climbing) and is so adventurous. I really don’t want to inhibit her so try to relax as much as possible but it is so hard.
My mum was very nervous about me (first baby) getting hurt and as a result I was scared of pretty much everything in a park and I think it is partly why I am still quite a worrier. So really don’t want to give off the same vibes.
I am balanced by my husband who has a very ‘let’s see how she manages with climbing all the wooden steps up to the big slide and hurling herself down’ approach to parenting. His mum was a dr so therefore unless your leg was hanging off, you were deemed fine and sent off to play when he was younger. This means he is scared of nothing and will give anything a go. I really want her to take after him with that attitude.
I think part of it is I have no prior experience of children so don’t know if it is ok or normal for her to bump herself. These stories have definitely made me realise it is just part of growing up and it will happen (probably worse than a bruised knee at some point) .
Thanks for yet another great post. Going to bookmark it to refer back to when I am having a wobble.
Xxx
Ps. My mum had totally relaxed by the time she had my brother and he practically had his own seat at A&E. A classic was when he was being a ‘stunt rider’ and just rode his trike straight off the garden wall.
Oh my, I am really not ready for the active toddler stage…! We had a bit of a baptism of fire with our little one, with ambulances for an “unexplained life threatening incident” when she was 9 days old. Still not a clue what happened, possibly low blood sugar, but noone could say for sure. Cue not being released from hospital without baby CPR training (which thankfully we had done on a first aid course before she was born, but it was reassuring to learn it again!). Then we were back in A&E when she was a few weeks older thanks to an awful skin infection. Touch wood we haven’t been back in A&E so far this year, but she did manage to bash her mouth (when teething, naturally) a couple of weeks ago causing quite a bit more blood than I was expecting! She was totally fine, but it did give me a taste of what may come. I will remember all the comments about head injuries and try not to panic when it happens!!! We are pros at getting to A&E now though, so that may come in handy 🙂
Felix came home from nursery with a cracker of a bruise above his eyebrow yesterday. Apparently he’d been stood at a table and turned and let go (he’s only just mastered pulling himself up!) and collided with the table corner!
I was constantly injuring myself as a child. I didn’t understand the concept of brakes on my bike so used to just use my feet to stop cue lots of catapulting over the handle bars and various neighbours bringing me home to be patched up! I once fell through a roundabout at the park (a very old school 80s possibly 70s one made up of metal rings you perched on and a wiggled back to stop myself slipping off and fell through!). I broke my leg sliding down a climbing frame pole when I was 10 (shell suits are not very good on slidey poles!).
My husband has properly been in the wars. When he was tiny (3 or 4) he fell off the very top of the handrail of a slide at the park. He somehow landed on his shoulders not his head and woke up complaining he was hungry! And as it was the early 80s he was sent home the same day from the hospital!
He’s also electrocuted himself and knocked himself out loads at Scouts or playing Rugby!
So I expect Felix will probably follow suit…..
Remembered too late but my brothers are twins and have a number of “take your eye off one” stories. The best/worst involved one pooing all over the cream carpet in a rental house and the other drinking the Dettox being used to clear it up. Luckily it’s totally non toxic (or was in the 90s)….! Also one had a finger nearly severed by a play farm pig??!!