You never think it will happen to you

You read the news, you scan your news feed…social media has made it increasingly difficult to maintain the ignorance is bliss mantra. Since having kids, I hate the news even more, to the point I considered completely removing all social media and living without it.  But I didn’t and I have seen many stories and accounts of babies choking. Obstruction in their airway and throats. Scary stories. Ones that made me sick to my damn stomach.. But I would quickly scoop up my girls and give a big hug, be thankful they were healthy, happy and thriving.

When your baby starts eating solid food, it’s exciting and such a fun time to have them experience new flavours and textures. You film them trying everything new for the first time, or at least with your first kid you do. Then it happens. That shit terrifying moment that they choke. That panic that goes through your body instantly. The immediate need to intervene and help. When I did learn from having babies is 1) know how to perform proper Heimlich maneuver on babies and 2) give them a second. Your baby is good at figuring it out, I promise you.I even made sure that smaller toys from my toddler were up high and put away for the baby. I was careful, and I paid attention. or so I thought.

It was all good until…

It was a day like any other on mat leave. My youngest was 9 months old and her and my toddler had just finished lunch and were playing in the playroom which is connected to our kitchen. I was right there. We had literally just cleaned up the playroom that morning. I was opening and reading mail when I heard it. You know the sound. Someone can’t breath. Someone is choking. My fucking kid is choking! I got up and ran into the playroom in time to see my youngest puke. and be fine. She was completely fine. She didn’t even cry. I examined her puke (the things you do as parents I swear) and saw nothing she could have choked on. Her sister had been eating blueberries and I assumed one went down wrong. I cleaned her up and we went about our day as normal.

Fast forward to 3 hours later I am folding laundry and baby is crawling around unfolding everything I just folded. It’s not just a meme, this shit happens. Anyways, she randomly starts choking over nothing, seriously, it was so weird. I thought she was just coughing at first, but then her eyes started to water and she went red. I scooped her up and turned her over, head down and did back blows and I heard her cry. This time it scared her, she cried and started throwing up…blood. She was throwing up blood. Not a lot, but it was there and she wouldn’t stop throwing up. It was just saliva and blood. Scariest moment of my life, coupled with my toddler asking why was she throwing up blood?

The longest 5 minutes of my life

Have you ever had to call 911 for any actual reason? It is terrifying and also maddening. It’s not like the movies where they pick up and immediately start talking. No, no. First they ask you what you need, fire

ambulance or police. I replied with my address. Just get here. The operator was amazing though and said he could hear her crying so knew she was breathing and ok. The ambulance got there within 5 minutes. If you think 5 minutes could ever feel like a lifetime, I’m here to tell you that it can. Paramedics were amazing and really calmed me down. Sean followed us in the car and our amazing neighbours took in my eldest until my Mom could get her. If you could have any neighbours, you want these guys.

 

We get to the hospital and it is relieving and frustrating all at the same time. My poor girl is throwing up

 

pretty regularly but yet no one is rushing her in for x-ray or looking down her throat with a flashlight. She was deceivingly  happy between her episodes, so I’m sure doctors were thinking she was just fine. You could tell she was unhappy though as she kept putting her fingers at her throat and her mouth grabbing at some invisible thing to remove. We finally got into x-ray and she was examined with an IV drip put in. Which, side note…was the hardest thing to do. Pinning your baby down so a nurse can poke her is awful. She was so beyond upset, red and sweating from crying so hard. Gosh, it hurts my heart again all over just thinking about it.

 

A twig!

Well the X-ray was anticlimactic as it showed nothing so off to surgery

she went. Sean and I were sitting in the waiting room thinking “god, what if they find nothing!?” That would be the worst thing. But alas, 15 minutes later the surgeon comes out with this! a TWIG!

She had gotten a twig stuck in her throat. 

 

Happy ending as she was fine, she was drunk on anesthetic and we had a good laugh and got to take her home. She had the hiccups for 3 days straight and her voice sounded like she was a baby smoker for a couple days but she was fine.

Oh, and if you have a dog and small children…check what that dog tracks into the house. That’s exactly how she got it in the first place. I never would have thought.

I should mention that the doctor was amazing. I was feeling like the worlds shittiest mom for having this happen and he said he has been doing this years and you literally cannot be everywhere all the time. Especially with two. The nurses also, amazing. They patted my hand, gave me a heated blanket in the waiting room and assured me that it happens to the best of us. You can bet that I am super paranoid now and check the dogs feet every time I let her in.

(Truth: She was so out of it in this picture, we took shameless video)

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