THUD!!! My Baby Fell!!!

You heard that sickening sound and your stomach muscles started to contract... too late, the wailing rose to a crescendo.

Your baby just fell off the bed/cot/high chair/couch/steps/table/staircase.....

We told ourselves that we'd be really quick, baby should be quite safe. He isn't rolling that far yet or she can sit still for two seconds (what were we thinking?) or the cot is low enough to prevent him from falling off the sides.

But, the next second after it happened, we felt terribly lousy about ourselves... and I mean the "my-baby-is-going-to-die-it's-all-my-fault-and-I-don't-deserve-to-be-a-mom/dad" kind of lousy.

What happened recently..........

Monday

My baby fell off the high chair. She must have landed on her head as I could feel a huge bump on the left side of her head. However, minutes later, she was her usual self again, playing and laughing away.

Tuesday

Everything was normal. No vomiting. No fainting or signs of unconsciousness. She was perfectly normal. By night time however, I felt a soft, spongy lump on her head where the hard bump used to be. My heart sank. Did the skull crack? Did the brain fluid leak out? In full panic mode, I rushed her to the emergency unit of a nearby hospital. The medical officer in charge asked how long had it been since she fell. I told him more than 24 hours already. 

"Oh," he said. "No fainting? No vomiting? No blood? Nothing? Everything normal? She's active? Yes? You can go home then." 

I was going "But what about this soft lump here? What is this?!" 

He then casually replied it was nothing to worry about. 

"Why??!! This is not normal!" I said.

"Our brain is very vascular so that lump is just clotted blood since some blood vessels burst. But it's not internal since she's ok. Children's bones are very flexible so they don't break so easily unlike adults and they recover very fast too. I can put a needle in to take out the blood (gasp!) , but if you don't want, just give it two or three weeks or so, the lump will disappear.... and I think, now you can also disappear!" He said with a smile.

I was relieved. My baby won't have brain damage. 

Wednesday

Baby was fine and her usual self. Mummy was feeling better but by evening, started to think that a second opinion was probably a good idea ----- just in case.

Thursday

I brought her to see the pediatrician of the said nearby hospital again. While he concurred what the medical officer said earlier, he advised X-ray to ensure there are no fractures in the skull.... which I obediently complied. The results reassured me further that there really was nothing to worry about.

What the doctor said:

If there's a fall, the next 5 - 6 hours are crucial. We have to ensure the baby/toddler/child doesn't fall asleep. Observe signs of vomiting (indication of internal injury), unconsciousness... any abnormality. After 24 hours, if all is well, there shouldn't be anything to worry about. 

What is that soft, spongy lump?

As the medical officer elaborated, just burst blood vessels which is superficial, the medical term being hematoma.

A few mothers I talked to had similar experiences e.g. baby falling off cot, daddy's clutches, bed.... so it's a common enough phenomenon for most parents to identify with. In fact, one more extreme case I got to know of was a 5 year old child falling from the second floor of a double storey house... through the window! Miraculously (and I mean, really! DIVINE!), the child was unharmed except for a few scratches..

So, I'm sharing this to hopefully, console parents who have experienced something similar. We do our best, but accidents do happen. 

For parents who have yet to experience this ( and I hope you never have to), take all the necessary preventive and precautionary measures. One can't be too careful when it comes to children. We like to think we're supermums/dads but the fact is, our reflexes aren't as lightning quick as theirs.

But if something should happen, always consult your doctor...because we can trust that doctors know best, right? Right? (more to come in Doc. Dilemma-after Man Talk)

Carpe Diem, ladies!

Becky