Friday, April 23, 2010

A Difficult Day

Yesterday, I put Maddie on my bed and started to walk around to the other side. My intention was to nurse her down for a nap so that I could finish getting ready for a retreat I'd be leaving for in a couple of hours. Instead, she decided to quickly crawl to the edge of the bed and fall off.
Only she didn't just fall off. There's a dresser right next to that side of my bed. First, she hit her head on the corner of the dresser than proceeded to slide down the corner of the dresser until she landed on the floor flat on top of her head. Then, facing the bed, her neck bent backwards into a complete upside down U shape until her shoulders hit the ground and she was in a back bend. It was horrifying to see.

I grabbed her to comfort her. Scott came running, saw the bruise/gash on her forehead, and ran downstairs for the arnica and antibiotic ointment. Meanwhile, she wasn't calming so I tried to nurse her. She was crying too hard for that. I finally got her somewhat calmed down and decided that I didn't care about getting to the retreat early, I'm taking her to the doctor to make sure she's ok. I got the soonest appointment I could, 45 minutes later, at one of their offices. After the doctor checked her out (she was still cranky), she consulted with a few other doctors and insisted that we go to ER for a better check.

So, over to ER they escorted us (we were across the street from Mary Bridge Children's hospital) where I spent the next four hours. They took vitals, felt her neck, check her abdomen, looked for neurological symptoms, and x-rayed both of her forearms. The latter was because she had been treating one of them funny, like it hurt sometimes. Finally, the doctor glued her small forehead laceration together to help reduce scarring and sent us home with paperwork telling me how to watch for signs of head trauma but words saying he expected none.
Meanwhile, my husband was trying to take my son to taekwondo but Josh threw up in the car on the way there. So, they turned around and headed home. Scott cleaned Josh up, cleaned the car seat up, and cleaned his car up. I got home soon after and watched Josh throw up again. We're not sure if he is sick with a virus or drank something bad. He had found a cup of juice from the day before and drank at least some of it earlier in the day.

So, the big kids helped me finish packing for my retreat and spent some time with Madelynn before I left. They were a little shaken to find out we were in the ER and needed that time with her before I whisked her off for the weekend. With promises of pictures of Madelynn and email, I left.

Today, she's back to her old self. I thank God that she is fine. The bruise on her head isn't looking so bad and she's her happy, bouncy self.

Before yesterday, I had thought I'd put her down for naps and use a baby monitor so I can rejoin the group. But now I'm worried about her falling off the bed. So, we tried making a makeshift crib out of a futon in our cabin. We haven't tried it for naps yet (she's taking a nap next to me while I type this) but she didn't enjoy sitting there while I used the restroom and took her photo.


"What am I doing in here?" or "Peek a boo!"


Actually, Mom, this is kinda cool!

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5 Comments:

Dana said...

Be careful with those cushions, too. I'm probably just paranoid, and Maddie is a little older, but I've been reading about babies suffocating on sofas.

You could try for a nap on the floor. I've done that with little ones. Works much better if you don't mind laying on the floor nursing for a little while. :)

Anonymous said...

oh my - I am so relieved to hear she's okay! I can well imagine how terrifying that was to witness!

JoAnn said...

I think the cushions will be ok. They are quite firm.

The floor here is thin indoor/outdoor carpet on concrete (I think)...very hard. I was worried about the safety of the blankets I'd have to put down for it to be soft enough to lay on.

Odds are, she'll just be with me 24/7. So far she's napped in my lap a couple of times, which she normally doesn't do.

Working Through said...

Wow ! I am glad she is ok. I know your heart was in your throat !!

I have my bed on the floor ! I am so paranoid of falls off the bed. We have our share of other falls around here.

Shadowclaw/Goldenpelt/Ashpaw said...

Mika: Aww, Maddy's so CUTE in those pictures! Watching her fall off the bed must've been scary, but I'm glad she's ok now.

Sam: Hi! How are you doing?! Maddy's cute in those two pictures.