I’m Every Mother

 

Every mother has that feeling.  The feeling that she is working too much and not spending enough time with her kids.  It is impossible not to feel that way from time to time.  My baby boy goes to work with me every day and I still feel that way from time to time.  Last Wednesday was one of those times.

I woke up late so when my husband came home I wanted to exercise.  We went to my in-laws and I exercised, took a shower, and then came downstairs towards the kitchen.  My daughter ran up to meet me at the bottom of the stairs.

“Mommy, I’m worried about my baby.”  I asked what was wrong, “He’s having trouble with his breathing.”

From the other room I hear, “CAITLIN! THIS IS SERIOUS!  COME HERE RIGHT NOW!”

When I get into the kitchen I see my son in my husband’s arm, bib on, and blood on the side of his mouth.  My husband was feeding him dinner and he got a piece of broccoli stuck in his throat.  He tried to help him clear it, but to no avail.

The sight of the blood made me panic.  When my husband asked me to do a “finger sweep” of the baby’s mouth, I did it.  I felt the broccoli go farther down his throat.  All I remember is telling my mother-in-law to call 9-1-1.

My husband was swimmer when he was growing up.  He was also a lifeguard. Somewhere in his 30-something years he’s taken CPR.  Something I have always meant to do, but have never done. As a last resort, he turned the baby upright, and gave him what I call the “Baby Heimlich” (it takes very little force on a 17lb guy) and a bloody piece of broccoli came right out.

The dispatcher sent an aid car, two very nice firemen, who arrived quickly and looked down my son’s throat to see if there was any swelling.  While one took notes, the other read my daughter a “Biscuit” book. The firefighter reading to my daughter told me the finger sweep never works on these little guys. ALWAYS turn them upside-down (on their belly, head lower than heels) and give them a swift pat on the back to help them use gravity to dislodge the food.  That’s what I have always done, with both kids, except in this instance.

The doctor also wanted to check him (the blood made them worry he’d hemorrhaged something while trying to cough up the broccoli).  So, we went to urgent care where they said his breathing was rapid and he had a 1.5” cut in his mouth from one of our fingernails. An anti-inflammatory for his throat and a chest x-ray just to be safe, and we were on our way home.

He had trouble eating for a few days because his mouth hurt, but he seems back to normal now.  Today, Wednesday again, I woke up late.  This time I think I will take the day off from exercise and instead I’ll play in the yard with my kids.  It’s a sunny day, and my two kiddos are the brightest lights of all.

-Caitlin