Tired Mummy and The Hospital Trip

It crossed my mind to snap a picture as Jaxon was hooked up to the heart monitor in my living room last night. But my phone was in the other room in charge in case we were going to hospital. 

I’d been sat watching In Her Shoes and crocheting. I am so close to being up to date with my Temperature Blanket. 

Around 10:30, I thought I heard Jaxon cry and then there was a thud from upstairs. I thought that was Chris getting out of bed for Jaxon so I went back to the film. Then I heard Jaxon again so I charged up the stairs. He was in bed crying but also coughing.

It wasn’t a normal cough. He kept making a funny noise while coughing, it was like a whooping/barking noise. He was struggling to catch his breathe between coughs and I was really worried. I grabbed his inhalers and gave them to Chris with Jaxon then ran downstairs to get the house phone to ring 111. It connected and we were placed in the queue but we both decided that Jaxon might need to go to hospital so we needed an ambulance. (Under 2 plus breathing difficulties I think that equals an ambulance). 

Ringing 999 at the best of times is a challenge. Ringing when you have a coughing crying toddler in your arms is even more of a challenge. While I was on the phone Jaxon started to calm down and curled up next to me on the bed. At one point he’d even put his head on my leg as if he was going back to sleep. I answered a bunch of questions and repeated the address. The 999 operator gave me a bunch of things to do like make sure the door was unlocked, make sure someone was ready to meet the ambulance and keep an eye on Jaxon in case he got worse. We took it in turns to keep an eye on Jaxon and organise our stuff because we thought if we did have to go to hospital there would be a wait. It’s Saturday night after all. 

The paramedics arrived within 10 minutes of the call. Jaxon had been pottering round the living room and in that way that children do. They make you worry and then when you ask for help or seek medical advice then they instantly get better. 

Before you tell me off about someone else might have needed the ambulance more urgently, in that moment when your child is there coughing and unable to catch their breathe you do it. You don’t think about it. I’m the kind of person who debates whether or not we need an ambulance or car trip. 

The paramedics arrived and we explained what had happened and how Jaxon had been since the 999 call. The guy paramedic put the little heart monitor tags on Jaxon along with a O2 Level monitor on Jaxon’s toe while the lady paramedic listened to Jaxon’s chest. The paramedics turned the monitor round so that he could see all the lights, then they printed off a read out. I think Hannah at Little Golden Daffodil calls if Heart Art. 

The lady paramedic listened to Jaxon’s chest and said that she thought she could hear something at the top of Jaxon’s chest so the guy paramedic had a listen too (I think the lady paramedic was a technician rather than a “full” paramedic). 

They said that they didn’t need to take him in by ambulance but if we wanted to get his chest checked out then we could either go in the ambulance or in the car. We decided that given he seems happy enough we’d keep an eye on him for 10/15 minutes and then go in the car it needed.  

We decided that we would go and headed for the hospital. 

I took my crochet with me to work on a specific project but I can’t remember whether I need 4 or 5 coloured rounds and then how many white rounds after that on my granny squares so I’ve paused on that one and started on another side project I’ve been working on.

We got to the hospital around 11:15-30ish. We saw a paediatric nurse who gave Jaxon some croup medicine then we waited a bit longer and saw a doctor who said that Jaxon’s chest was now clear and he couldn’t hear anything so we were discharged. By 2am I was shattered and wanted to go to bed. 

We arrived home around 3am and we all went straight to sleep pretty much straight away. Jaxon woke up around 8am which is late for him but he’s in a grump and looks pale this morning. I think that’s just because like me he’s tired. 

Everyone has mixed opinions about the NHS, waiting times and Junior Doctors but once again we’ve received amazing care from the doctors, nurses and paramedics who have looked after us.