Finally Friday: EMERGENCY

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Yesterday was our very first trip to the ER with Lyla....yes she is only 6 and half months old and already has had a trip to the ER.  I feel like a terrible mother.  Luckily it was an easy fix and she is blowing bubbles at me as we speak (err as you read).  She had "nursemaid's elbow"...silly sounding, I know.  Nursemaid's elbow is when the bone called the radius is pulled slightly "out of joint."  It happens to children up to the age of five and is mostly commonly seen in children who are beginning to walk. The reason for this is because children learning to walk are typically holding someone's hands with outstretched arms.  A small hiccup, like the child tripping, can jerk the arm and pop the bone out of place.

Well, I was sitting with Lyla with her arms outstretched and she quickly jerked and twisted her arm.  As soon as this happened I heard a loud POP...and I knew something was not right.  She cried initially and then started to settle down.  I could feel my heart sinking because I thought I had just broken her wee arm.  I slowly touched the arm (her left) and she would whine and cringe.  How could I tell if it was broken?  My first bright idea...Google it.  Everything I read said to err on the side of caution, so my next move was to call Daddy.  He told me to see if she would reach out for an object in front of or above her.  So I placed her favorite dolly in front of her and watched as she slowly began to reach for her..it looked promising until she began to whimper.  I then tried to put the dolly above her and received the same reaction.  Soon she just refrained from using it at all.  Poor bugger.

So, I called her doctor (of course it was after 5 PM) and the on call service told me to take her into the ER. I had a huge pit in my stomach.  The only thing in my mind was an image of her in a little cast...and that it was my fault.  I know accidents happen, but it really stinks when your child gets hurt when they are in your care.  As a mother, I am supposed to protect and care for her...not break the poor girl's arm. So off we went.

We arrived at the ER a little after 6 PM and we were out by 7 PM.  Pretty darn fast.  She was pretty chipper for a baby that was hurt.  I could even get her to giggle. When the doctor came in he told us that he wasn't going to do an x-ray because he was sure that it was "nursemaid's elbow."  He reached for her arm and did his magic. The worst part was hearing her little cry as he set her elbow back into place.  After settling down she was using her arm in no time. The doc said that it could happen again in the future and that I could easily pop it back into place for her....ummmm no thank you.  I am no Doogie Howser.  So what's next? For the next few weeks we have to be careful...no free standing with her arms out. 

As a parent I am learning new things every day. It's not always ideal to learn the hard way, but hey that's life.  I have never heard of the term "nursemaid's elbow" and would have never known what it meant if this incident didn't happen.  I hope maybe I can give another parent a little peace if a similar situation happens to them.  Remember, don't always assume the worst (although I know that can be hard) and accidents do happen!