"I have to tell you something." He said, the guilt so apparent that it was leaking off of his face.
" What?" I asked, already annoyed.
"Ari fell...off the bed and bumped his head."
I looked at my son, who was smiling and laughing and running across the floor with a plastic truck. He was obviously fine.
"It's okay dad. He looks fine."
My dad was visibly relieved. What I find interesting about this story, is that six months ago I would have freaked out if my son fell down and bumped his head. I realized that my laid back response to my son's injury means that I have grown as a parent.
I now realize that not anything and everything is an emergency. There will be lots of bumps and scraps along the road and not every one of them requires a a freak out.
Incidentally, head injury in babies can be serious. I don't mean to minimize it. I remember one time (when my son was around 9 months old) he fell and bumped his head leaving him with the bump the size of a grape on his forehead. I called the doctor to ask what I should do.
She told me to observe him and if he:
--was vomiting
--was lethargic
--seems dizzy or out of it
to take him to the emergency room.
The point is some injuries are benign are some are serious, but as a parent, it's important to use your intuition to judge whether or not you feel that your child's condition warrants further attention. And if you have a funny feeling call the doctor. Even if it turns out to be nothing, you'll have piece of mind.
Here is how I realized I really needed to get some professional help with Nelson's recent accident: he wouldn't nurse. MY BABY refusing the boob??? Oh no! How many stitches? Many. How many hours in the ER? Many. Boob test, if possible, very revealing!
ReplyDeleteOh yes! The boob test. It totally works. I remember several times when Ari was not well and I used the boob as a litmus test to find out just how unwell he was. It does work. They always want the boob, and if they don't, something is just not right. Good call, Dunks.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures! I remember when your brother fell off our fairly high bed when he was about 6months. I almost needed to be committed! Fortunately I called my superb pediatrician, you remember Dr. Seed, who said " Mrs. Fader, this may be the first but certainly will not be the last time your child will fall from a high place. And he was right. But it calmed my down significantly.
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