It’s always scary when our little ones are sick, especially when they are infants and can’t tell us what is wrong.
And what’s worse, sometimes doctors will brush off strange symptoms as being a normal childhood illness, dismissing parents’ concerns because the doctor is the “expert.”
One mom’s recent scare led her to share her advice online and proves that parents know their children best.
An anonymous mother recently shared her story with Café Mom, and it is chilling to think about what may have happened had she not trusted her intuition.
She had just put her 6-month-old daughter in daycare for the first time, easing her in with half-days. By the end of her first week, she seemed to be developing a fever.
This mom wasn’t too concerned at first. After all, her older child had gotten sick repeatedly when he first started daycare until he built up his immunity.
But for her daughter, this was no ordinary cold or fever.
Her baby girl was blinking erratically and was very hot and lethargic. She called her pediatrician, who happened to be closed for the day. It was only early afternoon.
Knowing something was off, mom drove her daughter to the children’s hospital nearby. Even then, her concerns were dismissed. Nurses said it was just the fever causing her strange behavior.
Doctors suctioned her throat, said it may be RSV, and sent her home with instructions to give Tylenol.
All that Saturday, mom worked to get the fever under control with over-the-counter pain relievers and baths. All that Saturday, the fever refused to budge. The mom trusted the doctors who said it was a virus that would go away soon on its own.
They couldn’t have been more wrong.
The next day was Easter Sunday, and the baby could not stop sleeping. Even when she opened her eyes, she wasn’t moving. She couldn’t move her arms or turn her head. Her in-laws noticed that her neck seemed to be swelling.
Having had enough of the waiting game, mom rushed her daughter to the emergency room, where they recognized her from two days earlier.
Unbelievably, they dismissed mom’s concerns again and gave the baby IV fluids and Tylenol for the fever. Mom wouldn’t give up this time – she begged them to run tests on her daughter.
They could see how upset mom was, so they decided – finally – to run some labs.
Her daughter’s white cell count was astronomical, and doctors admitted her.
After three days of mom and baby both suffering, they had their answer. The little girl had an abscess between her airway and her spine. It could have ended her life.
This rare occurrence was likely caused by strep bacteria that the little girl had picked up when other family members had strep throat, but it’s all a guessing game.
What really matters is that this mom has a message: “Parents, please, please trust your instincts! You know your kid better than anyone. Don’t let someone tell you something is fine when you know it’s not,” as reported by Café Mom.
We know our children better than anyone. We know when something is wrong.
But we’ve somehow been conditioned in society to accept a doctor’s diagnosis without questioning it. All too often, we allow our concerns to be brushed off because we don’t want to appear “pushy” or “rude.”
But our children are the most important thing in our lives. They deserve our protection, no matter what anyone else thinks.
Don’t ever let anyone discourage you from following your instincts when it comes to your child. You know best, and it just might save their life.
Have you ever had your concerns dismissed by a nurse or doctor when you knew there was something really wrong with your child? Leave us your comments.