My husband, Mike and I are both Registered Nurses. He works in the ER and I work on a Post-partum unit recovering Moms after delivery. Well, our nursing skills were put to the test a week after my daughter, Ava turned two.
I must admit, I have never been one for emergencies and tend to shy away from "emergent" situations, funny that I am nurse, eh? Well anyway, here is the story. Mike and I were both home on a Saturday and he was busy in the garage and I was on the phone paying a bill. Ava was playing in her cute little red and yellow car that I am sure all of you have seen before.
Next thing I know, Ava is on the top of the car rolling down the drive way! I yell to Mike but he fails to hear me and she keeps rolling. I panic, throw the phone down, and run towards her. But, she just keeps rolling. Next thing I know, splllatttt and a huge cry is all I hear. I went into freak out mode as my precious baby busted in a high pitched cry. Mike, being the ER nurse that he is has no fear and scooped her up immediately. He runs inside to "examine" her to determine if we need to go to the ER. At this point, I am running through the house like a mad woman, sliding all over the tile floor trying to get to her because I am in my socks. I never thought for a second to take the socks off, I just thought....I need to get to her and I need to get to her now. Mike yells, we need to go to the ER. Ava is screaming and crying at the top of her lungs and I am trying to fight back a thousand emotions. Mike tells me to grab some paper towels, I throw the whole roll in the diaper bag, the whole box of wipes, and run towards the car. Mike hands her to me, she is balling and I keep telling her it's OK and for Daddy to just drive. Blood is pouring all over the place (in all my years of nursing it felt like the most blood I have ever saw).
We pull up to the Emergency Room at the hospital we both work. We run inside and of course our emergency felt like the worst emergency out of every other emergency in there. You have chest pain, get over it. You can't breathe, oh well. My daughter is bleeding, can't you see? Why do we have to wait? We work here...hello? Yeah right, our "emergency" was told to wait in the lobby just like everyone else. Might I add that it is extremley hard to keep a paper towel on a toddlers chin. So, we wait and wait in the lobby.
Finally, the time comes to see a doctor. He of course tells us that Ava is going to need stitches. I immeditely thought how are we going to hold our toddler down, she is the strongest little girl I have ever met. As we wait for the doctor to come in along with the other nurses who are going to help hold my baby down, I start to panic again. I start to feel nauseated but I keep trying to tell myself you have to be strong for your little one. Quit Liz, you have to be strong for her. I couldn't help it, I started to cry. This may seem over the top but I felt like a failure. God gave me this priceless and perfect gift and I let her fall, I let her get injured, I could of stopped it or so I felt. Then, the nurse came in along with the doctor. They put her in a mummy restraint and laid her down on the table, Mike and I laid across her, one nurse held her head and her jaw closed, and the doctor began to stitch up my sweet baby. Four little stiches were placed in her chin and the hole was now closed.
All I remember thinking was this was the worst thing that could of happend on this gorgeous Saturday that we both had off. But, it wasn't in fact it was far from it. It reminded us (we have been going through a hard time in our marriage) of how much we loved and truly needed each other. I couldn't imagine not having my husband there to help me that day. We are blessed beyond imagine and I am greatful that Ava is happy, healthy, and that we do not have to make frequent trips to the hospital.
Here she is sitting in her car before the fall!
What are your "traumatic" stories? Feel free to share and comment below!
I must admit, I have never been one for emergencies and tend to shy away from "emergent" situations, funny that I am nurse, eh? Well anyway, here is the story. Mike and I were both home on a Saturday and he was busy in the garage and I was on the phone paying a bill. Ava was playing in her cute little red and yellow car that I am sure all of you have seen before.
Next thing I know, Ava is on the top of the car rolling down the drive way! I yell to Mike but he fails to hear me and she keeps rolling. I panic, throw the phone down, and run towards her. But, she just keeps rolling. Next thing I know, splllatttt and a huge cry is all I hear. I went into freak out mode as my precious baby busted in a high pitched cry. Mike, being the ER nurse that he is has no fear and scooped her up immediately. He runs inside to "examine" her to determine if we need to go to the ER. At this point, I am running through the house like a mad woman, sliding all over the tile floor trying to get to her because I am in my socks. I never thought for a second to take the socks off, I just thought....I need to get to her and I need to get to her now. Mike yells, we need to go to the ER. Ava is screaming and crying at the top of her lungs and I am trying to fight back a thousand emotions. Mike tells me to grab some paper towels, I throw the whole roll in the diaper bag, the whole box of wipes, and run towards the car. Mike hands her to me, she is balling and I keep telling her it's OK and for Daddy to just drive. Blood is pouring all over the place (in all my years of nursing it felt like the most blood I have ever saw).
We pull up to the Emergency Room at the hospital we both work. We run inside and of course our emergency felt like the worst emergency out of every other emergency in there. You have chest pain, get over it. You can't breathe, oh well. My daughter is bleeding, can't you see? Why do we have to wait? We work here...hello? Yeah right, our "emergency" was told to wait in the lobby just like everyone else. Might I add that it is extremley hard to keep a paper towel on a toddlers chin. So, we wait and wait in the lobby.
Finally, the time comes to see a doctor. He of course tells us that Ava is going to need stitches. I immeditely thought how are we going to hold our toddler down, she is the strongest little girl I have ever met. As we wait for the doctor to come in along with the other nurses who are going to help hold my baby down, I start to panic again. I start to feel nauseated but I keep trying to tell myself you have to be strong for your little one. Quit Liz, you have to be strong for her. I couldn't help it, I started to cry. This may seem over the top but I felt like a failure. God gave me this priceless and perfect gift and I let her fall, I let her get injured, I could of stopped it or so I felt. Then, the nurse came in along with the doctor. They put her in a mummy restraint and laid her down on the table, Mike and I laid across her, one nurse held her head and her jaw closed, and the doctor began to stitch up my sweet baby. Four little stiches were placed in her chin and the hole was now closed.
All I remember thinking was this was the worst thing that could of happend on this gorgeous Saturday that we both had off. But, it wasn't in fact it was far from it. It reminded us (we have been going through a hard time in our marriage) of how much we loved and truly needed each other. I couldn't imagine not having my husband there to help me that day. We are blessed beyond imagine and I am greatful that Ava is happy, healthy, and that we do not have to make frequent trips to the hospital.
Here she is sitting in her car before the fall!
What are your "traumatic" stories? Feel free to share and comment below!
