On Saturday we took the rabbits to Seapoint Spur for breakfast. We had a fun time. We got the bill, which came with those butterscotch mint thingies. I used to be really paranoid about boiled sweets, grapes, popcorn, nuts and viennas (as these are the foods that kids choke on most) but throughout the years, I must have dropped my guard a bit, as my kids always handled those foods fine. Especially since Benjamin aquired his sweet little badger teeth. Those things can crack a walnut, I'm sure of it.
So Ben had the mint in his mouth within three seconds of seeing it. We were busy with the bill and other grown-up things and the rabbit wandered off as kids do. I noticed from my chair that his face was covered in dark red-almost-black patches and going a scary shade of blue. Now, usually I am the dramatic, panicky one in those situations (read: running around screaming and then jumping out the window), but I was completely calm.
He was struggling and we were trying to figure out where the obstruction was and what it was doing before reacting. Benjamin was trying to cough and managed to get the sweet out a bit. He tried to swallow it, but then the damned thing was completely blocking his airway. By that time he could not cough or cry or make any sound at all. This might read like a really long series of events, but this happened in about thirty seconds, although I don't know how long he didn't have oxygen for before this. When your child completely stops breathing is obviously a good time to take action. In hindsight, we should have called for an ambulance before attempting to dislogde the obstruction. In hindsight, I shouldn't get my kids eat boiled sweets.
He was struggling and we were trying to figure out where the obstruction was and what it was doing before reacting. Benjamin was trying to cough and managed to get the sweet out a bit. He tried to swallow it, but then the damned thing was completely blocking his airway. By that time he could not cough or cry or make any sound at all. This might read like a really long series of events, but this happened in about thirty seconds, although I don't know how long he didn't have oxygen for before this. When your child completely stops breathing is obviously a good time to take action. In hindsight, we should have called for an ambulance before attempting to dislogde the obstruction. In hindsight, I shouldn't get my kids eat boiled sweets.
I was trying to remember the episode of Grey's Anatomy where they jab the guy's throat with a knife to open the airway and wondering if I remembered where that spot was. Also, I was trying to figure how long your body can go without oxygen before brain damage occurs (six to nine minutes). It is probably just my dark paranoid mind that goes there. Maybe other moms think of unicorns when this sh*t happens to them. Who cares. I had never seen my little boy look so distressed and my mind had never worked that fast.
Graeme scooped Benjamin up and did a move that I didn't even have time to explain. He already knew what to do, as he had also read the child safety books with me when I was expecting Noah. He calmy sat down and put our baby over his lap so his head was leaning towards the floor. He then hit his upper back (hard). Two seconds later he did it again. Then again. On the third slap, the damned butterscoth mint flew out of him, and hit the floor. The silence was broken by Benjamin's furious, annoyed, anxious cries but it didn't matter. He cried because he could breathe, the sweet rabbit. I did not have to track down the relevant script writer from Grey's Anatomy after all.
This all happened really fast and it had never happened to us before. There wasn't really a scene, we acted swiftly and quietly and Ben was completely fine after a good few hugs and some water. Graeme and I gave each other a 'shocked / relieved' high-five and just stared at the little guy in disbelief.
I am really impressed at how we handled such a scary situation, although it was mostly Graeme that is the hero here. My mind wanders to "What if I was in the bathroom, what if nobody looked up, or what if he had wandered further than I could have seen him?" We instinctively check on our kids every few minutes when they are out of view, but these things also happen when they are right in front of you. Know your first aid people. I cannot stress it enough. Here is the procedure, if you don't know it already. I got this from www.babycenter.com. It's not a cool thing to think about at all, but I am well relieved that we knew what to do for Benjamin.
CHOKING
Step one: Access the situation quickly
If a baby is suddenly unable to cry or cough, something is probably blocking her airway, and you'll need to help her get it out. She may make odd noises or no sound at all while opening her mouth. Her skin may turn bright red or blue.
If she's coughing or gagging, it means her airway is only partially blocked. If that's the case, let her continue to cough. Coughing is the most effective way to dislodge a blockage.
If the baby isn't able to cough up the object, ask someone to call 911 or the local emergency number while you begin back blows and chest thrusts (see step 2, below).
If you're alone with the baby, give two minutes of care, then call 911.
On the other hand, if you suspect that the baby's airway is closed because her throat has swollen shut, call 911 immediately. She may be having an allergic reaction – to food or to an insect bite, for example – or she may have an illness, such as croup.
Also call 911 right away if the baby is at high risk for heart problems.
Step two: Try to dislodge the objects with back blows and chest thrusts
First do back blows
If a baby is conscious but can't cough, cry, or breathe and you believe something is trapped in his airway, carefully position him faceup on one forearm, cradling the back of his head with that hand.
If a baby is conscious but can't cough, cry, or breathe and you believe something is trapped in his airway, carefully position him faceup on one forearm, cradling the back of his head with that hand.
Place the other hand and forearm on his front. He is now sandwiched between your forearms.
Use your thumb and fingers to hold his jaw and turn him over so that he's facedown along the other forearm. Lower your arm onto your thigh so that the baby's head is lower than his chest.
Using the heel of your hand, deliver five firm and distinct back blows between the baby's shoulder blades to try to dislodge the object. Maintain support of his head and neck by firmly holding his jaw between your thumb and forefinger.
Next, place your free hand (the one that had been delivering the back blows) on the back of the baby's head with your arm along his spine. Carefully turn him over while keeping your other hand and forearm on his front.
Then do chest thrusts
Use your thumb and fingers to hold his jaw while sandwiching him between your forearms to support his head and neck. Lower your arm that is supporting his back onto your opposite thigh, still keeping the baby's head lower than the rest of his body.
Place the pads of two or three fingers in the center of the baby's chest, just below an imaginary line running between his nipples. To do a chest thrust, push straight down on the chest about 1 1/2 inches. Then allow the chest to come back to its normal position.
Do five chest thrusts. Keep your fingers in contact with the baby's breastbone. The chest thrusts should be smooth, not jerky.
Repeat back blows and chest thrusts
Continue alternating five back blows and five chest thrusts until the object is forced out or the baby starts to cough forcefully, cry, or breathe on his own. If he's coughing, let him try to cough up the object.
If the baby becomes unconscious
If a baby who is choking on something becomes unconscious, you'll need to do what's called modified CPR. Here's how to do modified CPR on a baby:
Open his mouth and look for an object. If you can see an object, remove it with your little finger.
Give him two rescue breaths. If the air doesn't go in (you don't see his chest rise), tilt his head and try two rescue breaths again.
If his chest still doesn't rise, do 30 chest compressions.
Look in his mouth and remove the object if you see it. Give him two more rescue breaths.
Repeat the chest compressions and so on, until help arrives.