A DAD says his daughter could be dead if it hadn’t been for his intuition and spotting the signs of a potentially life-threatening condition.
Little Harriet was put down for a nap and seemed completely healthy, but soon after was in hospital struggling to breathe.
Tiny Hearts EducationHarriet woke up from a nap with a barking cough – days later she was in a coma[/caption]
Harriet’s dad shared their story on Tiny Hearts Education, saying their first-aid advice saved his daughter’s lifeTiny Hearts Education
Terrifyingly, if it wasn’t for her dad trusting his gut instinct, Harriet may not be alive today.
Her dad anonymously shared his story on Tiny Hearts Education, a first-aid educational site for parents that he had learned a number of warning signs from.
He said Harriet had seemed “completely normal” when he put her down for a nap, without a temperature or any illness present.
“I was in my bedroom when I heard an odd barking sound, ran straight to her room and undid her sleep suit as fast as I could,” he said.
The dad had seen videos on Tiny Hearts Instagram page that explain conditions like croup and respiratory distress.
The signs of croup to look out for are:
Harsh barking coughHoarse voiceSqueaky noise when breathing in (stridor)Signs that your child is having difficulty breathing (see below)
The signs of difficulty breathing are:
Your child has a stridor (noisy breathing) when at restYour child appears to be struggling to breatheYour child becomes abnormally drowsy and lethargicYour child is abnormally agitatedYour child seems very unwell and paleYour child’s lips are blueYour child’s breastbone or space in between the ribs suck in when they breathe
The dad said: “I called an ambulance right away knowing it wasn’t normal, I had a paramedic here within 10 minutes who told me it was croup.”
Croup is an infection of the upper airways that affects children. It makes the airways narrow, and it is harder to breathe.
There can be complications with croup, such as pneumonia, and in very rare cases, children die. However, most children can be treated at home and recovered within two days.
The paramedic who arrived at Harriet’s home administered medication and said it was no need to take her to hospital.
But, as parents should always do, the dad trusted his instinct and pushed to take Harriet to hospital.
He said: “I thought, I’m going to follow my heart and I want her in an ambulance.
“We were put in ED, within an hour she had another episode so they asked us to stay over night, then we were transferred to the ward the next morning.”
On the wad, Harriet was given medication, such as steroids, all day.
However, the medics wanted to send her home but the dad refused and asked to stay another night.
“I am SO glad I did,” he said.
“Within 30 minutes of them wanting to send me home, Harriet took a turn for the worse. She could not breathe.
“At this point I (embarrassingly) screamed through the doors of my room that my child was blue.
“She couldn’t breathe at all. An (amazing) medic team of 15 people came running through the doors trying to work on my girls, giving her nebs and steroids. Nothing worked.
“I lost all control of my body and they lifted us both onto a bed, rushed us straight to theatre and had to place Harriet into an induced coma for 3 days. Her airways completely closed within moments.”
The dad does not reveal what happened next, however it is assumed Harriet fully recovered.
He said he “truly don’t know what would have happened” had it not been for what he had learned from videos posted by other parents on Tiny Hearts, which demonstrate respiratory distress in children.
Tiny Hearts wrote on Instagram: “Her [Harriet’s] parents had kept her in the right place at the right time.
“Parent gut and intuition is a real thing. YOU know your child best.
“Get the confidence to speak up for your child. Just like these parents had.”
Tiny Hearts EducationHarriet and her dad in hospital. Medics tried to send them home but the dad trusted his instinct and refused, and within 30 minutes, his daughter wasn’t breathing[/caption]