I was hugging Archie when all of a sudden I smelt blood – I ripped his nappy off and was shocked by what I saw

A MUM has told of her shock when she smelt blood from her son’s nappy in a terrifying medical emergency.

Her story serves as a warning to parents to trust their gut when they know something is wrong with their little one.

Tiny Hearts EducationArchie had a severe medical emergency – and his mum knew it was bad when she smelt blood coming from his nappy[/caption]

Tiny Hearts EducationArchie was in hospital for days[/caption]

The baby, Archie, ended up needing emergency surgery, lasting four hours, before staying in hospital for three days. 

The mum, who has not been named, shared her story on the blog of Tiny Hearts Education, an Australian-based first aid website.

She said Archie, who was nine months old at the time, went to bed healthy and happy. But the next morning, she woke up to his cot covered in vomit.

Thinking Archie had another case of gastroenteritis – a common tummy bug in young children that causes diarrhoea and vomiting – she gave him a bottle.

“After he finished it, he screamed in pain, followed by a giant vomit of milk and bile,” the mum recalled. 

“This went on all morning. I already knew the pain cry was very out of character for him. By lunchtime, he was still screaming, followed by vomit, but then he started to go limp in my arms after the vomit.”

Archie was taken to his GP who suspected a tummy bug, but to go to hospital if Archie did not improve in the next few hours.

Later that day, the mum and her husband decided to go to the hospital because “it just wasn’t right” – although wished they had gone earlier.

“With a background in healthcare, I always feel bad about clogging up the waiting room,” the mum said.

‘Jelly-like blood in his nappy’

At the hospital, Archie “continued crying, throwing up bile, and then going limp” as doctors began sorting fluids for him.

The mum said: “While waiting for them to come back, I was hugging Archie and all of a sudden smelt blood. Panicked, I ripped his nappy open and was shocked by what I saw. 

“His nappy was full of jelly-like blood. I was trying to make sense of it, but at this point, any medical knowledge I had went out the window.

“The doctor didn’t stuff around. She explained that she thought it was intussusception, which is where part of the intestine telescopes into itself, and that we needed to get him to a children’s hospital immediately to confirm it.”

Archie was taken to a children’s hospital where an ultrasound confirmed the worst.

Great Ormond Street Hospital describes intussusception like “getting a sock turned inside itself”. The condition needs emergency treatment.

The part of the intestine that slides into another can block food or fluid from passing through. 

It also cuts off the blood supply to the bowels, causing infection, death of bowel tissue or a hole.

Intussusception is the most common cause of intestinal obstruction in infants, Mayo Clinic says. But the cause of most cases is unknown.

First, Archie’s doctors tried an air enema, which is when a tube is passed into the child’s bottom. Air is released into the bowel, with the hope that it pushes the bowel into its correct position.

“During the procedure, Archie was awake, and we sat outside the room and what we heard was gut-wrenching,” Archie’s mum said.

“They were in there longer than we liked, and it didn’t work… We had to go through a second time of hearing his horrible screams, and it still didn’t work.”

The only other option Archie had was surgery, whereby a surgeon gently squeezes the bowel back into place and removes any dead tissue.

An operation which should have taken less than an hour took four.

Archie’s mum said: “He [the surgeon] explained that during the attempt to dislodge during keyhole, it was too stuck, and they couldn’t do it. 

“But luckily, by having to make a bigger incision to remove, they could see that his intestines were a lot more damaged than they anticipated, and he ended up having 42cm removed as well as his appendix.”

Archie was sedated for 24 hours after his surgery and once he woke up, slept for 20 hours of the day for three days.

When he had his first bottle, he improved drastically, and two days later was starting solids.

“He recovered so quickly and so well,” his mum said.

“I don’t think I ever will. It was the hardest, longest week of my life.

“Archie’s 6-week checkup went perfectly, and he has been discharged. I’m glad we trusted our gut and took him as soon as we did. Archie boy is turning one this weekend, and he’s never been happier or healthier.”

A diagram of intussusceptionGreat Ormond Street Hospital

Tiny Hearts EducationThe photo of Archie’s nappy was included in the blog post[/caption]

Tiny Hearts EducationArchie recovered well and will soon be one-years-old[/caption]