So close..

I debated whether to share the events of yesterday with everyone but I thought I would in hopes it may encourage someone to get CPR & 1st Aid certified. Yesterday Delilah choked & swallowed 2 coins. I'll try to make it as short as possible as this is NOT my proudest moment as a mother. Chris left for work early & Delilah climbed in my bed to watch cartoons. I got up to use the bathroom & came out just in time to hear the clink of 2 coins in her mouth. Before I could get the 5 feet from the bathroom door to her, she inhaled sucking them both into her throat. The first one went down into her esophagus & the other, a penny, immediately stuck in her airway blocking all air. I grabbed her by her arm & pulled her into a standing position so I could attempt to get it out. My 16 year old brother was asleep on the couch & I tried 2-3 times to yell for him to call 911 because I wanted them on the way in case I wasn't able to get it out, but I just couldn't seem to get the words out loud enough, no matter how much I tried. I decided to attempt to get the coin out first rather than run to get him. The first two times I attempted the heimlich it wouldn't budge. Her airway was completely blocked so the 3rd time I tried even harder & was able to get the penny to pop out. Let me say I've taken the class at least 3 times & it was still VERY difficult to get it correct! It was very hard to remember how to position myself & how to grab her. My first reaction was still to grab her & flip her over & use my finger to scoop it out. I knew the other coin had gone down her airway so I went into the living room & had my brother call 911 while I kept an eye on the baby & put on pants (hey I just woke up give me a break). It took an ambulance 14 minutes to get here & while we waited I put on actual clothes & called Chris in case we needed to be transported. The EMTs did come out & looked the baby over. She wa acting OK & didn't seem to be uncomfortable so they, like I did, assumed she swallowed the other coin & was fine. About 15 minutes after they left she started to grab at her chest & cry. She kept telling me "owww" and scratching at her chest area. I grabbed her & rushed her to the nearest ER which happens to be a stand alone ER. At first they said she seemed fine & they doubted it was stuck in her airway because she was breathing alright. I called Chris while we were waiting & he could hear her cries & like me, knew something was wrong. He left work to go home & come meet us. As time went on she became more & more inconsolable & they rushed us back for an X-ray. Within a minute of leaving the room they came back to tell me to try & keep her calm that the coin was lodged either in her esophagus or in one of her bronchial tubes leading to her lungs. They immediately started calling hospitals to get us transfered out for surgery. I immediatly texted Chris what was going on & asked him to pack us overnight bags before he came to meet us. The hospital really wanted to send us to a Texas Childrens branch & after about 30 minutes a Dr at their main campus accepted her as a patient & they sent an ambulance to pick us up. Chris was able to get to the ER where we were in time & followed us to Texas Childrens because I rode with her in the ambulance. As soon as we got there they took us in & had a room waiting. Within 3 minutes a nurse came in to tell the Dr that the OR was calling down for her & they were prepped. The Dr wanted to do one more X-ray before we went to surgery to be sure of the coin placement & to verify herself it was located in the esophagus not the bronchial tube. They were able to see right away that at some point the coin had become dislodged & slipped into her stomach. It was such a huge relief because she wouldn't need surgery we just needed to wait for her to pass it. So we did get to come home last night & we are patiently waiting for her to pass the coin which may or may not be a quarter. We do have to go back for an X-ray this upcoming week to verify if she has passed the coin. 

She was very happy when she got permission to eat & drink! It was after 3 & the poor thing hadn't eaten or drank all day & neither had I. Today she is better but still seems a little worn out from the drama of yesterday's events. It can happen SO fast, you can't depend on 911 to get there in time to save your child. I get sick when I think what would have happened in those 14 minutes had I not been able to get the penny out! Get CPR & 1st Aid certified.