When I found out I was pregnant I signed up with Baby Center (http://www.babycenter.com/). Each week I got updates on what was going on with my growing baby. I found it comforting, particularly since none of my closest friends had been pregnant before and this was all new territory. After the birth you continue to get monthly updates and I always read them, lots of tips, developmental expectations, etc which just gives me a little something to reference, and it's always funny to me how right on things are. This site is also great if you're just trying to get pregnant, ovulation calendars etc. (So that's my plug for the site).
Anyway... I was going through the 22 month update and came across a section entitled "How to know if your child has broken a bone". I decided to read on just so I'd feel like I had some extra information as our son now is climbing higher and higher, jumping on and off of everything and running at full speed everywhere. Normally I'm not too anxious about things I read, but this one kind of freaked me out (ok, not kind of - a whole lot - why I am (over)reacting this strongly!?!)
- The first thing that jumped out at me... "you may hear a snapping sound" (ewwww)
- Complete fracture: The bone breaks all the way through. (Need another one?)
- Open or compound fracture: The broken bone sticks through the skin. (Is that not clear enough?)
- If your toddler has had an accident that caused a broken bone to pierce his skin, call 911 or take him to the nearest emergency room. An open fracture is the most dangerous type of break, because of the danger of bleeding and infection. If your child has an open fracture, don't touch it or breathe on it.
Is anyone else cringing???
Of course it all seems pretty obvious, but when I got to thinking this could actually happen and chances are I'd be by myself handling this... how am I going to survive? I can't watch replays of football plays that cause injury, I can't imagine seeing a bone poking out!?!? Ho do you comfort and calm a child without touching or even breathing on that kind of injury. Ahhh...I mean...what?!?!
1 comment:
Hey Monica! good post. I actually had a compound fracture in grade school- falling off a slide. Pretty painful but don't really remember actually breaking it. Just kids standing around staring. Anyway, to put you at ease a bit, today most playgrounds are way more safe than they were when we were younger. When I fell off the slide, it was onto dirt. These days that have that chipped stuff that is supposed to break the child's fall...much better!
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