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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To call an ambulance for my baby?

228 replies

Kanfuzed123 · 24/12/2021 23:52

So my baby is 3 weeks and caught the horrid cold I had at delivery. Day 10 and 14 midwife and HV said he seems ok but watch out for retraction, as colds can become bronchilitis, if he starts retracting he needs to get to a and e asap. He looked worse today, couldn’t get to see GP so sent a video, GP said he seems ok but monitor. Tonight he started retracting more significantly and he’s been so sleepy, falling asleep in feeds. So I went to take him to hospital but my fucking car won’t start, and an error message has come up on the dashboard. Ubers keep cancelling and the only taxi firm answering have more than an hr wait.

I should call an ambulance right? I don’t want to over react and drain NHS but equally my little boy is struggling

OP posts:
SunshineCake1 · 25/12/2021 07:50

I really hope the baby is okay and your are snuggled up together now.

I'd be tempted to make a compete re the GP. We were given bad advice by an A& E nurse and when I asked the surgery nurse as I wanted to know who was right it was looked into.

golddustwomen · 25/12/2021 07:57

I really hope your baby is ok and makes a quick recovery, merry Christmas Thanks

Scrooge89 · 25/12/2021 07:57

Really surprised that the GP didn’t ask you to go to hospital OP. Having had a child got bronchiolitis and then suffered regularly from viral wheezes (often needing steroids) the GP was always quick to act. But that’s when they would see you face to face.

As it’s happened this once it could happen again with colds - my daughter grew out of it I would say aged 7 when her lungs had developed enough to cope with colds without getting wheezy. It was never diagnosed as asthma as always with a virus and called a virus wheeze. She was put on a inhaler aged about 2.5 then taken off periodically every summer so we could work out if she still needed it.

My friend’s son was given montelukast for the same issue. Neither are asthmatic and grown out of the wheezing now.

Sirzy · 25/12/2021 07:59

In the GPs defence bronchi babies can go downhill fast and he can only go of what he can see at the time.

Glad you got seen, hope you manage to get some rest

Scrooge89 · 25/12/2021 07:59

Not sure if they would test for RSV but your maybe could have www.nhs.uk/conditions/bronchiolitis/causes/

Scrooge89 · 25/12/2021 08:00

@Sirzy

In the GPs defence bronchi babies can go downhill fast and he can only go of what he can see at the time.

Glad you got seen, hope you manage to get some rest

Yes so in my experience they would not take any risks with a small baby especially in winter around when RSV is doing its rounds
milly74 · 25/12/2021 08:02

@Sirzy

In the GPs defence bronchi babies can go downhill fast and he can only go of what he can see at the time.

Glad you got seen, hope you manage to get some rest

gp refused to see the baby but glanced at a video that was sent. may as well not have bothered as obviously you can't examine over a video
Landof · 25/12/2021 08:02

Never second guess with your baby. Trust your instinct. I hope he's OK 🙂

Shade17 · 25/12/2021 08:17

Totally the right thing to do. Pre pandemic my then 3 year old woke with breathing difficulties. Ambulance turned up within 30 seconds of putting the phone down to 999. Turned out to be a nasty case of croup and went to hospital for steroids. Hoping you both get home quickly!

LakieLady · 25/12/2021 08:44

@Draggondragon

How is 2 hours classed as an emergency? Surely 999 ambulance is minutes not hours. How can they justify 2 hours, it's criminal and potentially murder. Ask anyone else in any other country how long 999 takes to arrive. God, the shit you people put up with 🙄
The ambulance services are not to blame for the lack of resources they've been allocated by successive governments.

Nor can they help the fact that a lot of personnel are off because they've either got Covid or are self-isolating because of Covid.

Yes, it's shit, but a lot of people have only themselves to blame for underfunding and they should bear that in mind next time they vote. And Covid rates are through the roof. In London, 16.3% of people have Covid. If each of those people has had recent close contact with just ONE other person, that's one in three people out of the workforce.

No service that's already been cut to the bone can continue to function effectively with that sort of reduction.

And people really need to see the bigger picture before just lashing out at services that are doing their utmost to keep going in dreadful circumstances.

My MIL waited 7 hours for an ambulance (not even called until 9 hours after SIL called 111) last weekend, struggling to breathe because of pneumonia and pleurisy. She desperately needed to be on oxygen, her sats were 90%.

This, sadly, is the reality of decimating public services then having a pandemic.

So glad your baby is ok, OP.

LadyLaSnack · 25/12/2021 09:01

Glad you have been seen OP. I think you were right to call an ambulance.

In case it happens again, or for anyone else reading, I had a very similar scenario a few years ago - newborn who needed to get to hospital and no taxis due to it being the last Friday before Xmas.

I asked the person at the taxi company for a priority taxi and explained the circumstances, they refused saying they don’t do that, I asked them to either explain to their supervisor or to put me on to their supervisor, they came back 10s later saying the taxi was on the way.

So queue jumping might be possible if the taxi company understand.

Bug hugs OP, and merry Christmas x

CPL593H · 25/12/2021 09:17

My husband is over 70, very unwell and if it was a question of the ambulance prioritising him or a tiny baby with breathing problems I know what both of us would choose.

Very, very much hope things are improved this morning OP Flowers

theworldsgonefeckingmad · 25/12/2021 09:23

Hope your baby is ok @Kanfuzed123 you did the right thing going in hopefully he's soon on the mend Xmas Smile

Travelledtheworld · 25/12/2021 09:24

Hoping all is well OP. Sending my love and sympathy. I have been Blue Lighted to hospital with a tiny baby and it's very frightening.

RandomMess · 25/12/2021 09:27

I hope your little one is improving

MaverickSnoopy · 25/12/2021 09:29

Thinking of you OP. Hope all is OK. My dd was admitted to hospital at 4 days old with a serious infection and I know how scary it can be. Hospital staff are amazing though so he's in the right place. One of my others had bronchiolitis at 3 months and its brutal.

Iamkmackered1979 · 25/12/2021 09:40

Always scary when tiny babies can breathe, however that gp should have seen your baby. I would have kicked up such a fuss, he needed to listen to his chest and physically watch his work of breathing. Which isn’t just based on recession, also tracheal tug, nasal flaring etc colour of your baby and resp and heart rate all combined provide an initial assessment for a baby this tiny (or any baby or child)

I’m glad he’s ok, however it depends what day of bronchiolitis he’s on as they can go backwards, feed smaller amounts for a while more frequently as it takes a lot of effort to breathe and suck then process milk and they are already swallowing lots of mucous with can make them vomit also raise head of sleeping surface up which can help too. It’s a horrible bug op but if you’re at all worried again get him back to hospital especially as he’s so little. Often your local paeds ward will give you a leaflet re bronch so look up online for your trusts advice or any hospital information about feeding etc but do call back if you’re worried..

JingleBeth · 25/12/2021 09:51

Hope you guys are doing ok OP. When my baby was in with bronchiolitis caused by RSV a few weeks ago, it was the worst time of my life, it’s such a scary time. So I’ve been thinking of you since last night and really hope little one is okz

JingleBeth · 25/12/2021 09:52

*ok

UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme · 25/12/2021 09:58

Kanfuzed123 Happy Christmas! I hope your baby is okay and you've been allowed home with him.

My 14 year old had bronchitis at 3 months old - also at Christmas though we were able to get him seen at the on call GP at 7am on Christmas Day!

He's a healthy, sporty 6ft tall 14 year old now!

All the best!

SquigglePigs · 25/12/2021 10:02

Hope your little one is doing better this morning.

TheresAStarmanWaitingInTheSky · 25/12/2021 10:07

Hope you are both okay. I would always get a baby checked out, don't be fobbed off. You did the right thing. X

DeepaBeesKit · 25/12/2021 10:08

For anyone else reading this thread, there are several signs to be aware of when a baby is working to breathe:

Look out for:

  • ribs sucking in (this one is publicised a lot)
  • nostrils flaring
  • the hollow in the throat sucking in
  • mouth open when breathing and lower lip pulling in as they breathe.
C8H10N4O2 · 25/12/2021 10:13

He looked worse today, couldn’t get to see GP so sent a video, GP said he seems ok but monitor

You need a new GP if they won't see a baby this age with breathing problems in Winter. Seriously , GPs may be busy but most, like mine, would see a baby this age in this situation.

BluebirdHill · 25/12/2021 10:41

@C8H10N4O2

He looked worse today, couldn’t get to see GP so sent a video, GP said he seems ok but monitor

You need a new GP if they won't see a baby this age with breathing problems in Winter. Seriously , GPs may be busy but most, like mine, would see a baby this age in this situation.

This. My GP surgery would always see DS when he was a baby, once without any notice, because of his age. I would complain about this later.