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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to have NOT called an ambulance?

134 replies

LaaDeDa · 23/04/2009 12:48

DS, aged 14 months, fell down the stairs from the very top on Tuesday eve. He rolled over 3 times, landed on his back, cried immediately, had blood coming from his mouth and nose and got up.
I was out but dp sorted out the bleeding and checked him all over and then observed him playing, laughing etc for about an hour until he became tired and went to bed (he'd been on his way to bed when the original accident happened). By the time i came in he was asleep but able to be woken so we kept checking him through the night.
The next morning he vomited so i took him to local minor injuries who asked why we hadn't called an ambulance the night before.
My reasons for not were - how he'd responded following the fall basically. If i'd have felt he was non-responsive or vomiting through the night i would have done (and at the first bout of sickness did go to the hospital) so i was quite surprised they expected the emergency service to be used in that circumstance.
I really thought we'd done the right things and attended hospital at the right point so am genuinely surprised that the use of an ambulance at that moment would have not been wasting the resources.

So - in those circumstances would you have phoned an ambulance? Or am i the meanest, stupidest mummy going - as you can tell i am thinking that yes, i am :-(

OP posts:
Bucharest · 23/04/2009 12:49

I wouldn't have either.....
And then there are some people who call the ambulance for nothing at all....can't win can we sometimes?
Glad he's OK now...

morningpaper · 23/04/2009 12:49

No I wouldn't have phoned an ambulance but would definitely have taken to A&E to be checked over

stealthsquiggle · 23/04/2009 12:50

I would have done exactly the same as you. Did they really have a go at you ?

Woooozle100 · 23/04/2009 12:52

I don't think calling an ambulance would have neccesary at all. Maybe you could have zipped him up yourself to A and E to get checked over but that was your call. Certainly not mean and stupid to not do so. Maybe you could take him to walk in centre now and get him checked over

Am quite that people would think this was an emergency situation. Like you say - its hardly like he sustained obvious injury / lost consciousness.

JustCallMeGoat · 23/04/2009 12:53

i would have phoned up nhs direct.

put it done to experience and move on. is he ok now?

trixymalixy · 23/04/2009 12:53

No I definitely wouldn't have called an ambulance. I might have taken him to A&E to get checked over though if he had bumped his head.

No need to use an ambulance IMO.

Woooozle100 · 23/04/2009 12:54

oh just read yr post properly. Nah think I'd have done same as you.

tiggerlovestobounce · 23/04/2009 12:55

I would have done the same as you. If I thought a child needed to go to A+E and it would be safe to do that in my own car then I would drive rather than calling an ambulance (not least because I live very close to the hospital, so it would be the quickest thing).

lal123 · 23/04/2009 12:56

he had blood coming from his mouth and nose and you didn't take him to get him checked out or at least phone NHS 24?? Good for you for checking on him through the night but I think you were definitely being unreasonable and you need to be very grateful that it wasn't more serious.

MillyR · 23/04/2009 12:56

My DS pulled the pram over with my DD when she was about 1 month old. She hit her head on a stone floor and was immediately sick (although still inside the pram, but it had a thin, unpadded back).

We had no car at the time and I called an ambulance. When I got to the hospital, they told me it wasn't an emergency and I was sent to wait in A & E for 3 hours before I was seen.

So, not sure why they thought you should have called an ambulance, as I was told off for doing so!

silverfrog · 23/04/2009 12:57

I wouldn't have called an ambulance, but wuold at the least ahve called out of hours doc or gone to A&E for a check over.

But you did what was right for you (kept him up, checked he had normal responses, roused him through the night to check he was ok) and went to get him checked out at the first sign that something was not right.

I can't see how on earth berating you for not calling an ambulance woudl have helped anyhting...

orangehead · 23/04/2009 12:57

I would of taken to a and e without a doudt, not an ambulance though.

morningsun · 23/04/2009 12:58

Why did he have blood coming from his mouth and nose? I imagine that is the part they were concerned about~if he bit his lip etc i could see you might put it down to that but bleeding from nose can be sign of basal skull fracture and bleeding from mouth and nose is obviously not normal ~esp in light of a head injury could be serious.
Glad he is ok though.

VinegarTitsThePorker · 23/04/2009 12:59

No i wouldnt have called an Ambulance, when ds(2) fell and cut his head on the coffee table i just whipped him up, put him in the car and drove to A&E, he was concious and alert, they glued his head and sent us home. Do not feel bad becuase you didnt call an Ambulance, hope he is ok now?

throckenholt · 23/04/2009 12:59

I would have done what you did.

It is the bumping head thing that I don't know how to judge. One of mine smacked his head against the wall the other night (messing around at bedtime). Another once ran into something and got a big bump on his forehead. Both definitely head injuries but neither seemed enough to do to A&E. Another time we had another head bang with a big cut - lots of blood - I did take to A&E - but there seemed no concern about head injury - just dealt with the gash and sent us home.

And then you hear stories like that actress and the skiing accident. So - how on earth are you supposed to tell ?

theDreadPirateRoberts · 23/04/2009 13:01

No, not BU at all.

Had a similar situation with DS when he was 2 - was choking on a grape, in the process of clearing his airway he got a knock on the head on the stone kitchen floor (can I just say at this point I was on sofa after minor surgery and hope it wouldn't have worked out that way if it'd been me not DH...). He was upset, obviously, but still perky. He then started to run a temp later that day, so we called NHS direct. Then the GP out of hours - who couldn't get a doctor to the phone for 2 hours or so. Eventually drove him to the out of hours centre, waited an hour to see someone who gave us some penicillin in case he'd aspirated any grape. Way home, he vomited blood and went floppy. Turned straight round and drove to A&E. After 45 mins seen by doctor, by which time DS had perked up again, taking an interest in his surroundings and I was in floods of relief tears (did I mention I was supposed to be on bedrest?).

But even given all of that - about 6 hours being passed around the various 'help' lines - I still don't think I would have called an ambulance.

Did have some words with DH on food safety though

stickylittlefingers · 23/04/2009 13:01

I can understand your hesitation, but I think anything that could be a head injury should be checked out.

But don't feel you're a bad mum! Parenthood is all about making judgment calls, and you had plenty of evidence on your side - and like you said, soon as there was something untoward you did get it checked out. Don't feel bad at all.

morningsun · 23/04/2009 13:07

Don't feel bad cos you were unaware of the necessity to call ambulance/go to A&E ~so you couldn't help it.
But bleeding from nose and mouth potentially serious even if you saw bitten lip or cheek etc.

Sassybeast · 23/04/2009 13:08

I probably wouldn't have called an ambulance as we have a car but I would have taken him straight to A&E yes. Blood coming from him mouth and nose may have indicated a serious head injury. Falling from that distance, at that age could be potentially serious so whilst it's great that he's fine, I would err on the side of caution and take him staright to A & E next time.

merlinthehappypig · 23/04/2009 13:08

I have also been told off for not callng an ambulance. My son had a febrile convulsion so we took him to the minor injuries unit at our local hospital (a 2 minute drive away) and the nurse said we should have called an ambulance as his lips were turning blue. TBH I was just in a mad panic and it was the nearest place that had a doctor.

Since then I've always called NHS Direct if unsure and found them really helpful and they did actually call and ambulance out to me once when I probably wouldn't have bothered.

Original poster
LaaDeDa · 23/04/2009 13:13

The nurse was utterly incredulous that i hadn't called an ambulance - it really scared me as i felt so negligent then and i was already panicking at that stage as he had been sick.

She sent us to a+e in the neighbouring town. When we got there he had diarrhea and was generally unwell so went up to peads assessment where he was sick again. They felt he had a tummy bug and the sickness was not related to the head injury but wanted to observe him just in case. After 12 hours overall in the two hospitals we were discharged last night.
This morning i phoned the nursery he attends and there is a tummy bug going round - 3 children from his room sent home yesterday with exactly the same symptoms.
He's been sick twice today and is now sleeping but i've got an open access pass back to paeds ward if i feel he needs seeing again but he's kept his last lot of water down so i'm hopeful we won't need to.

Thanks for reassurance though. Glad to hear other's would have done much the same.

OP posts:
MmeLindt · 23/04/2009 13:16

Why was he bleeding from mouthh and nose? Had he bit his cheek and was bleeding from that. I think that is the only thing that I would have taken so seriously that I would take a child to A&E in that situation.

Still would not have called an ambulance though, it was not obviously life threatening, which I assume is the criteria for calling an ambulance.

Don't worry about it, you did what you thought was right. You checked on him during the night, if there was anything seriously wrong, you would have noticed.

Hope he is ok, and you are too.

QSthevampireslayer · 23/04/2009 13:18

A 14 month old falls from the top of the stairs, rolls over several times , ie bouncing down the stairs, lands on his back (presumably hurt the back of his head) and was bleading from his nose and mouth, and majority of you lot would have thought "nah, he is fine" and not bothered to take the child to A&E?

Are you lot for real?

FelineFine · 23/04/2009 13:20

Hmmmm

I thing I would have called someone for advice.

CatchaStar · 23/04/2009 13:22

I wouldn't have called an abulance, but I would have gone to A&E to have my dd checked over, or an emergency appt at the doctors if it was during the day. My doctors are really good at getting children is asap if there is something wrong.

Dd smashed her head into a solid wood table not long ago and I took her to the doctors straight away, nothing wrong but she still has the bump.