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Children's health

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Original poster

please help - has anyone else experienced this before?

31 replies

NeedToRelax · 08/02/2018 01:05

Hi everyone, I am desperate for any reassurance or advice from anyone else who has had a similar experience ... on Monday afternoon my 5 week old baby boy choked suddenly and stopped breathing. This is what happened... myself and my mum took my 4 year old and 5 week old boys to the local playgroup. My baby traveled there in his pram which a car seat attaches to. Upon arriving at playgroup I got him out of his seat and took his layers off as not to over heat him...and held him the whole time we were there. This whole time he was asleep and seemed normal. After an hour or so my 4yr old decided he wanted to leave and go to nana's as planned. So I proceeded to re dress the baby and put him in his car seat. He had a bit of a wriggle, but seemed to settle. We started to walk up the road, and I noticed my son looked a bit red and was a bit bubbly and grunting, which at first I didn't find unusual as he has horrendous trouble trumping/pooing, so I just thought this was the same. A few seconds go by, and I realise that he is infact in a lot of distress and started to look slightly purple. I immediately picked him out of the seat and realised he was really really struggling to breathe. Then suddenly he turned a deep purple colour and his eyes started to bulge and his breathing stopped... we ran back indoors to playgroup as my mum called an ambulance and I started screaming at everyone that he had stopped breathing. one amazing mum took him from me, sat down on a chair and put him over her knee and started to hit his back, when suddenly he started bleeding from his mouth and nose. At this point I was absolutely frantic and crying and I thought I was watching my little baby die. My 4yr old stood watching on, looking terrified. The ambulance arrived and rushed me and the baby to hospital. We arrived in four mins and went straight to recussitation. time passed in a blur of oxygen, blood tests and X-rays as I stood by crying and feeling like I was going to lose him. they managed to stabilise him and sent him straight to the high dependency unit. He just looked so small and fragile on that big stretcher. once in the h.d.u he was put on proper oxygen up his nose rather than a mask. he was also linked to an I.v fluid drip for hydration and anti biotics. To cut an extremely long story short, he spent 14hrs in h.d.u and now we are currently on an isolation ward. He had a tube fitted into his tummy for milk as his lungs were working extra hard and the docs didn't want to worsen this. he has started to feed using bottles today but due to how sleepy he has been they wanted to continue tube feeding too. No infections were picked up on his bloods and I am confused as to why this happened. he hadn't fed before this episode, infact the poor thing would have been due his milk once we arrived at my mums. now I just don't know what to do. I don't want this to happen to him again, and the anxiety and general hysterical feelings of sadness and worry are all consuming. my heart hurts. once we leave hospital, how will I ever get over this? how will I rest knowing this could happen to him again? I want to protect him. the little noises he makes when he tries to poo or pass wind are all too similar to the noise he made when he stopped breathing, so there is no way I could possibly get on with anything or sleep without being on high alert. I want him to be ok and safe. please, if anyone could offer any wise words, share their experience or just hold my hand, I would be truly grateful. thank you. p.s I have missed a lot out but it's already very long what I have written and thank you if you got this far.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

RandomUsernameHere · 08/02/2018 01:21

So sorry to hear what you are going through, it sounds absolutely terrifying. Sorry I don't have any advice or experience but here's a handhold and hope your DS makes a speedy recovery and you get some answers soon

Adarajames · 08/02/2018 02:02

I hope the hospital find some answers for you and he's home safe and well quickly. definitely look for a paediatric first aid course and learn resus for babies just in case.

beautifulgirls · 08/02/2018 18:47

Speak to the staff at the hospital about your concerns before you leave. They are the best placed to give you the information you need, and as suggested above please go on a paediatric/baby first aid course. Knowledge is key to this as demonstrated by the lady who initially took him from you back at playgroup and helped him.

It's very hard as a parent who has watched their child fight for their life. We didn't have the same situation as you but my daughter as a toddler spent several days in intensive care fighting for her life with septicaemia and it was incredibly hard any time she became vaguely ill to any extent after that. Even now nearly 7 years on I still worry if she is ill compared to her sisters although she is basically a child that does as most kids do with colds etc these days. Reassure yourself it's normal to worry and try and think it through what you would do if the first event had never happened - then make a rational decision.

I hope you get some answers soon and he is on the road to a full recovery.

supersop60 · 08/02/2018 18:53

OP - this sounds horrendous. I hope your LO is getting better now. Did you find out what he was choking on?

Original poster

NeedToRelax · 08/02/2018 19:22

thanks for your replies, it's very much appreciated. we are back home now, he was discharged this afternoon. his blood tests came back all clear so not sure what caused this. I am absolutely going to arrange some paediatric first aid, should this happen again. they just seem to think he may have inhaled some milk and choked on it, but it had been such a long time since his last feed and he burped no problem. saying that though, he has been slightly sickly leading upto all of this, so perhaps he could be suffering a bit of reflux, as when he is placed in his Moses basket, he immediately fusses... but when we hold him up right he is much more comfortable and likes to fall asleep. I am going to take him to see our gp asap and also arrange for our health visitor to pop round too, as I feel the hospital didn't really sort anything with regards to after care for him. They were happy with his oxygen levels and heart rate, so they didn't seem too concerned. plus when reflux was mentioned they just agreed but because every doctor we saw was different, they all just put it down to milk aspiration and that it's common. his skin sometimes looks mottled too and they just said its his body adjusting to different temperatures. Gosh I am just so frightened, he is keen to feed too because he's a huge baby for 5 weeks, but I also don't want him to get too greedy and vomit. I am sorry to hear of a previous posters awful time with their toddler too, the worry is immense isn't it. thanks again guys x

OP posts:

Original poster

NeedToRelax · 08/02/2018 23:18

in the chaos of the last few days, I forgot to mention to them that he had been having quite a bit of mucous in his poo leading upto this, and also slightly mucousy sick when he was burped during and after a feed. I will absolutely mention this to the health visitor tomorrow and our doctor, but was just wondering if anyone here may have an idea what could cause this? I could bloody kick myself for not mentioning it whilst in hospital... my head has been all over the place and I completely forgot. x

OP posts:

thereinmadnesslies · 08/02/2018 23:22

DS2 had a cows milk protein allergy which caused mucus in his poo and reflux.
I hope your baby boy recovers well, and be kind to yourself x

Original poster

NeedToRelax · 08/02/2018 23:25

ah really, gosh I shall definitely have that looked into, thank you xx

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TheGingerSnapped · 08/02/2018 23:30

Mucousy vomit and poo are allergic reactions. I'd pursue this angle, in your shoes (have been twice - DD aspirated reflux too )

If you are breastfeeding, it could be anything you have eaten. If formula feeding, it is more likely to be cow's milk protein.

Good luck.

Original poster

NeedToRelax · 08/02/2018 23:50

thank you so much I am starting to think its that myself... sorry to hear your poor DD went through the same x

OP posts:

woosey35 · 09/02/2018 00:02

Crikey you poor love. It all sounds horrific for you. I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Have you got a number that you can call
the ward you were on? Often they give you a few days grace so that you can call them if you’ve got any concerns. Maybe do this and raise the question of the mucus.

Sending love and hoping you can get to the bottom of this and gain strength with every day x

fleetingthinker · 09/02/2018 00:04

I'm so sorry you've been through this. I had a similar experience with my DS at 5 weeks old and it turned out to be allergy related.

We were home at night and I fed him, lay him down as usual on the bed then noticed for some reason he looked different. He didn't make a sound but his face just seemed odd. I picked him up and he started changing colour, going red, then before I knew it his eyes were bulging and I realised then he was choking.

I completely panicked and my DH grabbed him and started doing back slaps. A load of fluid came out his nose and mouth and and he regained his colour but went into respiratory distress and then couldn't breath properly.

Cut a long story short, we ended up in A&E and they diagnosed reflux. He turned out to have allergies to dairy, soy and eggs which caused the reflux. When they are this young, the reflux can cause the oesophagus can go into a spasm as their system are immature. If you google, you'll be able to read more about it.

It was the most awful thing I've been through, so I really feel for you. I honestly thought he was going to die. For weeks afterward every time I closed my eyes I could just see his face with his eyes bulging. It was awful.

I posted in here about it (long time ago now) and was given some really good advice to try and not relive the moment if possible which I think helped get past it. I would feel tearful talking about it even five years later but it didn't haunt me day to day.

I was paranoid for ages though and he was very refluxy for the first two years. We had lots of smaller choking episodes that would send me into a panic. The car seat was especially bad for it, so I stopped driving after a few months as I was having to keep pulling over and climb into the back.

Have they referred you for follow up?

Tutankhamum · 09/02/2018 00:34

Something similar happened with my baby at 1 week old when we were in hospital still on the transitional ward.

Ask them if they will provide a medical grade neonatal apnea monitor. I insisted on one and it gave us reassurance. We also have the angel care breathing monitor for his Moses basket and cot bed. There are some charities who will line them out.

My boy also had reflux but he also was diagnosed with another more serious issue. If you have any doubts about your baby's health seek medical help immediately when breathing is concerned. Do not get fobbed off and trust your instinct.

For the reflux, try carobel food thickener if bottle feeding, and keep you baby on an incline when asleep if possible. We used rolled up towels under his mattress which did help if he regurgitated food or acid.

It was an awful shock when our baby stopped breathing, and like you I thought I was watching him die, my anxiety levels were sky high for months. However we are now 9 months on and thankfully he hasn't done it again!

Original poster

NeedToRelax · 09/02/2018 01:00

fleetingthinker - i am sorry something similar also happened to your poor DS, How did they come to the conclusion it was allergy related? did they do a stool sample at all? was he formula fed and if so did they switch him to a prescribed formula? I absolutely agree about how their little faces look, it's horrifying. And I too am feeling extremely teary and anxious. I keep getting awful flashbacks. this is starting to make sense as I have looked online at allergy symptoms and he pretty much has all of them. he suffers terribly with passing wind and his tummy is always rock hard from not pooing properly. he can become really fussy pretty much straight after a feed. I am taking him straight it our Gp tomorrow who will hopefully help us. thanks for your time in answering.

OP posts:

Original poster

NeedToRelax · 09/02/2018 01:12

Tutankhamum I will absolutely look into the apnea monitor and also the angel care sensor ... have just propped his mattress up, so hopefully that too will help. thanks for the advice and I am pleased to hear your little one hasn't given you any scares since.

OP posts:

Original poster

NeedToRelax · 09/02/2018 01:14

woosey35 yes they gave me a number I can use for 48hrs after discharge so will definetley be ringing to inform them. thank you.

OP posts:

GinnyLovesGin · 09/02/2018 01:16

Was he a c section baby?

I ask because DD1 was delivered by emergency c section and she was absolutely full of mucus for weeks after she was born. She was always choking on it and crying to cough it up. It was awful.

Original poster

NeedToRelax · 09/02/2018 01:28

GinnyLovesGin yes he was an elective c section due to being breech and was very mucousy for a good few days ... sneezed a lot too and always sounded snuffly x

OP posts:

stellenbosch · 09/02/2018 04:00

Did they suggest milk allergy? CMPI can cause delayed choking (2 hrs after a bottle) and reflux (also rash, screaming after feeds, lots of runny poop, etc)

Happened to my dc. I changed to non dairy milk (Neocate)

See gp asap

They can stool test for lactose as well

stellenbosch · 09/02/2018 04:01

Did they suggest milk allergy? CMPI can cause delayed choking (2 hrs after a bottle) and reflux (also rash, screaming after feeds, lots of runny poop, etc)

Happened to my dc. I changed to non dairy milk (Neocate)

See gp asap

They can stool test for lactose as well

Wormysquirmy · 09/02/2018 04:06

Definitely push for referral to a paed with expertise in allergy and reflux.

My GP centre was utterly, utterly clueless

diodati · 09/02/2018 05:03

I'm wondering if your baby may be having seizures... I don't want to frighten you, OP but as a parent of an epileptic child, some of the symptoms you describe are very familiar to me.

Original poster

NeedToRelax · 09/02/2018 07:24

sorry I haven't posted in a while, he has been very unsettled all night, grunting and crying and bringing up bits of his milk.. he has also been stopping during a feed and screaming in pain so I think the reflux is really bothering him. the doctors surgery opens at 8:30 so going to phone for an appointment straight away. The poor thing has had diarrhoea a few times earlier in the night too which I was told is normal because of all of the antibiotics he has had the past few days. no one at hospital suggested milk allergy no, they just put it down to "being unwell" but since being on here and also doing research I do think this could be the problem. He hasn't slept at all since about 2:00am and even then it was only for half an hour, I'm really worried. He's grunting a lot and sounds like he is straining too.

a previous poster mentioned seizures I will have a look at the symptoms of that too, his leg does shake sometimes but I just put that down to him being a new baby still.

OP posts:

stellenbosch · 09/02/2018 07:42

I went to the doctors and said I had done the research and I was scared to give dc another bottle of milk and insisted they prescribe Neocate

Doctors can be very funny about it as it's expensive. Good luck. Don't let them fob you off. Be strong and insist on trying it. And ask for a stool sample kit whilst he still has dairy in his system

Infant gaviscon too in case it is reflux (but try just changing the milk first)

Good luck

Original poster

NeedToRelax · 09/02/2018 07:49

ok thanks so much for your help

OP posts:

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