Is anyone awake please? Worried about toddler slipping under bathwater earlier

[WorriedMum1989]

Earlier today DS 16 months stood up in bath and went to reach something, slipped under water, I grabbed him immediately and got him out, he coughed / burped and seemed fine, he's been asleep a few hours has woke a couple of times. Anyway now I'm reading about secondary drowning and I'm worried sick, I have anxiety anyway.

Should I wake him and his older brother and go to A&E? (Am a lone parent). I feel a bit daft and my instincts say he's fine but now I've read about it, I can't get it out of my head and don't feel like I'm going to be able to sleep. Thank you.

A&E is going to be a very long wait to be almost certainly told he's absolutely fine. If he's exhibited no respiratory distress following the incident then there's no reason to be alarmed.

Thanks for the reassurance. I think I'm worrying more because he went under backwards so more scope for inhaling water. I feel like a mad woman sitting up watching him breathing and taking his temperature, I've put clothes ready to change into in case I need to do a mad dash to A&E :(

My little girl has done the same and she was absolutely fine. You had him up and out in seconds and it’s good that he coughed up whatever went down. He‘ll be okay.
It’s mad how the fear gets you isn’t it, I thought I’d given my baby a cold sore at a few months old and worked myself into a right state. It was a spot, can laugh about it now but not at the time!

I wouldn't worry. Signs of fluid in lungs are ongoing shortness of breath, laboured breathing and coughing - all of which get worse lying down. But when you're naturally freaking out as a concerned parent - this is exactly what the 24-hours-a-day 111 NHS telephone service is for. Should DS look show these signs of distress call 999 immediately for an ambulance.

I'm glad your little girl was okay.

It's crazy isn't it. I took him to A&E around this time last month as I walked into the living room to find the TV remote control with the back taken off it, two AA batteries nowhere to be found. They of course later turned up but as I couldn't locate them I took him to be checked.

I'm so tired but fighting sleep while he and his brother are sleeping peacefully, I feel so silly.

this is ignorant and dangerous rubbish, respiratory distress is NOT a symptom of secondary drowning - it you don't know what you are talking about, don't say anything, particularly in relation to a life threatening condition.

OP, I would go to hospital if there is any chance he inhaled any water, yes. just to be on the safe side

@secondfavouritesocks a quick Google search I did (30 seconds) returned results that show YES respiratory distress ARE signs of secondary drowning and whilst there are other symptoms, lethargy, fatigue and fever, respiratory distress is also amongst them. "Difficulty breathing" is the top returned symptom, in medical terms this is also known as "respiratory distress"

Have you ever taken him swimming?

My children all went under water and coughed/spluttered about 10 times a session at that age. All fine now!

I was reading the op and I was about to say something just like this too!

Don't worry op, humans are good at expelling water by coughing etc. Babies and toddlers do it in the swimming pool all the time. In fact in baby swimming lessons they get dunked deliberately as standard.

I'd only start worrying if he seemed unwell. I think it's hugely unlikely

whatever, the condition you are describing is what I would call tertiary drowning, but you are right, these definitions are not precise, so what? The condition the OP is concerned about it fresh water induced intravascular haemolysis, which is what I would call secondary drowning, and the danger with fwiih is that there are no symptoms.

OP, I personally would get the child checked, and not listen to posters on the internet who know nothing, except what they googled 5 minutes ago.

( I am not medically trained, but am qualified in paediatric first aid)

He will most likely be fine but I understand the anxiety. I’m exactly the same! I’ve had many a sleepless night worrying about this and that. Google really doesn’t help with the anxiety!

Give 111 a call if you’re concerned. From experience, NHS always prefer us be over-cautions when it comes to little ones.

The reason you’re worried is because you’re a good parent. Don’t forget that :)

You're not medically qualified but you go around generating even more anxiety for someone who has already admitted to and given evidence of her anxiety.

If the child is sleeping peacefully, there are no signs that OP should worry. I'm not medically trained but I know enough to say that if there are no concerning signs you shouldn't be concerned.

Children go briefly under water all the time. There's nothing to suggest the child inhaled a lot of water.

OP, this has taken me right back to when my children were younger. I’ve also lay in bed, unable to sleep and worrying about secondary drowning. Amongst lots of other things. There are times when Google just isn’t helpful.

I’m sure he is absolutely fine, but nothing triggered my anxiety like having young children.

oh gosh! Like the previous poster I remember having this exact same worry when my eldest was little. Then one day he slipped under the bath water whilst we were staying at my in-laws. I was absolutely beside myself with worry and my (usually!) lovely MIL- a paediatric nurse who is usually very cautious and risk averse told me that I was being ridiculous and that in all her 40 years in hospital she’d never once seen a child come in with secondary drowning which did actually help a lot to put my mind at ease.