You're My Mom
  • Home
  • About
  • Special Needs
  • Relationships
  • Growth
  • Marriage
  • Living
  • Contact
Top Posts
A Letter to the First Responders Who Answered...
Despite the Less than Average Scores He Had,...
I Thought About Getting a Divorce…
To the Pediatric Brain Tumor Mom Struggling to...
Nurses Are Saints, Not Card Players
My Soul Can’t Doubt That: Raising Epilepsy Awareness
United We Stand: Keep the Pledge of Allegiance...
How to Survive Your Child’s Pediatric Emergency
Empowering Others: Don’t Knock It Till You Try...
Living “Like a Boss”

You're My Mom

  • Home
  • About
  • Special Needs
  • Relationships
  • Growth
  • Marriage
  • Living
  • Contact
BlogSpecial Needs

How to Survive Your Child’s Pediatric Emergency

by sarah June 26, 2018
written by sarah June 26, 2018
pediatric emergency room

There he was. We were facing a serious pediatric emergency. My five-month-old precious baby boy lying lifeless on a stretcher after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. It was an absolute nightmare. My body switched into autopilot, and all the moments ran together in a chaotic group of memories that I can’t create a timeline for. Somewhere between complete desperation to find the answers and an overwhelming, powerful love I had for this child, I had the courage to stand up and be the demanding mother I always criticized. And you know what happened? It saved our son’s life.

My advice comes from the experience of desperately dragging our son from one medical provider to another, getting the same answer when I knew it wasn’t right, and watching our little boy fight through a nine-hour surgery. I learned a lot in those 14 days, from the pediatric emergency room to the intensive care unit. The most powerful lesson I learned has not only kept our son healthy, but it has also kept him alive. Be your child’s advocate. My advice comes from a mother who understands that being a voice for your child can be the difference between life and death.

Trust your gut.

As I watched Anthony continue to vomit over the course of five days, I knew that this was not like any other sickness I had seen. The look in his eyes spoke to me as if to say, “Mommy, please help me!”  We spent the next few days seeing a medical professional at least once a day. Between doctors, pediatric emergency rooms and late-night phone calls to the on-call nurse, I was not taking the diagnosis as a virus as our answer. Did I think they would pin me as the neurotic, first-time Mom who was overreacting? Sure! But, did I care? Absolutely not! I knew something was wrong with my son. I felt it deep down in my gut. And because you know your child better than anyone ever will, you need to trust that gut instinct. I would rather look like a crazy Mom and be wrong a million times than be right the one time I didn’t follow my gut. You know that thing they call mother’s intuition? Let me tell you something. It is real! It’s the reason I can enjoy my two-year-old today.

Ask a LOT of questions during a pediatric emergency.

You are not a medical professional; you are a parent. It will be near impossible to process all the information that is thrown at you while, simultaneously, trying to understand why your child is facing this struggle. Ask as many questions as you need to ask to make sure you fully understand what is going on. You will be the professor in the field of health history when it comes to your child as he meets new doctors along the way who know nothing of his past. Be so knowledgeable about their entire journey that you seem to know more than any doctor you meet. You will get there by asking a lot of questions.

Your loyalty is to your child.

One of the biggest battles I fought was within my own mind as we debated whether we should move Anthony’s care to Boston. I struggled with this daily. I felt like I was betraying the surgeons who saved our son’s life. But the truth was that they stopped fighting for our son, and now, we were all he had to get him through this alive. As much as I had trusted our team, that trust was broken during his follow-up care. Bringing him to Boston Children’s Hospital was exactly what he needed, and if I had to drive to the ends of the earth and then walk 10 miles to get him there, then that is my job as his mother.

Love your nurses.

Our nurses were our lifeline. While Anthony’s doctors performed his life-saving surgeries, his nurses carried him through the many bumps in the road and lead him home to us. Your nurses are the MVP of your team in the game of life or death. Trust them, rely on them, value them, ask them for help. They want to help you! We treat our nurses as if they were as much Anthony’s parent as we are because we wanted them to fight for our child. And that they did. As I watched one of Anthony’s nurses put herself aside, even if it meant losing her job, and fight for the well-being of my child, I quickly realized that these nurses were our advocate. As much control as they could possibly have over the outcome of this terrible ordeal, they would fight until we left here with our child. Love your nurses.

Have hope.

You will look at your child and you will feel desperate, sad and helpless. It will be very hard not to fall apart. So, this is what you will do. You will look at your child, laying there in that hospital bed, and you will fight back the tears, and you will smile. You will smile because you know in your heart that your love will bring them through this. And if you don’t know that, you will smile anyway. Your strength and attitude will carry over to your child. They are the biggest part of you. If you are strong, they will be strong. Nothing will give them more will to fight than knowing that you believe they can make it through this. You will all fight together. And if you don’t win, you will have no regrets.

I never understood the power of being a parent until my son came so close to death that it haunts me. I was never a strong person until that is exactly what my son needed me to be for him to fight for his life. I’m not a medical professional, I am a parent. And my child is exactly that, he is mine. When it comes to your child, do not fear anything or anyone. Advocate for your child, especially if you face a pediatric emergency. No one will fight for them like you.

pediatric emergency

Parent AdvocacyParenting AdviceStrength of a Parent
22 comments
0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
sarah

Hey, you! I’m Sarah. Fierce mama, wife, and friend. Raising a gentleman. Passionate writer. Beach bum. Philanthropist. Awareness advocate. Lover of coffee and humor. What’s your story?

previous post
Empowering Others: Don’t Knock It Till You Try It!
next post
United We Stand: Keep the Pledge of Allegiance in Schools

Related Posts

A Letter to the First Responders Who Answered...

February 6, 2020

Despite the Less than Average Scores He Had,...

July 18, 2019

I Thought About Getting a Divorce…

July 3, 2019

To the Pediatric Brain Tumor Mom Struggling to...

May 30, 2019

Nurses Are Saints, Not Card Players

April 24, 2019

My Soul Can’t Doubt That: Raising Epilepsy Awareness

December 11, 2018

United We Stand: Keep the Pledge of Allegiance...

August 30, 2018

Empowering Others: Don’t Knock It Till You Try...

June 21, 2018

Living “Like a Boss”

June 19, 2018

Don’t Feel Pressured to Fit In

June 11, 2018

22 comments

Kate June 26, 2018 - 6:45 pm

Aww what a powerful blog post! Completely right though we know our own child and we are there advocate! Hope he is getting better now.

Kate xx
http://Www.mummywho.com

Reply
sarah June 26, 2018 - 8:09 pm

He’s doing great! Thanks for the support.

Reply
Lorrita June 26, 2018 - 8:06 pm

I am not a mother but this is deffinately for my books. Some of ypur points remibd me so much of how my mom would fight to make sure my needs were met whenever i was ill yet in a way that didn’t put me on the blacklist of nurses who wouldve probably found her demands well too demanding lol. Happy for mother and sons health. And dor tjis article that just made me love mom more than i already do.

Reply
sarah June 26, 2018 - 8:09 pm

Aww that’s great that this lead you to remember moments with your Mom and look to your relationship with her! I love that! Thanks for sharing. I hope someday my son looks back and knows that I love him more than anything in the world and I did everything to keep him happy, safe, and successful.

Reply
Heather @ A Heart of Humility June 27, 2018 - 12:26 am

Such an inspiring post. I am a full time physical therapist and I tell my patient’s all the time: YOU are your best advocate. I could not imagine going through the experience that you described above. I hope your precious son is doing well!

Reply
sarah June 27, 2018 - 2:54 am

Thank you. Anthony did pediatric physical therapy for a while and graduated to occupational therapy! Thanks for the support!

Reply
Maranda Brakenhoff June 27, 2018 - 3:44 pm

This was a fantastic and inspiring post..it is so important that we trust our motherly instinct for our babies.

Thank you for sharing! Praying things are better.

Reply
sarah June 27, 2018 - 6:47 pm

Thank you so much! It is important! That’s why we spread awareness so other mothers know to trust their instincts!

Reply
Jaci June 27, 2018 - 5:51 pm

This is absolutely beautiful. I am not a mother myself but it touched a place deep down within me. This is great advice for anyone going through a medical struggle with a child or loved one and is a wonderful testimony to the steadfast love of a mother. Great post.

Reply
sarah June 27, 2018 - 6:47 pm

Thank you!

Reply
Chera June 27, 2018 - 7:45 pm

Being a mom is the greatest gift we could ever receive. Great post.

Reply
sarah June 29, 2018 - 2:24 pm

So very true!

Reply
Kim June 28, 2018 - 1:08 am

Wow wow wow. What a powerful post (I shed some tears) . First, you are one strong mama, you fought for him and he will forever appreciate that!

Thank you for sharing your encouragement and extra push for other moms, it’s amazing! YOU ARE AMAZING!!

Reply
sarah June 29, 2018 - 2:24 pm

Awww this means so much! Thank you!!

Reply
Caroline June 28, 2018 - 2:55 am

My goodness, what a terrific mama-bear you are! That must have been a frightening time for you all. With two small boys myself, your story really tugs at my heart-strings.

Reply
sarah June 29, 2018 - 2:23 pm

It was frightening. But Mama Bear kicks in and you just do what you need to do. Then you look back and wonder what the heck happened! Thanks for the love!

Reply
Jasmine June 28, 2018 - 11:23 am

This I’d such an inspiring post, and you ate a wonderful mother!

Reply
sarah June 29, 2018 - 2:23 pm

Thank you so much!

Reply
Cindy June 28, 2018 - 12:23 pm

A mother knows. Powerful post. When you said his eyes spoke to you – hit my heart. I know that look. Keep doing your thing momma! Loved this post.

Reply
sarah June 29, 2018 - 2:22 pm

Thank you! Mama knows best <3

Reply
Monica June 28, 2018 - 1:14 pm

Thank you for sharing! I agree as a mother you have to trust your gut!!!

Reply
Marriage Tips for Lasting Love | You're My Mom Milford CT March 22, 2019 - 12:44 pm

[…] Posts My Soul Can’t Doubt That United We Stand. Divided We Kneel. One Mother’s Story: The Most Powerful Lesson Empowering Others: Don’t Knock It Till You Try… Living “Like a Boss” […]

Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

About Me

About Me

Sarah Mouio

Hey, you! I’m Sarah. Fierce mama, wife, and friend. Raising a gentleman. Passionate writer. Beach bum. Philanthropist. Awareness advocate. Lover of coffee and humor. What’s your story?

Categories

  • Blog (13)
  • Growth (1)
  • Living (1)
  • Marriage (2)
  • Motivational (1)
  • Relationships (2)
  • Saving Lives (2)
  • Special Needs (6)

On Instagram

No images found!
Try some other hashtag or username

Archives

  • February 2020
  • July 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • December 2018
  • August 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018

Keep in touch

Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

Recent Posts

  • A Letter to the First Responders Who Answered the Call When Our Son Needed Help

    February 6, 2020
  • Despite the Less than Average Scores He Had, He Exceeded Expectations

    July 18, 2019
  • I Thought About Getting a Divorce…

    July 3, 2019
  • To the Pediatric Brain Tumor Mom Struggling to Be Optimistic

    May 30, 2019
  • Nurses Are Saints, Not Card Players

    April 24, 2019

Subscribe Newsletter

Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • Snapchat
  • Reddit
  • RSS

2019 © Copyrights. All Right Reserved. - You're My Mom.

You're My Mom
  • Home
  • About
  • Special Needs
  • Relationships
  • Growth
  • Marriage
  • Living
  • Contact

On Instagram

No images found!
Try some other hashtag or username
2019 © Copyrights. All Right Reserved. - You're My Mom.