My little Ethan,
Having an ambulance parked up outside our house and two paramedics in our living room attending to you whilst you were laid on our sofa isn't a usual way we start our Tuesday mornings.
Whilst Tuesdays are usually a little crazy for us, with Daddy speed-packing his Lego orders from the day and night before and Mummy rushing around getting you and your brother dressed ready for Daddy to take you swimming and Mummy to take Logan to baby sensory, they're not quite as crazy as watching you be carried out to an ambulance by two paramedics. One holding your top half, the other holding your bottom half, whilst you're wrapped and taped up to keep your head still.
It all started the night before with you filled with as much energy as you always have, jumping up and down on our bed. You were standing on Mummy's pillow and then jumping forward. I'd asked you to stop, but would you listen? Of course you wouldn't! You're Mummy and Daddy's little threenager at the moment. ;) I had warned you about being careful or, I said, that you would end up hurting yourself - and then you did.
Nobody saw it happen, Mummy had popped in to the en suite for a minute and Daddy was just coming back up the stairs. You asked Daddy to kiss your neck better before laying down and telling us that your neck was hurting.
You didn't want to get up as it hurt to try and sit up. I had a feel and tried to rub it better. Daddy and I both felt it was muscular rather than anything else to worry about and you were fine in yourself apart from not wanting to get up, preferring to just lay down on our bed where you felt most comfortable.
You asked us for 'YouTube kids' and we let you watch it. You were being your cheeky normal self smiling whilst asking for medicine and a plaster (despite no bleeding!). ;) We had lots of cuddles and then we carried you to bed thinking you'd be better in the morning after a proper rest. But when you weren't, I decided to ring 111 and get some advice. I wasn't happy that you felt no better and still didn't want to sit or get up.
I was a little surprised when they said they'd be sending an ambulance. It made sense because you would have struggled to sit in the car, but them sending an ambulance made me feel so bad. I know that really it was just a precaution, you're only little and I think when little people are involved and neck/back/head areas, it's best to do more than less. But none the less I felt terrible for not having phoned earlier. I just went with my instinct. I felt it was muscular and I was happy that you were being your normal self, if you hadn't been I would have phoned straight away.
The ambulance arrived and during that time I had got dressed as I suspected that they would want to take you in if they felt the need to send an ambulance to the house. The paramedics, Rob and Phil from the South Central Ambulance Service were so lovely and really good with you.
You were unsure of them to begin with, but you really warmed to them and then you got into full cheeky-Ethan mode, asking 'When are we going?' when you realised you were going to be going in the ambulance and going to hospital. I think you quite liked all the attention and found the whole thing quite exciting. They got you on to a plastic sheet which they blew up and wrapped all around you to keep you still and then they taped it. It looks so much scarier than it was in these photos.
You were lifted up into the ambulance and Mummy came and sit with you. You laid there looking so tiny and innocent, but you were taking it all in your stride and you were totally unable to hide your excitement. You were chatting away asking what everything was and talking with your new paramedic best friend. You even said, 'Mummy can you take my picture?' during our journey, which made us laugh!
Everything turned out to be fine. it was muscular, as we had all has suspected and you just needed to rest and keep on taking Calpol. You were back to your normal self a good few hours later and it was a relief to see.
It's funny because whilst you looked so tiny in the ambulance and on the hospital bed, you also seemed so grown up. Like you were just so fully aware of every little thing and so switched on to things. I felt anxious and upset but at the same time proud of how well you were dealing with things.
It's been a few days now and you're now totally better. I think that was probably your first lesson in learning that your body isn't invisible. I'm grateful that while we did have to go to hospital, nothing serious had occurred. It's not nice sitting with your baby in the back of an ambulance for anything. I just hope that we never find ourselves there again. x
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